Spotlight On...
Spotlight On... Gold
BY Meredith JaymeWHETHER YOU'RE A YELLOW, WHITE, OR ROSE GOLD TYPE, HERE IS OUR GUIDE WITH ALL OF THE FACTS ABOUT GOLD AND GOLD JEWELRY THAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
FACTS ABOUT GOLD:
CHEMICAL
SYMBOL:
Au
ATOMIC
NUMBER:
79
COLOR/CUT/ALLOYS:
As
a
refresher,
the
karat
is
the
quantity
of
gold
used
in
a
piece.
24k
is
pure
gold,
so
anything
less
than
that
is
a
mix
of
gold
and
an
alloy
of
metals.
Different
alloys
are
created
to
strengthen
and
achieve
different
colors-
copper
for
a
rose
effect
and
palladium
for
a
white
effect,
among
many
others.
Pure
24k
gold
is
extremely
soft
and
can
scratch
and
bend
very
easily
so
we
use
18k
gold
because
we
prefer
to
maintain
as
much
of
the
precious
metal
in
the
material
as
possible
while
ensuring
the
longevity
of
wear.
WHEN/WHERE:
Gold
was
first
discovered
in
California
in
1848,
spurring
the
infamous
Gold
Rush,
however
gold
has
been
a
part
of
history
long
before
that.
The
Egyptians,
Romans,
and
Greeks
all
used
gold
as
adornment
and
currency
beginning
thousands
of
years
ago.
It
is
not
known
exactly
when
gold
was
first
discovered.
HEALING
PROPERTIES:
Another
interesting
fact
about
gold
is
that
it
is
said
to
have
many
benefits
to
the
wearer
including
purification,
attracting
wealth,
and
enhancing
the
effects
of
gemstones
that
are
within
a
close
proximity—
so
feel
free
to
wear
your
gold
jewels
and
soak
in
the
benefits
24/7.
VALUE
OF
GOLD
OVER
TIME:
The
value
of
gold
can
be
interesting
to
track.
Looking
at
this
chart
dating
back
to
1915
we
can
see
how
much
the
price
of
gold
has
fluctuated
over
the
years.
Gold
is
currently
quite
expensive,
hovering
between
$1,850-$1,900
per
ounce
since
the
pandemic
began.
To
put
things
in
perspective,
in
1970,
the
average
price
of
gold
was
$35.96
per
ounce.
In
2019,
the
average
closing
price
for
an
ounce
of
gold
was
$1,393.34.
In
2001,
the
average
price
per
ounce
for
the
year
was
$271.19.
In
true
2020
fashion,
as
of
this
writing,
the
average
closing
price
for
an
ounce
of
gold
is
$1,854.
If
you
needed
another
selling
point
for
that
new
gold
chain
necklace,
remind
yourself
that
it’s
an
investment
piece.
This
is
a
fact
about
gold
jewelry
that
we
love
to
remind
ourselves
of.
MOST NOTABLE GOLD PIECES
WELCOME STRANGER
To date, the largest gold nugget ever found weighs in at 173 pounds. It was discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates in 1869 in Australia. It was found just three centimeters below the surface of the ground.
GOLD TOILET
Maurizio Cattelan’s America might be the most notorious toilet of all time. This 18k fully functional toilet was stolen from Blenheim Palace in 2019 and is still missing in action.
KING TUTANKHAMUN'S TOMB
King Tutankhamun’s innermost coffin was made of pure gold. It weighed 243 pounds. His mummy wore a solid gold “death mask” that weighs over 20 pounds.
GOLDEN BUDDHA
Located in Bangkok, this solid gold Buddha statue weighs 5.5 tons and is nearly 10 feet tall. At one point it was covered in glass and stucco to disguise it’s true value.
GOLDEN GATES OF VERSAILLES
For about 8 million dollars, the golden gates of Versailles were recreated in 2008 after being torn down during the French Revolution.
SHOP A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE GOLD JEWELRY DESIGNS AVAILABLE FOR COMMISSION
Contact us to learn more facts about gold jewelry, to inquire about any of the jewelry shown here, or to commission a one of a kind gold design to add to your collection.
