Hatton Garden Metals - fun gold facts
1. The Chemical symbol for gold is AU it derives from the Latin name for gold ‘aurium’ glow of sunrise
2. Carat refers to purity see this on the hidden marks
3. The term “gold” is the from the Proto-Indo-European base * ghel / * ghol meaning “yellow,” “green,” or “bright.”
4. The Olympic gold medals awarded in 1912 were made entirely from gold. Currently, the gold medals must be covered in only six grams of gold
5. There is a vending machine that gives out gold bars!
The world’s first gold vending machine was inaugurated in 2010 and is situated in the lobby of the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi. It delivers gold bars to customers who wish to purchase them. The machine is run by a German company called TG Gold Super Markt.
6. Gold is the only metal in the world to come out of the ground with a ‘golden/yellow’ colour. Other metals will only appear yellowish if they have reacted with another chemical.
7. Gold in its purest form is odorless and tasteless
8. Gold has a density of 19.3g/cm, almost identical to that of tungsten which is 19.25 g/cm3.
9. Gold has a melting point of 1064.17 degrees Celcius
10. Gold is considered a ‘Noble Metal’ which refers to its outstanding resistance to chemical attack. Platinum is also a Noble metal, and is well known for its catalytic properties
11. Gold will never rust or becomes oxidised when in contact with air, thanks to it’s noble metal elements
12. Gold is edible and is often used as a decoration in its ‘Gold Leaf form’.
13. Gold in it’s purest form (999 purity) is extremely soft and malleable, with a little force you could deform pure gold with your bare hands!
14. India is the worlds largest consumer of gold – accounting for nearly 20% of the gold market consumption
15. The Incas thought gold represented the glory of their sun god and referred to the precious metal as “tears of the Sun.” Because gold was not yet used for money, the Inca’s love of gold was purely aesthetic and religious.[1]
16. The largest gold nugget ever found is the “Welcome Stranger” discovered by John Deason and Richard Oates in Australia on February 5, 1869. The nugget is 10 by 25 inches and yielded 2,248 ounces of pure gold. It was found just two inches below the ground surface.
17. In 1511, King Ferdinand of Spain coined the immortal phrase: “Get gold, humanely if possible—but at all hazards, get gold"
18. In 1599, a Spanish governor in Ecuador taxed the Jivaro tribe so excessively that they executed him by pouring molten gold down his throat. This form of execution was also practiced by the Romans and the Spanish Inquisition
19. The “troy ounce” of gold comes from the French town of Troyes, which first created a system of weights in the Middle Ages used for precious metals and gems. One troy ounce is 480 grains. A grain is exactly 64.79892
20. In 560 B.C., the Lydians introduced the first gold coin, which was actually a naturally occurring amalgam of gold and silver called electrum. Herodotus criticizes the materialism of the Lydians, who also were the first to open permanent retail shops. When the Lydians were captured by the Persians in 546 B.C., the use of gold coins began to spread
21. If you want the Best Price for your Gold visit Hatton Garden Metals today.
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