The hidden history of gold
Gold is a pure metal first found by early man. It is very realistic in its natural state and pure state has been used by craftsmen during the last 11,000 years.
Revered for millennia Today gold is the material of choice for people around the world as an expression love. Let's look more closely at the fascinating history of gold.
The chemical element gold has atomic number 79 and the chemical symbol AU Latin aurum. Soft, bright yellow, is a malleable metal. Gold is known as one of transition metals and its atomic weight is 196 967, and belongs to group 1B periodic table with copper and silver.
Gold is often alloyed with other metals. In varying proportions of other jewelry metals are added to give hardness and color. For example, an alloy of gold, silver and copper in which silver predominates is called "green gold.
An alloy of the same three elements in which copper predominates is called as "red gold" and a gold and nickel alloy called "white gold".
The purity of the gold alloy is expressed by the system carats. In this system, the percentage of gold weight is calculated as a fraction of 24. Therefore, it is pure 24 carat gold (0999), 18-karat gold is 18/24, or 75% (0750) and 14-karat gold is 14/24 or 58% (0584).
The melting point of pure gold is 1063 degrees. C and its boiling point is 2966 degrees. C. Also of its softness, gold is both the most malleable and ductile of most metals. It can be hammered into very thin sheets (the approach to a small number of atoms) and son to be drawn very well. But the form of very thin sheets, called gold leaf, has many decorative uses.
Middle crust is 0,004 grams of gold per ton and commercial concentrations of gold are found in widespread areas in the world.
The gold occurs in association with lead and copper minerals in the veins quartz in the gravel of stream beds, and pyrite (iron sulphide).
Distribution of gold in the world
Sea water contains amounts of gold, but the recovery of gold from the sea is not profitable. The first is found in quantities of gold of Ophir, Sheba, Uphaz, Parvaim, Arabia, India and Spain. In the first century AD written reports were made of deposits in Thrace, Italy and Anatolia. Gold is also in Wales, Hungary, the Russian Ural Mountains, and in large quantities, in Australia.
The largest boom in the early gold mining followed the first voyage of Columbus. From 1492-1600, Central and South America, Mexico and islands The Caribbean Sea has contributed large amounts of gold for world trade.
Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Panama, and 61% found gold Hispaniolacontributed in the world in the 17th century and 18th century they supplied 80%.
After the discovery of gold in California in 1848, North America has become the main global supplier of this metal. From 1850-1875 more gold was discovered in the last 350 years. In 1890 the gold fields of Alaska and the Yukon higher than in the western U.S. Together, and soon the African Transvaal exceeded them. Current world reserves are untapped estimated at one billion troy oz (g 31 billion) with approximately half the Witwatersrand in South Africa.
The wide distribution of gold to validate the theory that gold has been born to the surface of the Earth great depths by geologic activity, perhaps with other metals as a solution in the molten rock solid. After this solid solution cooled, the contents gold has given up such a large volume of rock that large fragments were unusual.
This theory explains why the world's gold is in small, often out microscopic particles.
This also explains why small amounts of gold are common in all igneous rock.
About the Author
Lewis Jewelers is proud to carry the full line of
Pandora Jewelry
. Pandora bracelets, Pandora charms and Pandora beads are only a part of the collection. For more information, Lewis Jewelers, 2000 West Stadium Blvd., Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48103, 877-88-LEWIS or visit the website.
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