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Not only does gold have a rich history in and of itself, it also has a deep history within the jewelry industry.  Today we are going to take a look at how gold was used in jewelry through out the centuries.  Gold represents wealth, but it also represents beauty and this is most often expressed in the creation of jewelry.
 

In 2500 BC in what is now known as the country of Iraq, there was people group called Sumerians.  They used gold to make bracelets, rings, earrings, and necklaces.  Their goldsmiths were very skilled in certain techniques especially in the use of filigree (decorating or adorning with fine wire). They also would used this technique called granulation in which they would use little droplets of gold to enhance the beauty of the jewelry they were creating.
 

In Crete, an island that is a part of Greece, gold jewelry was created and used by the Minoan culture.  In ancient tombs, they found pieces like intricately designed chains, hair ornaments, bracelets and beads.  The Etruscans in 7^th century BC which was located in central Italy was known for using the granulation we talked about earlier when discussing the Sumerians. 
 

Right after Alexander the Great passed away, Greece became known for the creation of head adornments in the shape of wreaths.  The jewelry was designed in the form of miniature plants, animals, and people.  This was during the Hellinistic period.  The creation of the Hercules knot was also during this time.
 

Throughout Europe and East, the cloisonné technique was used during the 9^th century through the 13^th century.  That is the process of enameling on gold.  During the 15^th century, flowers and foliage were the design of preference accented with pearls.  The 17^th century focused more on the use of gemstones set in gold or silver.  The 18^th century, diamonds were popular as well as stamped out gold and designs once again using filigree.  The 19^th and 20^th centuries focused on the revival of history and past styles.
 

I hope you have enjoyed learning more about the use of gold and its history.  Tomorrow will be about shopping.  Thanks for taking this journey with me.
 

Welcome back to our series on gold.  Yesterday we talked about the history of gold, when and where it was first discovered.  Today we are going to talk more specifically about the cultures gold was used in and how it was used.  Let’s get started!
 

Gold has always been revered in every culture that has ever had a use for it.  In the ancient civilizations, it was always associated with wealth, power, or even a god status.  It is a metal that never tarnishes or corrodes so it was fashioned into shrines for worship, I am sure that you have heard of “the golden calf”  In the Bible, in the book of Exodus, Moses had gone up on the mountain to worship the Lord.  The Israelites grew restless and melted all of their gold jewelry into a golden calf to worship.  The Lord’s anger burned and He allowed the Israelites to become struck with a plague.  Gold was always sought after by rulers and was fashioned into cups, plates, vases and jewelry.
 

Gold was first used as money in Greece.  Both Plato and Aristotle refer to gold in their writings.  They mined for it through the Middle East and the Mediterranean regions.  The detail in artistic design of the coins was exquisite.  The Roman Empire also advanced search for gold.  They created sluices and used water wheels to mine for gold.  Convicts, prisoners of war and slaves were the work force used to mine it.  The money was created and used to by silk from China and spices from India.  The Persian Empire, which is now known as Iran, practiced a religion called Zoroastrianism.  It was used in the artwork that expressed this religion.
 

The Gold Standard was put in place in Great Britain in 1821.  It was created to control the economy by placing a standard that a nation must limit the amount of currency in circulation to the amount held in its reserve.  The rest of Europe eventually followed suit.  In the U.S., the export of gold ended with the Great Depression and U.S. dollar replaced gold in international trade. 
 

Tomorrow we are going to talk about the use of gold in jewelry.  We will look at the different styles of gold jewelry from all over the world.

This week we are learning all about the precious metal, gold.  Today we are going to go back in time and discover all sorts of things about this material.  Let’s get down to business.
 

It is hard to pinpoint exactly the origin of gold.  It is in so many regions of the world that it was discovered by many people groups, all of whom were impressed with the nature of this metal.  It was found mainly in streams all over the world in the form of little yellow nuggets.  It was the first metal that became widely known to all of mankind and no matter what culture it became a part of, it was always labeled something that was of great worth or value.  In all of the ancient civilizations that discovered gold, it was always associated with wealth and power.  Many times the gold was fashioned into idols or shrines for worship.  In 2500 B.C. gold was used in the tomb of the king in the first Egyptian dynasty, King Djer.  It was used in the form of jewelry.
 

The first document discovery of gold in the United States was right here in North Carolina in 1799, in Cabarrus County.  It was approximately a 17 pound gold nugget.   In 1803, the first gold rush occurred after it was found once again in North Carolina, but this time in Little Meadow Creek.  If we know anything about history, then we have all heard of the California gold rush that began the settlement in the West in 1848 when a man by the last name of Marshall discovered near Sacramento.  In 1868, George Harrison was building a house in South Africa and digging up stones only to come across gold that has now become the source of almost 40 percent of the gold that has ever been mined.
 

Gold has always been valued as a monetary resource all over the world.  It allowed all the economies to build and prosper.  This metal gave many countries the ability to trade.  I look forward to tomorrow as we talk about the different uses of gold within the different cultures.

This week we are going to be talking about another precious metal. A month ago we focused on silver. This week we are going to talk about one of the other popular metals that is used in jewelry. It tends to be more expensive, have you figured out what I am referring to yet? It is the durable and timeless and it is called gold.

Where does gold get its name from? The word is derived from an Old English word “geolu” which by definition means yellow. Gold does come in other colors but the first findings were yellow which it got its name. Gold has an extremely long and detailed history and is not exactly the most expensive but one of the best known of the precious metals. Gold has a long and detailed history and we are going to cover lots of topics this week about gold. We are going to go back into history and look at where it was first discovered. We are going to talk about what it is made of, its uses and its value. Finally we are going to talk specifically about the use of gold in jewelry.

What is exactly is gold? Well, the scientific abbreviation for it is Au. It is very soft and the most malleable metal. In its purest form it is referred to as 24 Kt. It is measured in karats. For example 24 Kt. is 100 percent pure gold, 18 Kt. is 75 percent gold, 14 Kt. Is 58.3 percent gold and 10 Kt. Is 41 percent gold. It mixed with other alloys to make it less expensive and stronger for different uses.

Gold that is mixed with another alloy comes in many different colors. To achieve the yellow gold color, a mixture of 50% silver and 50% copper is added in amounts depending on the karat of gold being made. White gold has a combination of nickel, zinc, copper, tin and manganese. Pink or rose gold as it is often referred to, has a combination of 90% copper and 10% silver to create the color. Green gold has a large proportion of silver or cadmium, blue gold has some iron and grey gold has about 15 to 20 percent iron.

Tomorrow we are going to discuss the history of gold and look at how it has been used throughout the centuries.