The Golden Thread

August 11, 2022

What is gold and why is it used for jewellery?

Gold is a metal that is formed in exploding stars. Rare and beautiful, gold is the most malleable and ductile of all known metals. A gram of gold, about the same size as a grain of rice, can be beaten to a sheet that is one meter square and it can be drawn down through a series of plates into incredibly thin wire. These properties make it ideal for jewellery allowing many different shapes and forms to be created. This is why for millennia gold has been universally loved and revered.

Gold is possibly even more important today than it has ever been as it is not only used for decoration or as a commodity but also in a diverse number of ways through so many different industries. Gold even has a body appointed to look after it. The World Gold Council, which sounds very 007, is an organisation that works across all parts of the industry, from gold mining to investment, with the aim of stimulating and sustaining demand for gold through education. The WGC have created a series of fascinating short videos showcasing gold’s impact on humanity’s past, present, and future. This is the story of gold: engineering super-material, biological instrument, symbolic creative medium, and economic pillar.