Free Fully Insured Delivery *
Call us on 0800 090 3256
30 facts about Gold that you may not know
- Gold is extremely ductile. A single ounce of gold can be stretched into a gold thread 5 miles long.
- The first Gold coins appeared around 700 BC.
- On the periodic table of elements, Gold's symbol is AU.
- Gold's atomic number is 79, and its atomic mass is 196.96655 amu.
- The melting point of Gold is 1,064.43°C (1,947.97°F).
- 'Welsh Gold' is considered extremely rare, and is no longer mined.
- Gold found in riverbeds and sifted from rushing water is called 'Alluvial Gold'.
- All precious metals have their own ISO 4217 currency code; XAU is Gold.
- Gold has been discovered on every continent on Earth.
- Gold has been mined for over 5,000 years.
- The coffin found in Tutankhamen's tomb contained around 1.5 tonnes of Gold.
- Gold is the most non-reactive of all metals and does not rust.
- Gold is so pliable that it can be made into sewing thread.
- Gold can conduct heat and electricity.
- Apart from copper and caesium, Gold is the only non-white coloured metal.
- The average human body contains 0.2 mg of Gold.
- Human bones contain 0.016 parts per million of Gold.
- Gold ranks 75th in order of abundance of the elements in the Earth's crust.
- There is an estimated (mostly unextractable) 9 billion metric tons of Gold in the Sea.
- A one troy ounce Gold nugget is rarer to find than a five-carat Diamond.
- One cubic foot of Gold weighs half a ton.
- Gold is chemically inactive and is not affected by air, heat or moisture.
- There are more than 400 references to Gold in the King James Bible.
- It is estimated that 142,000 tons of Gold have been mined throughout history.
- Pure Gold is so soft that it can be moulded by hand.
- Gold is edible; Gold flakes may be added to food and drink.
- High purity Gold is odourless and tasteless.
- 22 carat (917 parts per thousand) is the standard for UK Gold Coins.
- A 'Tola' is a traditional unit of mass used in South Asia. 1 Tola = 3/8 T oz.
- Scientists in Australia have found Gold particles in the leaves of Eucalyptus Trees.