Introduction:  I thought this information would help us in our jewelry selections, knowing what a few of the terms actually mean and to really contemplate what effect gold has had on our society, and us.

                 ABOUT GOLD:  SOME DELIGHTFUL DISCOVERIES          

                               by Margaret Heaps

Primitive hydraulic mining began thousands of years ago when a miner directed fast moving and gold-laden sand and water to flow over a sheep's hide, and to drop its heavier load of gold on to the fleecy side of the hide.  When the hide was "full", the miner would hang the hide up to dry, then beat the fleece gently, let the gold fall and recover it as it fell.  Some California miners still used this method in the Gold Rush in 1849.  In those days there was plenty of gold-laden sand that is now depleted.

We are a long way from the production of gold in those bonanza days of the Mother Lode, but the human race has not relinquished its passion over the beauty, its multiple uses in our society and its monetary value to us.

Our obsession with the yellow beauty of gold has led us to want to decorate our bodies with things made from it and we imagine ourselves made more beautiful and desirable with the wearing of a dangly earring or a gold medallion pendant.  Gold has helped us build up a very viable trade in wearable gold jewelry because of its properties and the fact that it mixes readily with other metals, like copper, which renders soft gold harder and more durable.  Gold is a great mineral metal for making jewelry as it never tarnishes, has the properties of ductility, (can be beaten flat - one ounce can be beaten out to  300 square feet) sectility, (can be cut into thin slices) malleability, (can be stretched into a thin wire) and has a high density.

The term carat specifies the amount of gold present - 24 carat describes pure gold.  Gold metal has a butter yellow color in a mass, buy may be black, purple or ruby when finely divided.  Gold easily forms alloys with other metals which will then act to increase the hardness or bring out extraordinary colors.  If copper is added to gold, a redder metal is obtained;  add iron to gold equals blue, aluminum produces purple, platinum brings out white, and bismuth and silver alloys yield black.  In addition heat, moisture, oxygen and most corrosive agents have little chemical effect on gold, all of which make gold very useful in making coins and in jewelry making.

The gold content of jewelry alloys is gauged in carats (K), 24 K being the utmost in gold.  Most often, it is sold in lower measurements of 22K, 18K, 14K, and 10K.  The lower the "K", the higher percent of silver, copper or other base metals in the alloy.  Copper is the more commonly used base metal.  18K gold containing 25% copper is found in some antique jewelry, giving it an attractive, warm cast.  When alloyed with silver alone, 18K gold appears yellow/green.  White 18K gold can be made with 17.3% nickel, 5.5% zinc and 2.2% copper and is silver in appearance.  Other white gold alloys are obtainable based on palladium, than those using nickel, and nickel is said to be toxic and its release from nickel white gold is controlled by legislation in Europe.  High carat white gold alloys are more resistant to corrosion than pure silver or sterling silver.

Resources:  Only Gold.com

Blanchard, The GoldStandard for the Intelligent Investor