Gold is one of the few natural metals found in the earth in a usable state without having to be refined or smelted. Other such metals are silver, copper, and platinum.
MEET THE GOLD
Gold was known and highly valued for the manufacture of jewellery long ago in ancient times. The oldest deposits of gold were discovered probably 5,000 years ago in India, from where they reached Babylonia and Persia. In Egypt, it was also mined in Nubia at that time. The Phoenicians knew how to mine and process gold before the Greeks and Romans.
Gold is found almost all over the world. The discoveries of gold deposits during the 19th century were unbelievable. They included the years of the "gold rushes" in the USA - in Alaska and California, in South Africa, Australia, and Siberia.
In Bohemia, gold was mined and panned around the 8th century on the gold-bearing rivers Otava and Blanica, whose sands were rich with this metal. The most famous gold mines were near Jílové, where the gold was embedded in quartz veins. In the 13th and 14th centuries, gold was mined in the Kašperské Hory, where small amounts are still mined today.
OCCURRENCE OF GOLD IN NATURE
In nature, pure gold is most often found in the form of grains or flakes, either in quartz veins that penetrate the rocks, or in alluvium created by the washing away of weathered gold-bearing rocks.
Larger pieces, so-called boulders, occur very rarely. One of the largest lumps of gold was found in Australia and weighed 70.9 kg. Other large boulders have been discovered in the USA, Russia, South Africa, and Brazil. A smaller amount of gold is mixed with kyzes - pyrites.
It is believed that to date, around 117,000 tonnes of this precious metal have been mined and panned around the world.
The gold has a beautiful yellow colour and high lustre. The colour of gold depends on the amount and type of impurities it contains. Natural gold is typically yellowish, but when used in custom goldsmithing, its colour changes and its hardness increases.
If silver, platinum, nickel, or zinc are added, light or white gold is produced. Adding copper creates red or rose gold.
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Gold (Au) has a density of 19.3 kg/dm3 and a melting point of 1,063 °C. The gold has a beautiful yellow colour and high lustre. It is very soft (T - 2.5). It is the most malleable and ductile metal on Earth. It can be hammered to a thickness of up to 0.0001 mm.
A thin wire of up to 1 km can be pulled from 1 g of pure gold. It is constant in the air. It is dissolved by royal jelly, mercury, potassium cyanide, and salt cyanide.
PURITY OF GOLD
The purity of gold is determined by the proportion of pure gold present in the alloy and is expressed in a unit called karat - kt. The purest gold is 24 karat, while 18 karat gold is 75% pure gold and 14 karat gold is 58.5% pure gold. In gold jewellery, the remaining part of the alloy is most often silver. Among others, platinum, palladium, copper, zinc, nickel, and cadmium are also used.
Pure gold is used very little, only by goldsmiths and in plating in the chemical and technical industries. The price of gold on world markets is per troy ounce - 31.1 G.
ADVANTAGES OF GOLD
Gold jewellery is suitable for all types of customers with sensitive skin or allergies to common metals.
Another advantage of gold is that it will satisfy any customer's wish regarding the colour of the metal. It is available in yellow, white, and rose gold. Yellow gold is traditional and classic. White gold suits fairer skin and has grown in popularity in recent years, along with the demand for platinum. Currently, the most modern is rose gold, which gently harmonises with the shade of the skin. It is especially suitable for young, modern women.
The value of gold jewellery does not decrease over time. In times of need, you have a stored investment in them.
We make all our SALABA gold jewellery in 14kt and 18kt white, yellow, and rose gold.
