Every Atom of gold jewellery was forged in a collapsing star and then travelled across the galaxy to you.
Before the Ancient Egyptians donned the first pieces of jewellery, gold took a 3 million year journey. Every atom of gold was forged in a collapsing star. A collapsing star is called a Supanova, which is a large explosion so hot that it can be seen across the universe. Within this chemical cauldron, reactions take place causing rare combinations of atoms with only 79 protons- this is gold. For every single gold atom in the universe, there are 1 million iron atoms. Those gold atoms are then cast out into the universe and some of those atoms may join a cloud. That cloud may condense into a planet and once embedded into the body of the planet some elements may arise close to the surface for us to dig it up.
The first records of gold use can be traced back to 5000 BCE in Ancient Egypt. It was highly valued for its luminous appearance, malleability and later for its value. It was revered in many different cultures as being of high religious significance as gold does not corrode and therefore was a symbol of immortality and typically a symbol of the sun. Gold has always been precious and was saved for both men and women of the nobility.
Gold manufacturing techniques including filigree, thinning gold into sheets, granulation, embossing, chasing, inlaying, moulding and engraving have been known and utilised by Egyptian goldsmiths from around 2500 BCE.
Yellow gold has always been the most popular colour for jewellery, however in most recent times it has been replaced by white gold. White gold is not pure as it is made by mixing yellow gold and silver, and then it is plated with rhodium. It also comes in rose gold which has a pink tinge due to the inclusion of copper or even in black gold which is made by adding cobalt oxide.
Gold is a wonderful mineral which can be manipulated to create the most beautiful designs and that is why it has been the jewellery of choice since the beginning of human record.
