![[Most Recent Quotes from www.kitco.com]](http://www.kitconet.com/images/quotes_7a.gif)
Gold Facts
Note: This is a summary of facts detailed from other websites which can be found by searching "Gold Facts".Gold, like no other metal, has a fascinating history and a special place in the world. For thousands of years it has been used as an ornament of kings, a currency and standard for global currencies, and more recently, in a wide range of electronic devices and medical applications.
Gold's many unique properties have secured it a central role in history and human development. Gold is a remarkable, rare metal, with an unparalleled combination of chemical and physical properties. It is the only yellow metal and bears its name from the Old English word for yellow, 'geolu'. It is also the only metal that forms no oxide film on its surface in air at normal temperatures, meaning that it will never rust or tarnish.
Gold's chemical symbol, Au, comes from the Latin word for gold, aurum. In the Periodic Table of Elements, gold is classified as a transitional metal with the following characteristics;
Crystal structure: cubic Atomic Number: 79
Atomic Weight: 196.96
Melting Point: 1,064.43�C (1,337.58�K, 1,947.97�F)
Boiling point: 2,807.0�C (3,80.15�K, 5,084.6�F)
Specific gravity: 19.32
Tensile strength: 19,000psi
Hardness: 2.75 on Mohs scale
Density at 293�K: 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter
Purity
24k - 100% Pure Gold - 1000 fine
18k - 75% Pure Gold - 750 fine
14k - 58% Pure Gold - 583 fine
12k - 50% Pure Gold - 500 fine
10k - 42% Pure Gold - 417 fine
Weights and Measures - Gold is measured in Troy Ounces.
1 troy ounce = 1.097 ordinary ounce
12 troy ounces = 1 troy pound
31.1035 grams (g) = 1 troy ounce
1.552 grams (g) = 1 pennyweight (dwt)
1 gram (g) = .03527 ounce
1 gram (g) = .03215 troy ounce
1 gram (g) = .03527 ounce
20 pennyweight (dwt) = 1 troy ounce
1 grain (gr) = .06479891 gram (g)
24 grains (gr) = 1 pennyweight (dwt)
480 grains (gr) = 1 troy ounce
Atomic Weight: 196.96
Melting Point: 1,064.43�C (1,337.58�K, 1,947.97�F)
Boiling point: 2,807.0�C (3,80.15�K, 5,084.6�F)
Specific gravity: 19.32
Tensile strength: 19,000psi
Hardness: 2.75 on Mohs scale
Density at 293�K: 19.32 grams per cubic centimeter
Purity
24k - 100% Pure Gold - 1000 fine
18k - 75% Pure Gold - 750 fine
14k - 58% Pure Gold - 583 fine
12k - 50% Pure Gold - 500 fine
10k - 42% Pure Gold - 417 fine
Weights and Measures - Gold is measured in Troy Ounces.
1 troy ounce = 1.097 ordinary ounce
12 troy ounces = 1 troy pound
31.1035 grams (g) = 1 troy ounce
1.552 grams (g) = 1 pennyweight (dwt)
1 gram (g) = .03527 ounce
1 gram (g) = .03215 troy ounce
1 gram (g) = .03527 ounce
20 pennyweight (dwt) = 1 troy ounce
1 grain (gr) = .06479891 gram (g)
24 grains (gr) = 1 pennyweight (dwt)
480 grains (gr) = 1 troy ounce
The beauty of natural Gold Nuggets.
But... Did you also know that
* On April 1, 2009 1 Cubic Inch of gold which weighs 10.18 ounces would be worth $9,440.00 at $927.27 Per Ounce.
Closer to home, on August 17, 2013 it's now worth $14,018 at $1,377.05 Per Ounce.
* Gold is said to be so rare that the world pours more steel in an hour than it has poured gold since time began, but it is far easier to find than winning a major state lottery.
* A naturally occurring one-ounce gold nugget is harder to find than a five-carat diamond.
* More than 80% of the gold in the Mother Lode is still in the ground.
* Gold can be hammered so thin that sunlight can shine through it.
* A gold nugget is considered a gemstone because of its rarity and beauty can be worth three to four times the value of the gold it contains.
* Gold is so heavy that one cubic foot of it weighs half a ton.
* Gold is six to seven times heavier than other materials that equal its size.
* Gold is used in window glass and astronaut helmets to reflect infrared rays while allowing sunlight through, keeping it cooler.
* If all the gold in the world was pure, 24k, it could be compressed into an 18-yard cube.
* Gold dissolves in Mercury, forming an amalgam alloy, but does not react with it.
* Pure 24k Gold has no taste, since it will not react with saliva. It is metal ions from oxides which confer taste to metals.
* The legend of the Golden Fleece may refer to the use of fleeces to trap gold dust from placer deposits in the ancient word.
* The largest gold depository in the world is U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York which holds about 3% of the gold ever mined, as does the similarly-laden U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
* On January 21 1980 Gold peaked at $850/oz. Indexed for inflation this would equate to a price of around $2400 in 2013 US dollars.
* Pure gold is non-toxic and non-irritating when ingested and is sometimes used as a food decoration in the form of gold leaf, and is a component of the alcoholic drinks such as Golschlager, Gold Stike and Goldwasser.
* One of the world's rarest and most sought after collector coins, the 1933 Double Eagle, was sold at Sotheby's auction house in New York in 2002, for the record sum of $7.59 million.
* Gilding wood requires no less than 22 operations � all manual! The sheets of gold used are 1/110,000th of a millimeter-thick.
* The largest gold nugget ever found was in 1854 at Carson Hill near the Stanislaus River in California, and weighed 195 pounds.
* Every cubic mile of sea water contains 8,600 pounds of pure gold, 135 tons of silver, 108,000,000 tons of salt and a few fish.
* Gold bars were made as early as 4000 BC.
* During the California Gold Rush from 1849 to approximately 1869 the average working man only earned $4 to $8 a day and at times eggs could cost as much as $3 each.
* On April 1, 2009 1 Cubic Inch of gold which weighs 10.18 ounces would be worth $9,440.00 at $927.27 Per Ounce.
Closer to home, on August 17, 2013 it's now worth $14,018 at $1,377.05 Per Ounce.
* Gold is said to be so rare that the world pours more steel in an hour than it has poured gold since time began, but it is far easier to find than winning a major state lottery.
* A naturally occurring one-ounce gold nugget is harder to find than a five-carat diamond.
* More than 80% of the gold in the Mother Lode is still in the ground.
* Gold can be hammered so thin that sunlight can shine through it.
* A gold nugget is considered a gemstone because of its rarity and beauty can be worth three to four times the value of the gold it contains.
* Gold is so heavy that one cubic foot of it weighs half a ton.
* Gold is six to seven times heavier than other materials that equal its size.
* Gold is used in window glass and astronaut helmets to reflect infrared rays while allowing sunlight through, keeping it cooler.
* If all the gold in the world was pure, 24k, it could be compressed into an 18-yard cube.
* Gold dissolves in Mercury, forming an amalgam alloy, but does not react with it.
* Pure 24k Gold has no taste, since it will not react with saliva. It is metal ions from oxides which confer taste to metals.
* The legend of the Golden Fleece may refer to the use of fleeces to trap gold dust from placer deposits in the ancient word.
* The largest gold depository in the world is U.S. Federal Reserve Bank in New York which holds about 3% of the gold ever mined, as does the similarly-laden U.S. Bullion Depository at Fort Knox.
* On January 21 1980 Gold peaked at $850/oz. Indexed for inflation this would equate to a price of around $2400 in 2013 US dollars.
* Pure gold is non-toxic and non-irritating when ingested and is sometimes used as a food decoration in the form of gold leaf, and is a component of the alcoholic drinks such as Golschlager, Gold Stike and Goldwasser.
* One of the world's rarest and most sought after collector coins, the 1933 Double Eagle, was sold at Sotheby's auction house in New York in 2002, for the record sum of $7.59 million.
* Gilding wood requires no less than 22 operations � all manual! The sheets of gold used are 1/110,000th of a millimeter-thick.
* The largest gold nugget ever found was in 1854 at Carson Hill near the Stanislaus River in California, and weighed 195 pounds.
* Every cubic mile of sea water contains 8,600 pounds of pure gold, 135 tons of silver, 108,000,000 tons of salt and a few fish.
* Gold bars were made as early as 4000 BC.
* During the California Gold Rush from 1849 to approximately 1869 the average working man only earned $4 to $8 a day and at times eggs could cost as much as $3 each.
Also... With all things being some what equal, to get;
1 Cubic Inch or 1 Ounce
it will take
this many pieces
using this Mesh Size
8
1
1/2
64
6
1/4
512
50
1/8
1,000
98
1/10
1,728
170
1/12
4,096
402
1/16
8,000
786
1/20
27,000
2,652
1/30
64,000
6,287
1/40
125,000
12,279
1/50
1,000,000
98,232
1/100
Give or take a few....
