Gold - The King Of all the Metals

Symbol: Au (from "Aurum" in latin)
ISO Currency Code: XAU

Gold is a valuable and precious metal of all the time which is most iconic and widely used for jewellery, currency, computer parts, dentistry, satellites and various other applications.

Gold 's chemical symbol is Au which is derived from the Latin word "Aurum which means "glowing dawn", due to it’s distinctive yellow metallic glow. The gold exists naturally in the form of nuggets or grains in rocks; in fact the gold nugget is an iconic symbol of frontier America when prospectors would "pan" for gold, sifting through rivers and streams for traces of a gold mine. Purity of gold is measured in Carats, with 24 carats is being pure, though this was originally for measuring the weight of the gold. Merchants from the Middle East would weigh items with carob beans and this is still used for gems.

Gold is known for its practicality. It is very malleable meaning that it can be made into various shapes with relative ease; it conducts heat and electricity (this being a reason for its use in electronic and computer components) and does not react to most corrosive chemicals which makes it better for jewellery. It also forms alloys easily, allowing other properties to be found and the color to be changed. One such alloy, platinum with gold, makes white gold which has become massively popular in jewellery, because it has the elegance and stature of gold while being new and distinct

Gold is so malleable that it has been used as thread in clothing, wiring in computers, in dentistry for crowns and bridges and even actual gold teeth. It is used on satellites and astronaut’s visors because of it’s reflective properties. Gold flakes are even used in expensive gourmet dishes is some countries. It has no taste and is merely a delicacy and status symbol, thought some people believe that gold has medicinal properties. The symbolism of gold as a token of wealth has been used throughout history; the negative of golden pocket watches in Communist propaganda and the positive of "gold cards" or golden tickets employed by credit card companies and promotional marketing. It has been used by civilizations all over the world to decorate religious artifacts and temples. This contributes to the steadfast place that gold holds in our society as a symbol and a practical tool, giving it a permanent place in our history.


Silver -- The Queen of the metals world

Symbol: Ag (from Argentum in Latin)
ISO Currency Code: XAG

Silver is naturally occurred precious metal, it has been known since antiquity. It has long been valued as a precious metal and used in currency, ornaments and jewelry, as well as utensils (hence the term silverware).

A soft white lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity for a metal. It occurs as a free metal (native silver) as well as various minerals such as argentite and chlorargyrite. Most silver is produced as a by-product of copper, gold, lead, and zinc mining. Silver is a very ductile and malleable (slightly harder than gold) monovalent coinage metal with a brilliant white metallic luster that can take a high degree of polish. It has the highest electrical conductivity of all metals, even higher than copper, but its greater cost and tarnish ability has prevented it from being widely used in place of copper for electrical purposes, though it was used in the electromagnets used for enriching uranium during World War II (mainly because of the wartime shortage of copper).Another notable exception is in high-end audio cables, although the actual benefits of its use in this application are questionable.

Silver is found in native form, combined with sulfur, arsenic, antimony, or chlorine and in various ores such as argentite (Ag2S), horn silver (AgCl), A major use of silver is as a precious metal. Jewellery and silverware are traditionally made from Sterling silver (Standard silver) an alloy of 92.5% silver with 7.5% copper. Sterling silver is harder than pure silver, and has a lower melting point (893 °C) than either pure silver or pure copper. in some places silver used in foods too as in India, some foods can be found decorated with a thin layer of silver, known as Vark. Silver is also used in medicines, Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, wrote that silver had beneficial healing and anti-disease properties, and the Phoenicians used to store water, wine, and vinegar in silver bottles to prevent spoiling.