Sure, you love gold but do you really know gold? Read on for ten cool facts about gold, including gold’s alien origins.
- Gold has been revered for thousands of years. Gold is thought to have been discovered in 6000 B.C. and has been used in jewelry and other ornaments since the Stone Age.
- Gold is extremely malleable. A single ounce can be pounded into a 300 square foot sheet. This, of course, is how we get gold leaf.
- Gold is edible. But not necessarily “good” for you. It’s biologically inert, so it passes through the body without being absorbed.
- Most of the gold sold today isn’t “pure” gold. The only pure gold is 24 karat gold (and even that is only 99.9% pure). 10 karat gold is 41.7% gold; 14 karat gold is 58.5% gold; 18 karat is 75% gold; and 22 karat gold is 91.7% gold. The lower grades of gold have impurities added to them to change its hardness and even color.
- “Colored” gold has added impurities. Rose gold, white gold, purple gold and black gold all have other metals added to them to create their unique colors.
- Gold is an excellent energy conductor. For this reason, it’s used in electronics and batteries.
- Gold is used in some medications. Gold salts are used in the treatment of arthritis. Gold has also been used in experimental treatments for HIV, cancer, and even weight loss.
- Gold can be recycled. Like most metals, gold can be melted down over and over again and reused. But, unlike most metals, because gold has intrinsic value it can be sold back to refineries, jewelers and pawn brokers.
- Gold has alien origins. Gold originated in a cataclysm of neutron stars, the result of which rained down on earth in the form of meteorites billions of years ago.
- Gold’s chemical symbol is Au. This stands for “aurum,” which in Latin means “shining dawn.”
