Gold occurs naturally as nuggets or grains in rock; in fact the gold nugget is an iconic symbol of frontier America when prospectors would ‘pan’ for gold, sifting through rivers and streams for traces of a gold mine. Gold gets its chemical symbol Au from the latin ‘aurum’ which means ‘glowing dawn’, due to it’s distinctive yellow metallic glow. The purity of gold is measured in carats, with 24 carats being pure, though this was originally for measuring the weight of the gold. Merchants from the Middle East would weigh items with carob beans and this is still used for gems.



Gold is known for its practicality. It is very malleable meaning that it can be made into various shapes with relative ease; it conducts heat and electricity (this being a reason for its use in electronic components) and does not react to most corrosive chemicals which makes it better for jewellery. It also forms alloys easily, allowing other properties to be found and the colour to be changed. One such alloy, platinum with gold, makes white gold which has become massively popular in jewellery, because it has the elegance and stature of gold while being new and distinct

Gold is so malleable that it has been used as thread in clothing, wiring in computers, in dentistry for crowns and bridges and even actual gold teeth. It is used on satellites and astronaut’s visors because of it’s reflective properties. Gold flakes are even used in expensive gourmet dishes is come countries. It has no taste and is merely a delicacy and status symbol, thought some people believe that gold has medicinal properties. The symbolism of gold as a token of wealth has been used throughout history; the negative of golden pocket watches in Communist propaganda and the positive of ‘gold cards’ or golden tickets employed by credit card companies and promotional marketing. It has been used by civilisations all over the world to decorate religious artefacts and temples. This contributes to the steadfast place that gold holds in our society as a symbol and a practical tool, giving it a permanent place in our history.