Interesting Facts About Gold

• As pure gold is very soft, it is often combined with other things when making jewelry.
• Gold has been recycled ever since it was first discovered. Some of the gold in today’s jewelry is recycled from ancient artifacts and coins!
• Some cars use gold for heat dissipation.
• Pure gold is non-toxic to human and does not cause any irritation when ingested. In fact, some alcoholic drinks contain metallic gold. Compounds of gold, such as gold chloride, are toxic to humans.
• Gold can cause allergies on the skin. This allergy affects more women than men.
• Great achievements are often rewarded with gold- such as gold medals in the Summer and Winter Olympic Games.
• In 1968, gold was made the official state mineral of Alaska.
• Throughout history, gold coins were often used as money. These have largely been replaced by paper money.
• India is the largest consumer of gold.
• There is some gold in the world’s oceans. However, there is only a small amount making it impractical to extract it from the oceans. It would cost more to extract it than you would make from selling the gold!
• The first discovery of gold in the United States was at the Reed Gold Mine near Georgeville, North Carolina in 1803.
• There is only one stable isotope of gold. Over thirty-five other radioactive isotopes of gold have been artificially produced.
• Gold is perfect for use in coins and jewelry as it does not react with air or water like many other metals.