Have you ever wondered why gold is valued more than any other metal in the world? All kinds of jewelry and industries, glass production, aviation and space industries simply could not exist without it.
But why is gold so valued in the world? To understand this, you need to know all the physical and chemical properties of it as a metal and, therefore, what determines its wide distribution in the world.
Gold and the ancient world
About 6,000 years ago, people began to meaningfully mine gold in Egypt. The oldest deposit of this precious metal - Nubia hid about 6,000 tons. The first gold was mined by washing sands through cloth. Then more labor-intensive methods began to be used: separating the ore from the whole rock and grinding it.
Gold was used as a trading currency, metal for making jewelry, utensils, weapons and armor of warriors. Since the ancient times of the formation of mankind, this metal has been very common throughout the world.
Chemical andphysical properties
-
Gold is a fusible metal, and therefore the most malleable. Melting point - 1064°C. Without heating, it can be forged into a layer with a thickness of about 0.1 microns. The most interesting thing is that in any form, the metal retains its inherent properties. It will not be difficult for an experienced blacksmith to forge any, even the most elegant figure from this metal. Due to this ductility, gold is used to cover the domes of the temple and even create ultra-thin wires for microcircuits.
Chips and gold - From the point of view of physics, the metal is good because it has low resistance and along with it good thermal conductivity, it is also resistant to all kinds of oxidative processes (corrosion, etc.). Why gold is valued in science, because it has the ability to reflect infrared rays and in particular light. This leads to the use of gold in the glazing of aircraft and all kinds of aircraft models, helmets of astronauts and ships.
- Why is gold valued by jewelers? This metal lends itself well to all kinds of processing (soldering, polishing, etc.), and also easily enters into alloys with any elements. These properties have become a weighty argument for taking the position of superiority of the main precious metal and raw materials in the jewelry industry.
-
As a chemical, gold is an inert metal, meaning it does not react with natural substances. The only exception is mirror amalgam (gold and mercury). As a result, its dissolution in acids is excluded,alkalis, and in principle under normal conditions. Unless in "aqua regia" (a solution that is a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids) of a concentrated form and under some other special conditions.
- Gold is a fragile metal, which means that another of its advantages is that it can be easily reduced to a pure metal from any compound. For example, only 800°C is enough for amalgam.
Gold in medicine
All the properties described above clearly show what the value of gold is. Since ancient times, people have even associated healing properties with this metal. It was believed that it can cure any human ailments: relieve pain, cure allergies, improve memory, increase stamina and simply eliminate the effects of stress. Moreover, it was not necessary to carry out any special procedures, it was enough just to wear gold jewelry. Some healers believed that this metal could even prolong life.
Why is gold valued nowadays? Followers of alternative medicine also believe that it will help those who have problems with the liver, heart, skin, reproductive system, as well as the prevention of influenza and other seasonal diseases, because this precious metal kills viruses and pathogens.
Also in cosmetology, products containing a certain proportion of colloidal gold have advantages.
What causes the color of the gold item
Jewellers call the stuff inpure pure gold. Due to the fact that it is soft and subject to deformation, it is not used for jewelry smelting. But in order to improve the quality of the product, to give it a special color and luster, pure gold is used in alloys. To obtain a yellow tint, it is mixed with silver and copper, red - with a large amount of copper, white - with palladium, platinum and nickel (this alloy is considered the most noble, but nickel is rarely used, as it can cause an allergic reaction). Rhodium can also be applied in a thin layer to give a white sheen to the jewelry to increase the strength of the product and anti-corrosion properties.
Which color of jewelry should I choose
Rose and yellow gold were considered low grade and almost unsuitable for jewelry with precious stones. But in Soviet times, pink gold was very common, its popularity is due to the fact that it looks beautiful and has a relatively low cost.
The most luxurious and expensive metal of the upper class of society is white gold. It has excellent quality characteristics and, due to the high content of silver and palladium, a rather high price.
Speaking from a fashion point of view, both white and yellow gold are in trend now, as the design of the product, and not the color or weight of the metal, plays a significant role.
Classification of gold (the concept of fineness)
The cost of the product does not depend on the color, but is determined by the breakdown, that is, the amount of gold contained in the alloy.
Because the jewelry is not made of puregold, and from alloys with various metals, you need to ensure that jewelry does not interact with substances that contain iodine, mercury and chlorine.
The more masters worked with this metal, the more varieties of it appeared. How do you know which gold is worth more?
To do this, all jewelry has a hallmark, for example, if a 500 mark is indicated on it, this means that the product contains 50% pure gold. Accordingly, the higher the sample, the higher the cost.
A fair question arises: which sample of gold is valued higher? 999 is the highest metal quality mark. But it is not used by jewelers. It has found its application exclusively in coating all kinds of silver and other surfaces of products, protecting them from corrosion (tinsel). Particularly in demand by 585 and 750 jewelers.
Comparison of 585 and 750
In Russia, these samples are the most common, because they have an affordable price-quality ratio, so they are popular with a large number of the population of the post-Soviet space.
If we talk about 585, it should be noted that it is very practical in daily use, even if you work in factories.
But many are inclined to believe that once the gold content is higher in 750 samples, then it is definitely better. This is not true. The more pure gold in the product, the softer it is, not so wear-resistant, it can be accidentally damaged. It is usually more appropriate to purchase items of such a high standard for celebrations or other special occasions in your life.
Howbuy a quality product
When the question is already closed: "Why is gold valued?", we can talk about what you should pay attention to when buying products from this precious metal.
First, find out the sample of the product and compare it with the sample on the tag. Jewelry must have a special stamp of the manufacturer - a kind of guarantor of quality and authenticity. Also, do not forget to check the tag. It contains all the necessary information about the product, manufacturer, composition, weight, and so on.
Pay attention to the appearance of the product. Make sure that all fasteners and soldering points are of high quality. Also, there are no irregularities or pronounced defects in the jewelry.
