Gold

Introduction to Gold

Gold is one of the most important metals known to man. For almost all of history, gold has played a role as jewellery, currency and in technology. The first pure gold coins were struck by King Croesus of Lydia (present-day Turkey) during his reign between 560 and 547 BC and gold coins have continued to be used since that time. Gold has also been used as jewellery, as decoration in ceremonies and to signify leadership and success in the form of crowns and medals.

Uses for Gold

The most famous use of gold is in jewellery. Gold necklaces, bracelets, wedding rings, engagement rings, rings, tiaras and even crowns can all be made from gold. Gold is ideal for jewellery because it can easily be set with precious jewels, shaped into any style and is easy to maintain.

Gold also has other uses. Gold has been used as money by most major cultures and economies have been underpinned by the value of gold. Gold, therefore, is essential to society.

Gold is also used in industry and technology as it is conductive, ductile and malleable.

Colour

Gold is available in a variety of colours depending on what it has been alloyed with. Gold with a high copper content has a red finish and is known as Rose Gold. Gold that has a rhodium finish is known as white gold and is one of the most popular colours of gold for jewellery today.

Sometimes the different colours of gold are combined together. A Russian wedding ring for example, traditionally features white, rose and yellow gold. Jewellery that features two different gold colours is known as two-colour gold and gold with three colours is known as three-colour gold.

Gold Facts

One of the reasons gold is important to us is that it is relatively easy to mine, however, 75% of all of the gold ever mined has been mined since 1910.

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol AU, from the Latin aurum. It is the most ductile of all metals and the most malleable. This means that it can easily be stretched into wire or shaped by hammering, making it ideal for jewellery. In fact a gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet that measures three hundred square feet.

Gold History

Ancient civilisations

Highly valued since prehistoric times, gold may have been the first metal that humans used. Valued for its use in ornamentation, jewellery and for rituals gold has always been central to human society.

Egyptians

Gold has featured in art since as long ago as the ancient Egyptians where it appeared in ancient hieroglyphs in 2600 BC and was revered as a divine and indestructible metal.

Greece

Despite the fact that ancient Greeks thought gold was made from a combination of water and sunshine, gold was just as important to them as it was to the Egyptians.

One of the ancient world's most famous artefacts is the gold death mask of Agamemnon who was the leader of the famous Greek mythological expedition to Troy to free Helen.

The Legendary Golden Fleece is another example of gold and its close relation to human culture and mythology. The Golden Fleece, however, probably referred to a fleece that had been used to trap gold dust from a stream, a common mining technique.

Rome

After the Greeks, the Romans were the next great culture to revere gold. Mining gold extensively through the Empire and developing sophisticated hydraulic mining techniques, the Romans redefined a new cultural relationship with gold.

Gold in the bible

Gold is also mentioned very frequently in the Bible Old Testament, starting with Genesis 2:11 where the city of New Jerusalem is described as having streets of gold.

Middle Ages (400-1400AD)

In 1066 metal based currency was reintroduced in Great Britain. In 1284 Venice introduced the gold ducat, which became the most popular coin in Europe for the next 500 years. Great Britain eventually launched the Florin, but didn't make the move to an economic system based on gold and silver until 1377.

Early Modern 1400-1800 AD

The 16th century saw no decrease in ruthless leaders and rulers plundering gold. King Ferdinand of Spain famously called for his citizens to "Get gold, as humanely as possible, but all hazards, get gold." This call launched massive expeditions to the New World and 200 years later, in 1700, gold was discovered in Brazil. By 1720 Brazil was the biggest producer of gold in world, responsible for up to 2/3 of the world's gold.

In 1700 Isaac Newton fixed the price of gold in Great Britain at 84 shillings and called for a recall of old coins. This fixed gold price was to last for nearly 200 hundred years.

Modern 1800 to the modern day

With the discovery of gold in Little Meadow Creek sparking the first gold rush in America, the role of gold became central to American life and therefore the modern world. In 1848 a man called John Marshall found a gold flake in Sacramento triggering the famous California Gold Rush, furthering enhancing the role of gold in American history.

21st Century Gold

As we enter the 21st century gold is still highly prized. Used not only in jewellery, but also in Olympic medals, Nobel prizes, Oscars and many other awards, gold symbolises success, achievement and endeavour like no other material.

Hallmarks and purity

In 1238 King Henry VIII commanded the Mayor of London to appoint six goldsmiths to ensure standards for gold and silver. Edward I then passed a law requiring all silver to be sterling standard and to be assayed (tested) by the warden of the Goldsmiths Guild and marked with the Leopards head.

What is a hallmark?

From these beginnings hallmarking became a standard mark of quality on gold, silver and platinum. The marks indicate where the metal was assayed, if it is gold silver or platinum and the purity of the metal.

During the reign of certain British monarchs, including Victoria and George I, precious metal was taxed and as a result gold and silver from this period had another, unique stamp to show that the tax had been paid.

Caring For Gold

Gold is easy to look after. At H.Samuel we stock a wide range of easy to use cleaning products that include sprays and wipes. Regular polishing with a soft cloth will keep your gold pristine and store gold jewellery separately from other jewellery to avoid discolouring.

Now that you know a little about gold, why not take a look at our range of gold jewellery?

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