Most of us are familiar with gold. It’s shiny, conductive, and high in monetary value. Most of us are also familiar with different types of gold, such as white gold and rose gold. But have you ever heard of green gold? Although the name suggests something of an alien appearance, green gold is not what you might imagine. It is actually a historically significant element that contains a wide range of unique and interesting properties.
Continue reading to learn more about green gold, including its real name, where it comes from, and more!
Electrum is Often Called “Green Gold”
“Green gold” is simply a moniker for the element, electrum. Wikipedia.com describes electrum as “a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals.” An alloy is a metal that is made up of two or more metals, such as brass, which contains copper and zinc. Although electrum is primarily gold and silver, it can also contain traces of platinum, copper, and other metals.
Uses in History
To the ancient Greeks, electrum was known as white gold or simply, gold. That is perhaps because its color appears pale, ranging in hues from white to bright yellow depending on the ratio of gold and silver. For the ancient Egyptians, electrum was often as an exterior coating to the capstones of pyramids or obelisks. Before pure silver coins were introduced, the first metal coinage was made from electrum, dating back to Lydia during the reign of Alyattes at the beginning of the 6th century BCE. To this very day and age, Nobel Prizes are often made of gold-plated green gold.
Investing in Gold and Precious Metal
Precious metal is an excellent investment. Gold, silver, platinum, and palladium are the most common precious metals used, each retaining an ISO 4217 currency code. Like stocks and other paper assets that can be subjected to certain obligations and requirements, precious metals are private, tangible, liquid assets that are endowed with finite inherent value. This means you are not legally required to account for them in your portfolio for the government, banks, and financial institutions.