Gold has existed on Earth since the beginning of time and has developed in complexity and in use over centuries. It truly is the most historic symbol of luxury.

The History of Gold
Gold was first discovered as gold nuggets in its most natural state. Through archeological findings, gold has helped us to tell stories of many ancient cultures. Gold has been the core material used to form armour, jewellery, statues, coins and crowns.

Ancient cultures chose to use gold as it was the easiest metal to work with in it's natural state. It is malleable, ductile and does not tarnish like silver or copper does. This meant that gold adornments could maintain their warm yellow colour and represent long lasting permanence of ancient kings who were adorned in gold whilst entering the afterlife.

Gold jewellery traces back to around 4400BC when Ancient Thracians buried bodies with lots of gold bracelets, necklaces and rings. These pieces were later discovered by archeologists in Bulgaria.

Ancient Egyptians began to pour gold to create castings for amulets. On 4th November 1922, Tutankhamen was discovered buried in a gold coffin wearing a large amount of gold jewellery. Egyptians believed that they would be able to enjoy these opulent objects in the afterlife. 

Creating Alloys
Pure gold is very soft and gets worn out very quickly when used for jewellery. The alloy was created by mixing gold with other metals to form a stronger and more durable material.

Some common components of gold alloys include copper, zinc, iron and titanium.

Karats
Karats describes the composition of a gold alloy based on it's purity of gold. For example, 24-karat gold is made of 100% gold, whereas 18-karat gold is made from 75% and 14-karat from 53.33%.

Colours
Gold is commonly used as a yellow, white or pink (rose) alloy, however it also exists in blue and green.

Yellow: gold, silver and copper.
White: gold, nickel, copper, tin, platinum or manganese.
Pink: gold and copper.
Blue: gold and iron.
Green: gold, silver, zinc and cadmium.

Prized for its beauty, gold is still a favourite for setting gemstones and creating beautiful sculptural jewellery pieces. It is timeless.