GoldPaq

Popular Gold Uses

The most common use for gold besides currency is jewelry.

Cultures worldwide take pleasure in the beauty of gold, adorning their bodies and children with it and passing on from one generation to another.

This precious metal represents wealth and beauty and it travels a long way to end up around your neck, wrist or finger

The long haul

Mining is a long, arduous process which can be summed up in 6 basic steps

1) Prospecting

First and foremost gold has to be found before it can be extracted from the earth.

Whether this means following a treasure map or researching land that has yielded gold ore in the past.

This is obviously one of the most significant steps, because every consecutive step after requires the finding of gold first.

3) Study

Through mathematical techniques the prospector must then determine the size, grade and potency of the ore deposit which is accomplished using computers.

Once the estimated worth of the deposit has been assessed, an in-depth study is conducted to determine if the deposit is worth more than the potential risks involved.

All of this must happen before any mining project can begin.

4) Investment

The study must be highly detailed and published accurately in the hopes of attracting a developer interested in investing money in the project.

A published study must include information about financial expectations, mine planning, difficulty of extraction and prospective economic recovery so investors can make an informed decision with their capital.

5) Development

Once a potential mine site has acquired all of the permits and permission necessary and has attracted enough investors to have sufficient capital it’s time to build the mine.

This is no easy task considering the dangers within the mining industry, plans must carefully consider the safety of the workers and the health of the surrounding environment.

6) Operation

A gold mine will operate as long as it remains profitable, which can take anywhere from a few months to years for total ore extraction.

Some of the ancient gold mines were said to have been in production for nearly a century at a time. Although in large part that is due to primitive methods and lack of heavy equipment to aid the process.

7) Reclamation

Perhaps the most important step, reclamation starts once the mine is wasted and has no ore left to give.

This is the process of cleaning up the environment surrounding the mine site. Not only to remove the toxins and by-products of mining, but also to make the area useful for the community.

Often this process takes decades.

Melt and mix

Once the gold has been taken from the earth it’s purity must be determined.

Often this is accomplished using the fire-assay process, which requires adding chemicals and great heat to the ore to dissolve impurities.

The pure ore is then processed and distributed to precious metal plants who further refine the gold into bricks or molten gold for jewelry and coin production.

Jewelry making

Once in the hands of the jewelers, the gold is ready to become a work of art.

The process starts with a wax mold and a centrifuge. The gold is heated to a liquid state then spun in the centrifuge to press it into the wax mold.

When the mold is filled, the gold is cooled quickly using cold water and the result is a piece of jewelry. The jewelry is then polished to enhance its natural shine.

Everyone Loves Their Gold

Most of us have jewelry, whether it is something passed down through the generations of your family, or something you bought to treat yourself.

However rarely do we consider the process required to bring each piece into the world and shape it into something you want to wear.

We hope you will consider this process every time you buy any gold jewelry, and help keep mining companies honest by choosing jewelers who only sell gold mined using responsible methods.

Recycle Yours

As you can see, this process is long and has consequences to the environment that take years and years to reverse, so be sure to recycle your unused gold jewelry.

The recycling process isn’t the most environmentally-friendly, but it is more earth conscious than mining and it is important not to waste precious resources.

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