Sunday, November 20, 2011
The allure of gold
9:45 AM | 
Posted by
bayan |
The allure of gold, and the desire to own it, dates back as far as the history of mankind itself.
The place of gold has been extraordinary in every society. In earliest times, it had magical importance. All of the great empires of the ancient world used golden objects, mainly in their religious rituals.
Over centuries of growing sophistication and technology, gold has taken on many additional roles. Not only is it still prized for jewelry, it now has many new applications in contemporary life.
Gold soared into space with the astronauts, its reflective ability is used on the heat shields that are critical to life. This same ability to reflect the sun increases the aesthetic and practical beauty of today's glass skyscrapers; gold in tinted windows makes the difference between obstructive glare and glamorous gleam.
In medicine and dentistry, in industry and in a hundred applications from TV sets to telephones, computers to calculators, this eternal metal is an important component.
But, above all, gold has enjoyed its finest glitter throughout the ages in its ultimate form - jewelry. In fact, the wearing of gold on the body may actually be man's oldest surviving tradition.
Every day, virtually each one of us continues the centuries-old ritual of gold adornment. Men, women and children of all cultures are caught up in gold's allure through a ring, chain, earrings, watch or bracelet.
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