Put forth thy hand,
reach at the glorious gold.
William Shakespeare,
Henry VI, Part 2
Glorious Gold
Gold is the world’s most popular metal...and for good reason!
Gold has been with us for eons and its amazing properties make it one of the most unique and special natural creations on Earth.
Gold, often described as the “supreme raw material” is the only precious metal that combines irresistible beauty, remarkable workability, indestructibility, and rarity. Gold is so special that it has long been a symbol for all things good, including describing someone as having a “Heart of Gold,” saying something is “Good as Gold,” and, perhaps most memorably, choosing to live by the “The Golden Rule.”
Gold was the very first Christmas gift (along with frankincense and myrrh, of course), and gold was fashioned into gem-encrusted jewelry and priceless objets d'art by the ancient Egyptians. This precious metal also added glistening brilliance to the religious symbols of the Incas, and the Asante people of Africa's Gold Coast so loved crafting their intricate jewelry, that they would periodically melt down their older gold pieces to create new ones.
The Bible even mentions gold and refers to its value -- both in earthly and spiritual terms. The “talent” referred to in the Bible was actually a gold coin which weighed 8.5 grams. In the Book of Matthew, Jesus tells the parable of the King who forgave a debt of 10,000 talents owed him by one of his servants. At today’s retail prices, 85,000 grams of 14K gold would be worth approximately $2 million!
Amazingly, almost all the gold mined in the last 6,000 years is still in the possession of man. If all of this gold were shaped into a cube, it would measure only 60 feet on each side and would fit neatly beneath the Eiffel Tower. This trillion dollar cube would also fit comfortably on the deck of any modern oil tanker. There is a legend that a tiny part of Cleopatra’s crown is in every single piece of gold jewelry in existence today, and that the piece of jewelry you wear today may also contain gold from an Egyptian tomb or from King Solomon’s temple.
In the last 6,000 years, over 125,000 tons of gold has been mined on Earth and the recovery of this gold falls into two categories: before the California Gold Rush of 1848 and after the California Gold Rush. Estimates are that before 1848, only about 10,000 tons of gold had been mined. Thus, approximately 92% of the world’s gold has been produced in the past approximately 150 years. And in the past decade alone, over 2,000 tons of gold has been used each year to make gold jewelry.
Pure gold is 24 karat and is very soft, only a 2.5 - 3 on the Mohs Scale of hardness. (Pure gold is actually softer than coral, lapis, and opal on the Mohs Scale.) One ounce of pure gold can be stretched into a wire an astonishing five miles long and hammered into a sheet so thin, it would cover an area 100 square feet in size and light would pass through it. The word carat (of which the notation for gold, “karat,” is a variation) comes from the Arabic word qirat, which means bean pod. In Oriental bazaars, a carob seed was a unit of weight measurement.
In addition to its use in jewelry, gold is also used as currency; in medicine (gold shots); in the aerospace industry; in the electronics industry; and in dentistry.
True Colors
Alloys are added to pure gold to make it stronger and easier to work with, and also to change its color. Natural yellow gold can be alloyed to create white gold, pink gold, and green gold:
GOLD COLOR CHART
The alloys added to pure 24K gold
- Yellow Gold: Copper and silver. Yellow gold comprises 85% of the gold sold throughout the world.
- White Gold: Nickel, Zinc, Silver, Platinum, and Palladium. White gold symbolizes friendship and is the most important of the colored golds.
- Pink (Rose) Gold: Copper. Pink gold has become increasingly popular and looks lovely when combined with yellow or green gold.
- Green Gold: Silver, Copper, and Zinc Green gold is being used more and more with pink gold and yellow gold and is an important part of Black Hills Gold’s signature grape leaf design.
A Bunch of Karats
The alloys also reduce the amount of pure gold in the piece, and the following chart explains how different karat golds are created:
GOLD KARAT CHART
- 8K 33.3% 333 This is the minimum karat that can be called “gold” in Mexico.
- 9K 37.5% 375 This is a very popular karat gold in Ireland, and it is also the minimum karat that can be called “gold” in Canada.
- 10K 41.7% 417 This is the minimum karat that can be called “gold” in the United States.
- 12K 50% 500 12 karat was abolished in 1932 when the 14K standard was legalized, although some Black Hills gold is still manufactured in 12K.
- 14K 58.3% 585 14 karat is the most popular karat gold sold in the United States.
- 15K 62.5% 625 15 karat was abolished in 1932 when the 14K standard was legalized.
- 18K 75% 750 18 karat is the most popular karat gold sold in Italy and other European countries.
- 19.2K 80% 800 This is a popular karatage in Portugal.
- 20K 83.3% 833 This is a very high karat gold notable for its bright yellow color.
- 22K 91.6% 916 This is another very high karat gold that is popular in Asia and which is very soft due to its small amount of strengthening alloys.
- 23.76K 99% 990 This is 99% pure gold, and is a popular karatage in Hong King, China, and elsewhere in Asia.
- 24K 100% 1000 This is pure gold, with no alloys added. Jewelry is made using pure 24K gold in Turkey, India, and Asia, but it is very soft, somewhat brassy in color, and more expensive.
Gold is an incredibly popular medium for fashion jewelry and, traditionally, the most favored types of gold jewelry, in order of sales, are neckchains, earrings, charms, chain and bangle bracelets, and fashion rings, including wedding rings. It is believed that the ancient Egyptians (who thought that gold was solidified fire) were one of the first (if not the first) people to use a solid gold band as a wedding ring five thousand years ago, believing the endless circle symbolized the eternity of marriage. Today, more than 19 tons of gold are made into wedding rings each year.
The United States is the world’s largest market for gold jewelry and the variety of fashion styles and themes available boasts something for everyone’s taste!
Chains of gold
Throughout the centuries, the gold chain has been the signature jewelry item and the milestone piece chronicling the passage of cultures and civilizations. Gold neckchains, which were being worn as early as the 7th century BC, are now the most popular way to wear gold, and today, women favor rope, link, box, snake, bead, omega, mesh, stampato, and San Marco chains; while men like rope, link, Figaro, Cuban, and Mariner chains. Symbolically, a gold chain is a symbol of love: by placing a chain around the neck of a loved one, you are symbolically linking that person to you.
That’s Italian!
From couture fashions to fast cars to sleek furniture, the Italian design aesthetic is unrivaled in its ability to intrigue us. And nowhere else is the Italian appreciation of beauty more evident than in their magnificent fine-jewelry designs.
Jennifer Leventhal,
JQ Magazine, April/May 1999
Italy is the world’s indisputable leader in gold jewelry manufacturing, and the majority of QVC’s gold is crafted in Italy.
The Italian jewelry industry is 3,000 years old. In fact, wealthy Italian patrons during the Renaissance encouraged goldsmiths much the way they sponsored artists and sculptors and musicians. Today, Italy uses more than 400 tons of gold a year to make the gorgeous Italian jewelry renowned and beloved around the world. An incredible three-quarters of Italy’s jewelry output is exported to Italian jewelry lovers everywhere. Italian gold is associated with quality and antiquity, in a delicate balance with technology and new, innovative designs.
Today, a wardrobe of gold jewelry includes pins, bracelets, earrings, necklaces, clips, pendants, watches, and rings.
