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| Gold bars. Gold has long been used as a monetary base as well as for jewelry and other ceremonial objects |
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Gold is a comparatively rare element with the chemical symbol Au, an atomic weight of 196.967 and an atomic number of 79.
Gold tends not to chemically bond with other elements and therefore can be found in its pure form. In addition to jewelry, gold is frequently used in technology an industry due to its high electrical conductivity and anti-corrosive properties.
Gold has a high specific gravity of 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter and melts at 1064.141° Celsius. Another special quality of gold is how difficult it is to blend it with other materials. This "noble" quality causes gold to be found in nature as almost pure nuggets and lets it shine in almost any conditions. Gold does not oxidize and withstands corrosion by most acids, except for salt water, which can dissolve it. The combination of its rarity and shine and its comparative softness, which makes gold easy to work, give gold a special status. Gold confers its wearer with social status and has many ceremonial uses, including as a monetary base.
Most gold produced today is used for coins and jewelry. Gold used for these purposes is blended with other metals to make it harder.
Gold is used for a wide variety of jewelry, both as a main material and as setting for polished diamonds and gemstones. Today, white gold is very popular and widely used as a setting for diamond solitaires and smaller diamonds in engagement rings.
The amount of gold in these alloys is measured in karats (not to be confused with carats, which denotes the weight of diamonds and other gemstones.) Many people are familiar with karat grades (14k, 18k, 22k) but not everyone knows the exact meaning. The karat is a measurement that indicates the purity of precious metals. A grade of 24 karats represents perfect purity, so if jewelry is made from metal that contains 50% gold its karat grade will be 12. Because gold is relatively soft, it's often mixed with other metals and therefore gold jewelry usually be found with a karat grade of up to 22.
Blending gold with other metals produces different colors – the common colors of gold used in jewelry are yellow gold, white gold, and red or rose gold. Yellow gold is the most common and best-known. White gold is an alloy of gold combined with platinum, nickel, palladium and sometimes even zinc. Its color is similar to platinum or silver. Red or rose gold is a mixtures of gold and copper. The higher the concentration of copper in the alloy, the redder the gold's color will be.
Source: Vineti Jewelers
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