Gold is both desirable and expensive, and has long been a symbol of wealth and power. In this article we look at how it has remained such a coveted metal for many centuries.

The mining and production of gold was halted for almost 1,000 years following the fall of the Roman Empire, but resumed when the Spanish discovered America in 1492. Since then a number of wars have been fought over it and fortunes built from it.

In the 14^th Century, the Incas considered gold as the ’sweat of the sun’, and the sheer brilliance of gold inspired them to cover every wall of the Temple of the Sun with it. During the following century, the riches of gold inspired Cortes to defeat Montezuma and seize the vast gold stores of the Aztec, in an effort to revive the faltering Spanish economy. In 1531 Pizarro invaded Peru and captured Atahualpa, the Incas ruler, and plundered their gold stores, melting down their golden artifacts to ship back to Spain.

It was also the allure of the precious metal that convinced many thousands of people to head west during the California Gold Rush, from 1848 to 1855. Over 90% of the world’s gold has been produced since the gold rush, when vast supplies were discovered by James Wilson Marshall at Sutter’s Mill on the American River.

After this discovery gold mining took on a much greater scale, and stores were also found in Australia and South Africa. The increase in supply due to these discoveries meant that gold became obtainable for people from all classes and walks of life - as opposed to previous times when it was only affordable for royalty and the upper classes.

In more recent times, Italy has come to the forefront of the gold jewelry industry, and the Italian Renaissance coincided with new discoveries of gold sources. Modern day Italian cities such as Vicenza and Aires are homes of factories dedicated to ‘knitting’ gold wire into chain.

The timeless beauty and an enduring quality of gold ensures that its popularity never wanes, and it is sure to play just as an important part in our future and it has done in our past.