Without a doubt, Gold is one of the world’s most precious metals. It is also a certainty that gold enjoys an unsurpassed popularity as a medium for jewelry expression. Both jewelry artisans and consumers alike are “in love” with gold. There seems to be no end to the range of colors, finishes and styles available and gold remains a perennial favorite setting for gemstones. Read more…
Gold has a place in history regardless of the country of origin. Perhaps it has to do with the fact that gold is seen as a common currency in every country in the world. Gold sees no boundaries. History states that gold coins have been minted since around 670 BC when King Gyges of Turkey minted some gold coins for his personal currency when traveling. The Roman Legions were apprehensive when Julius Caesar first issued gold coins as payment for their service. However, the tune soon changed when the legions realized that the gold coins actually increased in value. Read more…
A lot of people find collecting gold coins as not only an incredibly interesting hobby but a fairly lucrative one as well! Over time, your collection will accure value and parts of it can be sold if you desire. This way, you will have additional income for yourself later in life in addition to a fantastic collection of valuable coins. Read more…
Many investors are turning to gold as the traditional hedge against inflation. In the 1970s gold soared from $35 to $850 an ounce against a background of rising oil prices, high inflation and a stock and real estate crash. But now you can even buy gold online.
Buying gold jewelry can be a rich experience, but often requires some thought. Gold has different grades and is rated in purity by karat (k) measurement. Generally the highest grade available is 24 karat gold. Most people, however, prefer buying gold jewelry that is rated at 14 karats.
Many wonder why one would go with the cheaper and technically less pure gold when buying gold jewelry. Actually the answer to this is relatively simple. Gold is a very soft metal. The purer it is, the softer it is. The last thing one would want when buying gold jewelry is to purchase pieces that are not going to be durable, since gold is expensive. Read more…
The performance of gold bullion is often compared to stocks. They are fundamentally different asset classes:gold is a store of value whereas stocks are a return on value (i.e. growth plus dividends). Stocks and bonds perform best in a stable political climate with strong property rights and little turmoil. The attached graph shows the value of Dow Jones Industrial Average divided by the price of an ounce of gold. Since 1800, stocks have consistently gained value in comparison to gold due in part to the stability of the American political system. Read more…
The gold standard is a monetary system in which a region’s common media of exchange are paper notes that are normally freely convertible into pre-set, fixed quantities of gold. The gold standard is not currently used by any government, having been replaced completely by fiat currency, and private currencies backed by gold are rare. Read more…
