Gold and Pearls

Gold and Pearls

Gold is a shiny metal that is pliable and bright yellow in color and shine. Gold can be beaten to a sheet of 1 square meter or an ounce of 300 square feet. Gold can create alloys with other metals. These alloys then change the hardness and other properties to control the melting point. Gold is a good conductor of heat and electricity and wards off radiation. Air, moisture or corrosive agents do not affect it. Gold is used for coins and jewelry and a protective coating for other metals. Gold is soft so alloying it with base metals and making jewelry use it. This changes its hardness and pliability, melting point, color and more. The alloy containing lower cartages have more copper and other base metals like silver and palladium. The commonly used metal to mix with gold is copper, which gives it a redder appearance. This creates what is known as “rose gold.” There is also blue gold, which is brittle and hard to work with for making jewelry. Mixing gold with iron makes blue gold. Mixing aluminum with gold makes purple gold. White gold alloys are made with palladium or nickel. There is a Japanese craft called Mokume-gane that shows the color contrasts between laminated gold alloys and makes unique wood grain effects.

Gold as an Investment

As far as metals go, gold is the most popular to invest in. Most investors will buy gold as a hedge or harbor investment against the economic, political or fiat currency. However, the gold market fluctuates with futures contracts and derivatives. The facts and figures show us that gold is more like a currency then a commodity. Gold has been used through history as money in different regions and countries. The most common price of gold is the London gold fixing which is a twice a day telephone meeting by representatives from the five bullion trading firms. Gold is traded on an ongoing basis around the world.

Coins

Gold coins have been used for money for millennia. They appeared in Athens in 330 BC and in Asia earlier. In the U.S. the first gold coins came about with the help of the United States Mint under the 1972 Coinage Act. The first coins produced were the Gold Half, the Gold Eagles, and Gold Quarter Eagles. Now the U.S. makes three types of gold coins: collectible, bullion, and commemorative. The bullions are for investments and not really for money transfers. The collectible coins are usually sold at high prices to eager collectors. These coins are minted with a mirror like images. Then there are commemorative coins that honor legendary people, events or issues. The first legal tendered coin was the Krugerrand from South Africa. The first one in 1967 had about one ounce of gold. The bullion investors went crazy over this coin. After that came the worldwide production of the gold bullion coins. The Gold Maple Leaf was produced and famous because of the purity, which was .999 to .99999. The Gold Philharmonic was one of the best selling and superior coins. These coins were the first ones to be issued in EU currency. The Gold Panda and the Gold Kangaroo coins come in yearly changing designs. Gold coins authenticity should be guaranteed with a certificate.

Golden Pearls

The most luxurious pearls are the Golden South Sea Pearls. To be a real South Sea pearl, it must be produced by the Pinctada maxima pearl oyster. These pearls are mostly found in the Philippine seas but have also been known to be produced in the Cook Islands. Pearls found in the Philippine seas will usually be a richer and darker gold. Darker golden pearls are more valuable than lighter golden pearls. If you like gold mountings on your jewelry, than you would like Golden South Sea Pearls because they match perfectly with gold mountings. But as we all know, real south sea pearls are very expensive especially for a perfect piece. If you covet the pretty of South Sea Pearls but want it to be more affordable, the south sea shell (replica) pearls are your best choice. In addition to south sea shell pearls, you can select freshwater pearls as another choice. Don’t worry about the color. We can process any color of pearls for you such as dark gold, bright gold, golden yellow etc.