Have you ever wondered why gold is valued more than any other metal in the world? All kinds of jewelry and industries, glass manufacturing, aviation and space industries simply could not exist without it.
But why is gold so valued in the world? To understand this, you need to know all the physical and chemical properties of it as a metal and, therefore, which determines its wide distribution in the world.
Gold and the ancient world
About 6,000 years ago, people began meaningfully mining gold in Egypt. The oldest deposit of this precious metal - Nubia hid about 6,000 tons. The first gold was mined by washing sand through a fabric. Then they began to apply more labor-intensive methods: separation of ore from the whole rock and its grinding.
Gold was used as a trading currency, metal for the manufacture of jewelry, dishes, weapons and armor of warriors. Since the ancient times of the formation of mankind, this metal has been very common throughout the world.
Chemical and physical properties
Gold is a low-melting metal, therefore, the most malleable. Melting point - 1064 ° C. Without heating, it can be uncoated into a layer with a thickness of about 0.1 microns. The most interesting thing is that in any form, the metal retains its inherent properties. It will not be difficult for an experienced blacksmith to forge any, even the most elegant figure from this metal. Due to such plasticity, gold is used to cover the domes of the temple and even create ultra-thin wires for microcircuits.
From the point of view of physics, a metal is good because it has a low resistance and, along with this, good thermal conductivity, it is also resistant to all kinds of oxidative processes (corrosion, etc.). Why gold is valued in science because it has the ability to reflect infrared rays and in particular light. This leads to the use of gold in the glazing of aircraft and all kinds of aircraft models, helmets of astronauts and ships.
Why is gold valued by jewelers? This metal lends itself well to all kinds of processing (soldering, polishing, etc.), and also easily enters alloys with any elements. These properties have become a weighty argument for taking the primacy of the main precious metal and raw materials in the jewelry industry.
As a chemical substance, gold belongs to inert metals, that is, it does not react with natural substances. The only exception is mirror amalgam (gold and mercury). As a result, its dissolution in acids, alkalis is excluded, and in principle under normal conditions. Unless in "aqua regia" (a solution that is a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids) concentrated form and even under certain other special conditions.
Gold is a weak metal, which means that another advantage is that it can be easily reduced to pure metal from any compound. For example, for amalgam, only 800 ° C is enough.
Gold in medicine
All the above properties clearly show what the value of gold is. Since ancient times, people have associated healing properties with this metal. It was believed that it can cure any ailments of a person: relieve pain, cure allergies, improve memory, increase stamina and simply eliminate the effects of stress. And it was not necessary to carry out any special procedures, it was enough just to wear gold jewelry. Some doctors believed that this metal could even prolong life.
Why is gold valued at present? Alternative medicine practitioners also believe that it will help those who have problems with the liver, heart, skin, reproductive system, as well as the prevention of influenza and other seasonal diseases, because this precious metal kills viruses and pathogenic microbes.
Also in cosmetology, products containing a certain proportion of colloidal gold have advantages.
What determines the color of a gold product
Jewelers call a pure substance pure gold. Due to the fact that it is soft and prone to deformation, it is not used for smelting jewelry. But in order to improve the quality of the product, to give it a special color and luster, pure gold is used in alloys. To obtain a yellow tint, it is mixed with silver and copper, red with a large amount of copper, white with palladium, platinum and nickel (this alloy is considered the most noble, but nickel is rarely used, as it can cause an allergic reaction). To give a white shine to the jewelry, rhodium can be applied with a thin layer to increase the strength of the product and anti-corrosion properties.
What color jewelry should be chosen
Pink and yellow gold was considered low grade and almost unsuitable for jewelry with precious stones. But in the days of the USSR, rose gold was very common, its popularity is explained by the fact that it looks beautiful and has a relatively low cost.
The most luxurious and expensive metal of the highest class of society is white gold. It has excellent quality characteristics and due to the high content of silver and palladium - a rather high price.
Speaking from a fashion point of view, now both white and yellow gold are the same in the trend, since the design of the product plays a significant role, and not the color or weight of the metal.
Classification of gold (concept of test)
The cost of the product does not depend on color, but is determined by the breakdown, that is, the amount of gold contained in the alloy.
Since jewelry is made not of pure gold, but of alloys with various metals, care must be taken to ensure that jewelry does not interact with substances that contain iodine, mercury and chlorine.
The more masters worked with this metal, the more varieties of it appeared. How to find out which gold is valued more?
To do this, there is a test on all jewelry, for example, if 500 samples are indicated on it, it means that the product contains 50% pure gold. Accordingly, the higher the sample, the higher the cost.
A fair question arises: what kind of gold is valued higher? 999 is the highest metal quality mark. But jewelers do not use it. It found its application exclusively in coating all kinds of silver and other surfaces of products, protecting them from corrosion (tinsel). 585 and 750 samples are especially demanded by jewelers.
Comparison of 585 and 750
In Russia, these samples are found most often, because they have an affordable price-quality ratio; therefore, they are popular among a large number of the population of the post-Soviet space.
If we talk about the 585 sample, it should be noted that it is very practical in daily use, even if you work in industries.
But many are inclined to believe that once in 750 samples the gold content is higher, then it is definitely better. This is not true. The more pure gold is in the product, the softer it is, it is not so wear-resistant, it can be accidentally damaged. Typically, products of such a high sample are more appropriate to purchase for celebrations or other special occasions in your life.
How to buy a quality product
When the question is already closed: “Why is gold valued?”, You can talk about what you should pay attention to when you buy products from this noble metal.
First find out a sample of the product and compare it with the sample on the tag. The decoration should have a special stamp of the manufacturer - a kind of guarantee of quality and authenticity. Also do not forget about checking the tags. It contains all the necessary information about the product, manufacturer, composition, weight and so on.
Pay attention to the appearance of the product. Make sure that all fastenings and solder joints are made with high quality. Also, jewelry does not have a place to be bumps or pronounced defects.