GOLD!
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from latin: aurum). In a pure form, it is a bright, slightly reddish yellow, dense, soft, malleable and ductile metal. It is one of the least reactive chemical elements and is solid under standard conditions. Gold often occurs in free elemental form, as nuggets or grains, in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits.
The oldest known map of a gold mine was drawn in the 19th dynasty of Ancient Egypt (1320-1200BC), whereas the first written reference to gold was recorded in the 12th Dynasty around 1900 BC.
A relatively rare element, gold is a precious metal that has been used for coinage, jewelry and other arts throughout recorded history. In the past, a gold standard was often implemented as a monetary policy, but gold coins ceased to be minted as a circulating currency in the 1930s and the world gold standard was abandoned for a fiat currency system after 1971.
A total of 197,576 tonnes of gold exists above ground, as of 2019. This is equal to a cube with each side measuring roughly 21.7 metres. Gold''s high malleability, ductility, resistance to corrosion and most other chemical reactions, and conductivity to electricity have led to its continued use in corrosion resistant electrical connector in all types of computerized devices(its chief industrial use). Gold is also used in infrared shielding, coloured-glass production, gold leafing and tooth restoration. Certain gold salts are still used as anti-inflammatories in medicine. As of 2017, the world's largest gold producer by far was China with 440 tonnes per year.
Because gold is the most malleable of all metals a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square metre! Gold does not react with oxygen at any temperature and, up to 100 degrees C, is resistant to attack from ozone. Gold readily dissolves in mercury at room temperature to form an amalgam, and forms alloys with many other metals at higher temperatures. These alloys can be produced to modify the hardness and other metallurgical properties, to control melting point or to create exotic colours.
Medicinal applications of gold and its complexes have a long history dating back thousands of years. Several gold complexes have been applied to treat rheumatoid arthritis. Gold compounds have been investigated as possible anti-cancer drugs.
Gold has been used since ancient times to create figurines, coins, crowns and for religious purposes. It also played a role in western culture, as a cause for desire and of corruption, as told in children's fables such as Rumpelstiltskin, where he tuns hay into gold for the peasant's daughter in return for her child when she becomes a princess, and the stealing of the hen that lays golden eggs in Jack and the Beanstalk. The top prize at the Olympic Games and many other sports competitions is the gold medal. Many buildings are covered with an ultra-thin layer of gold i.e. The Sikh Golden Temple, the Harmandir Sahib, in Amritsar, India.
Gold can be used in food. Gold leaf, flake or dust is used on and in some gourmet foods, notable sweets and drinks as a decorative ingredient. Danziger Goldwasser or Goldschlager is a traditional German herbal liqueur (very good) which contains flakes of gold leaf.
Gold can be manufactured so thin that it appears semi-transparent. It is used in some aircraft cockpit windows for de-icing or anti-icing by passing electricity through it. The heat produced by the resistance of the gold is enough to prevent ice from forming.
Cloth of Gold or gold cloth is a fabric woven with a gold-wrapped or spun weft referred to as "a spirally sun gold strip". In most cases, the core yarn is silk wrapped with a band or strip of high content gold. It has been popular for ecclesiastical use for many centuries. Under Henry VII of England, its use was reserved for royalty and higher levels of nobility. It is also used today by companies such as Charvet for neckwear. Producers of cloth of gold include the Byzantine Empire and Medieval Italian weavers, particularly in Genoa, Venice and Lucca. A similar cloth of silver was also made. Most modern metallic fabrics made in the West are known as lame.
Cloth of Gold is still being manufactured in Venice by Tessitura Luigi Bevilacqua (www.luigi-bevilacqua.com). The gold cloth is a luxury fabric for furnishing and clothing (very heavy), made by interlacing silk and golden or silver threads. In 2012 they made a dress for Dolce & Gabbana which also included Bevilacqua's Italian velvet.
Books mentioned at the Zoom meeting Tuesday Feb. 9
Jeanette
'I have chosen Birds as my theme for the accordion book. I will chose a different coloured bird for each page. I haven't decided yet how many pages I will create but I am hoping I will know when I am done. I chose Red for my first page and the bird featured is a Red Macaw.'
Linda
Linda is keeping busy and warm I hope! Here are some of her art cards.
Just in time for Valentine's Day!
Cathy
These are my two gold pages. I started out doing my art signature using gold embroidery thread, but ran out of thread. Just as well because it was terrible to work with, switched to lame and beads. The second page is the Golden Ratio.
The guild suggested online quilt classes, and I signed up for Lyric Kinard's class Playful Portraiture. Did not like any of her portrait choices, so selected one off the internet of this lovely interesting lady.
Elisabeth
