113 Facts About Gold: Why Do We Value it So Much? Find Out

From ancient civilizations such as the Incas and the Egyptians, gold has been considered a special commodity of symbolic and actual value for humankind.

Gold is used as a stock of value, money for exchange, as well as valuable jewelry and other stuff. The value of gold is a social creation; this metal is valuable since people agree it is and will be in the future. 

Its metallic and lustrous qualities, the difficulty of extraction, and its comparative scarcity have made gold a valuable commodity. Most people will determine that gold always has value for being a metal of decorative jewelry, investment, and currency. However, besides these material values, gold also has another feature that, although difficult to point out, is real, and that is its mystery. The metal can be tangible and quantitative like money, and simultaneously, it can represent something transient, like a feeling. Therefore, gold's value lies in the nature and psychology of the human experience.

If you are enjoying this article why not also check out our other articles on how to tell if silver is real and why do metals conduct electricity?

Fun Facts About Gold

 There are several fun facts related to gold that will certainly intrigue you. Some of the most fun facts about gold are as follows:

• The largest piece of the world's gold, which was named the Welcome Stranger, was extracted by two Aussies in 1869. The piece measured 10 x 25 in (25.4-63.5 cm) before melting.
• A Double Eagle $20 coin was sold in 2002 for $7.59 million at Sotheby's. It was the world’s most valuable gold coin.
• The Guinness Book of World Records reported that the Vienna Philharmonic is the largest gold coin in the world.
• The first-ever gold vending machine in the world was revealed in 2010 in Abu Dhabi. It was plated with gold, and costs are updated each minute for its market value.
• Elvis Presley was an infamous car collector and had the first Stutz Blackhawk model. The car comprised 24K gold plates, along with trim, bezels, and moldings.
• Dennis Kozlowski, ex-CEO of Tyco International, purchased a $6,000 gold-threaded shower curtain for use in the bathroom of his maid. Later, he was imprisoned for stealing $100 million from Tyco and condemned for 25 years in jail.
• The body of an average human includes 0.000007 oz (0.2 mg) of gold.
• 1 oz (28 g) of gold could be made into a 100 sq ft (9.3 sq m) sheet.
• Skin irritation is caused by pure gold. When gold is mixed with other metals such as silver or nickel, then skin problems can occur.
• 1 oz (28 g) of gold could be made into a 5 mi (8 km) long wire.
• Gold can be consumed in small amounts and is also regularly added to extravagant beverages and foods in the form of gold leaf.
• Since gold can be held in the body and is extremely malleable, it has been used to cap or strengthen weak teeth for a minimum of four millennia.
• Until 1912, the gold medals of the Olympics used to be made from pure gold. At present, they are made of 0.2 oz (6 g) of gold and a minimum of 92% of silver.
• The word gold came from the German word 'gulþa' and the Ancient English term 'geolu'.
• Gold is the only yellow-colored metal. Other metals might have a yellowish color, however, this is only after reacting or oxidizing with other elements.
• Almost all the Earth’s gold is derived from meteorites that bombed on the planet more than 200 million years ago after the formation of the plane.

Uses Of Gold

Besides being an extremely precious metal and an element, gold has all types of odd and interesting uses that one might not be aware of. Some of the uses of gold are given below:

• Due to its malleable nature and non-toxic composition, gold has been used in dentistry for more than 3,000 years.
• This metal is non-corrosive and has been used widely in crowns, bridgework, and fillings.
• Gold’s price increased in the late 1970s, and so, its use in dentistry declined. However, gold came back into dentistry since it does not have any negative effect on humans’ health.
• Gold can filter harmful UV rays from the sun, and so a thin layer is used in the suits and helmets of astronauts.
• This metal is also used in space vehicles for stabilizing temperatures as well as reflecting infrared radiation.
• Gold is used as golf shaving or gold leaf in extravagant dishes and beverages in bars and fine dining restaurants.
• This metal is flavorless, and the human body cannot digest it in huge amounts, so gold makes an ideal premium decorative item.
• Gold is always advertised as having anti-aging properties, helping in blood circulation, and improving skin tone and elasticity. So, this metal is used as an ingredient in skin care creams, moisturizers, and lip balms.
• Durable and high-quality prints are achieved using gold ink that is increasingly used by print companies.
• Gold is also used for 3D printing, where it is experimentally used to produce personalized and one-off items.
• Gold is an exceptional natural conductor of electricity, so most household items, such as computers, and TVs contain this metal. Other items such as radios and cameras also have gold in their circuit system.
• Every mobile phone comprises some amount of gold. Since gold is highly resistant to corrosion and a reliable metal, it is used in mobile devices.
• A small quantity of gold is mostly used as a pigment in specialty glass to give it a rich shade.
• This metal also has climate-controlling properties, and so, gold is used in glass for buildings as well as jet windshields.
• Gold is used to treat arthritis. Patients that go through 22 weeks of injections using gold salts and see results for relieving pain and reducing stiffness and swelling.
• The NanoLipo is a method of weight loss. This method uses nanoparticles with gold for melting away extra fat. Gold nanorods are inserted into fat and injected before heating from outside. The gold is heated, and then the fat cell bursts and removes the liquified fat through a needle.

Facts About Gold Mining

There are different facts related to solid gold mining which will tell you more about the melting point and boiling point of the noble metal. Facts about gold mining from Earth's crust are as follows: 

• To date, humans have mined almost 440 million lb (200,000 MT) of gold.
• 2/3rd of above-ground gold has been mined since 1950.
• Gold is found on all seven continents.
• Nearly 10 billion tonnes of gold exists in the oceans of the world but it is so diluted that it cannot be mined.
• A gold rush happened in North Carolina approximately 50 years before the California Gold Rush.
• The oldest golden item was found in Bulgaria. It showed that human beings were involved with gold metalworking almost 6,500 years ago.
• Miners discovered that all gold was originally from hard rock but it is difficult to break hard rocks since they are located deep in the Earth. So, it was established that gold found in river beds is the easiest to mine since it is already broken down.
• Sometimes, mercury is used in gold mining, such as gold mines in Columbia, Venezuela, and the Amazon regions of Brazil.

Facts About Gold's Significance

There are various facts related to gold's significance other than the manufacturing of gold jewelry and Olympic gold medals. Facts about the significance of gold particles and gold flakes are given below:

• Gold is considered the most common precious metal for investments.
• The cost of gold continuously fluctuates and is often connected with key financial events.
• Until 1971, most of the currencies of western countries have been in the gold standard.
• The last nation that left the gold currency standard was Switzerland. Gold used to back 40% of the Swiss Franc before the IMF was joined by the country in 1999.
• The first pure gold coins were made by Lydia’s King, named Croesus, in 540 B.C.
• Nero, Henry VIII, and Diocletian were notorious gold degraders who mixed gold with other metals and made coins and eventually decreased their value.
• The last time gold was used in Olympic gold medals was for the Stockholm Games of 1912.
• Gold is no longer the costliest metal since palladium surpassed the value of gold in 2018.
• Gold has numerous uses besides its symbolic as well as financial value. Its other uses include dentistry, electronics, coloring glass, and radiation shielding.
• China is the leading manufacturer of gold in 2021. China is also the top consumer of gold in the world because of its central bank reserves, technological production, and demands for jewelry.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for 113 Facts About Gold: Why Do We Value it So Much? Find Out then why not take a look at three magnetic metals or what colors make gold?