For some, its one of the most beautiful things in the world, the hallmark of luxury and wealth, adorning the necks and wrists and fingers of the most rich and glamorous everywhere. For others its nothing more than another common metal, a neutral color to paint your car or to pair with a bright outfit or to paint your face with on you way to support the Florida State Seminoles. Whatever your opinion about one of the most easily found elements on the periodic table – symbol Au, group 11, atomic number 79 – the transitional metal gold is truly engrained in the culture of almost every group of people across all continents. You probably already know that it is the common basis of currency across the world, but there are a lot of both bizarre and amazing facts about the shiny precious metal that you may or may not already know about.
Wear and Tear
Gold is the perfect metal for a wedding ring because they are both so precious. What you probably don’t know is that after one year of wear, approximately six milligrams of gold will have been rubbed off.
Heavy Burden
Since gold is a precious and valuable metal, it is usually only found and kept in small quantities. The largest piece of gold in the world is a gold brick that weighs 250 kg or 551lbs.
Deep Blue Sea
The oceans of the planet Earth are vast and mysterious and, as it turns out, incredibly valuable. Within its depths, the waters of our planet contain about 20 million tons of gold.
Yummy, Yummy In Your Tummy
The fact that it is metal may make this sound daunting, but gold is actually an edible material. Many high-end restaurants around the world have been known to add gold flakes to their dishes to give it extra flair and visual appeal.
A Tiny Bit
We all know gold is rare, but let’s put that in perspective. The whole world pours more steel in a single hour than it has poured gold in recorded human history.
