Gold Nuggets

I took Jacqueline shopping for earrings on the weekend.  She saw a beautiful pair of dolphins at People's.  But they were $60.  So we settled for some sterling silver dolphins at Claires for $6.95.  The lady behind the counter explained to us that the earrings at People's had gold backings and that gold is more expensive than ever before.  In fact, people are panning for it once again.  So, here are ten facts you may not know about the precious metal.

1.  Gold hit an unprecedented $1000 an ounce in 2008, during the most recent recession.

2.  Gold is rare.  More steel is poured in one hour than gold has been poured in all of history.

3.  Seventy-five percent of the gold made has been made since 1910.

4.  Gold is pliable.  A string of gold can be like a sewing thread.  An ounce of gold can stretch 50 miles.

5.  Gold is edible.  Bottles of liquor sold in Germany called "Danziger Goldwasser" contain gold.

6.  Gold is an inert chemical.  It never rusts and does not irritate the skin (that's why earrings with gold backings are the best for your ears).

7.  The original gold medals given out at the Olympics in 1912 were made of 100% gold.  Now they are only partially made of gold.

8.  A concoction of molten gold and crushed emeralds was used to treat victims of the bubonic plague.

9.  Gold is found on every planet.  On Earth, gold was first discovered in Africa.  In America, gold was first discovered in Virginia in 1782.  The California Gold Rush of 1849 brought 300,000 people to the state.

10.  Gold is mentioned 400 times in the Bible, including the reference to one of the three wisemen bringing Jesus a gift of gold after His birth.

Liquid gold photo courtesy us.123.rf.com.