What is gold and what is made of metal?

Bright gold has attracted people's attention for millennia. It was used as cash, melted into ingots and made into luxurious jewelry. This metal is still in demand in many areas and is highly valued by representatives of different segments of the population.

Gold is a valuable metal known to mankind since ancient times. The mineral has a characteristic yellow color. Due to its low chemical activity, it belongs to noble metals.

A big plus of this material is its durability. He is not afraid of time and after many years it looks just as beautiful as when purchased.

The first gold items were found during excavations carried out on the territory of modern Egypt. They were found in a tomb belonging to one of the Egyptian queens. These jewelry were created from noble metal 3000 years before our era.

Around the same time, valuable jewelry was widespread in India, Mesopotamia and China. During the heyday of ancient culture, gold was considered a symbol of luxury. It was used to create jewelry. Many of them have survived to this day.

In the 1700s, gold mining began in Brazil. In just a couple of years, the country has become one of the main suppliers of precious metals throughout the world. In 1848, gold deposits were discovered in California. This led to the active development of the United States.A few years later, a stream of settlers poured into Australia for the same reason.

A similar situation occurred at the beginning of the last century in South Africa. But in this part of the world, grains and nuggets were already mined not by ordinary settlers, but by large corporations. This also affected the peculiarities of the continent's development.

Now gold mining is developing quite actively. Almost three tons of precious metal are produced annually. Most of it is mined in South Africa, Australia, the United States and China.

Today, there are two main theories associated with the appearance of this valuable metal on Earth. According to the first of them, gold appeared on the planet after it was formed. The reason for this was the massive fall of celestial bodies containing this metal. Getting to the earth's surface, gold was distributed in the crust, from where it was carried to the surface after a while.

According to the second theory, gold was part of the matter from which the Earth was formed. Deposits of metal in various parts of the planet were also formed as a result of various volcanic processes in the earth's crust.

Now in nature there are 2 types of gold deposits in which the formation of valuable metal occurs. Primary ones arise in connection with processes occurring in nature. They are located in the highlands. The metal in such places is presented in the form of small grains that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

Secondary or alluvial gold deposits are located closer to the surface. They are formed in the process of destruction of rocks. Water plays a significant role in the movement of the released gold, which erodes rocks and carries metal particles down the river.

Pure gold is an inert metal that hardly interacts with the environment in any way. It does not rust or oxidize over time. This metal dissolves only in "aqua regia" - a mixture consisting of strong nitric acid and hydrochloric acid.

Another of its distinguishing characteristics is softness. At the same time, despite its plasticity, the material is very heavy. In terms of density, it ranks 7th along with pure tungsten.

There are several varieties of gold that can be classified into different categories.

First of all, it should be noted that gold items can vary in color.

1. Yellow. The classic color that most people associate with this noble metal. It is obtained after melting the raw materials with copper and silver. In its pure form, gold is not used to create jewelry. The brightness of the alloy depends on how much silver it contains.
2. White. This metal is now very popular among lovers of beautiful jewelry. It matches perfectly with pearls and diamonds. This metal is obtained after mixing pure gold with platinum and palladium.
3. Red. This non-ferrous metal is composed of gold, copper and zinc. In some cases, palladium is also added there. This allows you to give the final product a light brown tint. The higher the copper content in the mixture, the more saturated and beautiful the color is.
4. Pink. This material looks impressive and elegant. Rose gold jewelry is now very popular among jewelers and lovers of beautiful accessories. Gold, copper and very little silver are mixed to create this metal.
5. Brown. This non-ferrous metal contains rose and red gold. It was created by the famous jeweler Fawaz Gruosi, who is known all over the world for his love of experimenting with the shapes and colors of jewelry.
6. Black. This alloy also has an unusual color and is especially appreciated among jewelers. It can be obtained by mixing pure gold with cobalt and chromium.

When buying products made of valuable metal, you also need to pay attention to the sample. This term denotes the ratio of pure gold to various additives per kilogram of alloy.

1. Sample 375. Such products contain very little pure precious metal. Because of this, products wear out very quickly and lose their attractiveness. Therefore, 375 gold is not used to create jewelry.
2. Finish 585. These alloys are slightly more than half of pure gold. Additives such as silver, palladium, copper or platinum can be used as impurities. 585 metal alloys are available in a wide variety of colors, from white to red.
3. Fineness 750. Jewelry made of an alloy containing 3/4 gold is durable and attractive.
4. Fineness 900. In Thailand, China and the United Arab Emirates, jewelry made from such gold is very popular. In Russia, this metal serves as the basis for the creation of coins. In addition, it is this alloy that is used in medicine. So, high quality crowns are made from it.
5. Fineness 960. Gold leaf is commonly used to adorn various decorative items. In addition, it is also used in the food industry.
6. Fineness 985. Products made from such an alloy are very expensive. They are of high quality, attractive and do not wear out over time.
7. Fineness 999. Jewelry made from such an alloy is a rarity. It is not sold in ordinary stores. Gold with a low content of impurities is also used in the production of bank ingots.

The test helps to facilitate the process of determining the quality of the metal and to understand that the product being sold is not a fake.

All accessories and other items made of precious metals and alloys are usually decorated with a special stamp. Having carefully examined it, you can understand in which country the selected accessory was created.

The most popular producers of gold products are countries such as the United Arab Emirates, France, Spain and Italy. The presence of a stamp on the surface of the product is proof that the purchased gold is not "samovar".

Today, gold is used not only to create jewelry. This noble metal is used in various fields.

Gold is very often used in the manufacture of microcircuits and circuit boards. Thin precious foil is made of it, which is used to cover various objects and perfectly protects them from rust.

The yellow metal is often used in dentistry to make crowns and dentures. They are of high quality and do not darken over time. The only disadvantage of such crowns is that they gradually wear off. Therefore, instead of gold teeth, many use other, more modern prostheses.

Medicines containing Au ions are often used to treat tuberculosis, lupus and arthritis. In India, it is believed that the regular use of medicines consisting of pure gold and special herbs can rejuvenate the body.

Food coloring with gold is absolutely harmless to human health. It is produced under the code E175 and has neither taste nor smell. Dishes decorated this way are popular in Japanese, American and Turkish restaurants. Typically, this precious metal is used to decorate sweets, cakes and various gourmet desserts.The cost of such a delicacy can go up to several tens of thousands of dollars.

Today, gold is often used in the manufacture of skin care products. It is believed that precious nanoparticles have a pronounced anti-aging effect. Cosmetics with such an unusual additive help to tighten the face contour, as well as make the skin smoother and more beautiful.

Previously, gold was also used in cosmetic surgery. Threads from this material were inserted under the skin. But this method was found to be traumatic. Now, instead of such an unusual "corset", other, more modern materials are being installed.

Since ancient times, gold has been used not only to create various decorations, but also to decorate frescoes and sculptures. Metal was used to decorate temples, tombs and other places that were revered in different cultures.

Many interesting moments and curious facts are associated with the history of the precious metal.

1. Since the discovery of gold to the present day, more than 160 thousand tons of this valuable metal have been mined. The cost of this amount of raw materials is estimated at about $ 10 trillion.
2. Gold ore has been found on all continents.
3. One of the largest nuggets discovered during the entire existence of mankind, weighed 72 kilograms.
4. In ancient times, in order to separate the grains of gold from the sand, the Egyptians used unshorn sheepskin. It is said that it was this tradition that contributed to the emergence of the myth of the Golden Fleece.
5. The ancient Greeks believed that gold was the sun's rays that dissolve in water. The Incas called this metal "the tears of the sun god", and the Egyptians called the "skin of the god Ra".

Many centuries ago, people believed that gold was a gift from gods to people. Now this precious metal is used in various modern industries, making human life bright and comfortable, which only confirms the value of this precious metal.