Buying Gold in the Middle East can be as easy as buying a pint of milk in your local store.

In the Middle East, gold has always been seen to be a valuable currency, often given as part of the marriage dowry or to celebrate a birth.  A walk around the gold souq is a magical experience and one that shouldn't be missed.

Unlike Europe, the gold sold in Bahrain usually starts at 18 kt going to 24 kt. 

Gold jewellery is sold by weight at the current price and there are bargains are to be had so don't be afraid to haggle!

Gold

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (Latin: aurum, "shining dawn") and an atomic number of 79. Since 2009 approximately 161,000 tonnes (8,333.33 cubic metres) of gold have been mined in human history.

Since the beginning of recorded history, gold has been highly sought after by people and used in jewellery, religious ceremonies & coinage.

Gold is also used in many modern industrial processes and can be found in industries as diverse as dentistry, electronics, computing, jewellery & fashion.

Gold is very resistance to oxidative corrosion (rust) & an excellent conductor of electricity which is why it is used in high end electronics & Super computers.

Gold occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, in veins and in alluvial deposits and was traditionally mined using a pan & running water.

Pure Gold has a bright yellow colour & dulls as various amounts of copper and silver are added. It is also dense, soft, shiny and the most malleable and ductile pure metal known which makes it a great material for making intricate jewellery.

Chemically

Pure gold can be dissolved by the use of aqua regia (a mixture of acids), forming chloroauric acid, but not by the individual acids, and by alkaline solutions of cyanide. Nitric acid on its own, which dissolves silver and base metals does not dissolve gold. Nitric acid in combination with other chemicals is used to help determine if there is gold present in an item, hence the origin of the colloquial term "acid test", referring to a gold standard test for genuine value.

 

Gold Facts

Considered to be the noblest of all metals and deeply embedded in the human psyche, gold is replete with bewitching versatility, opulence and glamour.

Of all the world's precious metals only gold combines lustrous beauty, easy workability, rarity and individual indestructibility.  The obsession for gold can easily be summed up in these famous remarks 'more men have been knocked off balance by gold than love!'

Qualities and Characteristics of Gold

Over the ages no other metal has fascinated mankind as has gold and it has inspired some of the world's most brilliant and intricate craftsmanship.  Gold is so soft and malleable that one ounce can be hammered into a sheet so thin it can cover a 16 sq meters area.  Gold is virtually indestructible as it does not rust, tarnish or corrode.  Coins found in sunken galleons are as bright and shinny as the day they were cast.

Technical Data for Gold

The weight of gold is usually expressed in troy ounces. (1 troy ounce = 1.097 ordinary ounces). The purity of gold articles is generally described in three ways: percent (parts of gold per 100), fineness (parts of gold per 1000) and karats (parts of gold per 24).

The Different Colours of Gold

24 karat gold has the natural warm colour of pure gold and its colour cannot be changed without changing the purity to less than 24 k. Other colours of gold can be made by changing the composition of the alloy in the making of the jewellery.  Pink gold for example is made by adding more copper in the alloy composition of the gold.  Likewise Green gold is more of 2inc and silver and white gold is more of nickel. A surface colour can also be given to gold articles by electroplating. However this can only be a surface finish and will be worn off over a period of time.

More Gold information