1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:11,360 Welcome to the Gilt Trips podcast. I'm your host, Kendra Lockhart. As a goldsmith and 2 00:00:11,360 --> 00:00:17,560 gemologist, I'll be speaking 24 karat on all things jewelry, metals, and gems. Join 3 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:24,080 me plus a few friends to demystify both materials and designs as your private jeweler. Let's 4 00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:33,960 tune in on these topics and get golden. Key phrases in our language that include metals 5 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:42,280 would be the gold standard platinum blonde watching it on the silver screen from idioms 6 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:49,800 in communication to descriptors of achievement to marketing a hair color. Metals are as malleable 7 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:56,400 of implied meanings as they are materials and jewelry. How did we assume their value? 8 00:00:56,400 --> 00:01:01,960 What characteristics set precious metals apart from the rest? Where can we find them in other 9 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:08,520 industries and products? Let's answer these and discover the wonderful world of gold, 10 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:15,120 silver, and platinum as fine jewelry elements and beyond the art form of the metalsmiths 11 00:01:15,120 --> 00:01:24,280 that have mastered them. Chapter timestamps will be in the show notes. 12 00:01:24,280 --> 00:01:32,360 What are noble metals? In traditional jewelry, there is a trio. The three metals, gold, silver, 13 00:01:32,360 --> 00:01:39,560 and platinum have specific characteristics. It is found in raw form and nature. It is 14 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:47,320 an element, not a compound. It is in the periodic chart and it resists corrosion or reaction 15 00:01:47,320 --> 00:01:55,360 to oxidation, which yields tarnish. Also, it cannot be dissolved by most acids except 16 00:01:55,360 --> 00:02:03,120 aqua regia, which means regal water. Much like gems, rarity and durability are important 17 00:02:03,120 --> 00:02:09,520 factors for both its value and its use, where gems require hardness to be considered precious. 18 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:15,040 Metals need purity for their elevated value. So let's start with the most familiar of 19 00:02:15,040 --> 00:02:24,080 all three. Gold. Gold is a chemical element and expressed with the symbol AU, the first 20 00:02:24,080 --> 00:02:29,880 two letters of the Latin word Aurum. Now we know that ancient Rome borrowed its mythology 21 00:02:29,880 --> 00:02:36,960 from the Greeks, so their word for gold comes from the word aurora. She was the golden goddess 22 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:47,560 of the dawn. Aurora, Aurum, and our individual aura all stem from the same origin of splendor, 23 00:02:47,560 --> 00:02:57,240 radiance, and light associated with the sun. Gold is found in a few forms, nuggets, grains, 24 00:02:57,240 --> 00:03:03,640 gold veining, in both rocks and water creating alluvial deposits, much like the diamonds 25 00:03:03,640 --> 00:03:12,760 of the earth. Sometimes it is found in a compound with silver known as quote electrum, unquote. 26 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:19,320 And nitric acid can dissolve away the silver and leave the prospector with just the gold. 27 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:24,840 When we are confirming the presence of gold in a compound in this way, it is called the 28 00:03:24,840 --> 00:03:34,240 acid test. Gold's primary uses are coinage, jewelry, and art. What makes it so unique 29 00:03:34,240 --> 00:03:40,200 is that it's the world's most malleable of metals. Although it is dense, the softness 30 00:03:40,200 --> 00:03:46,120 allows it to be shaped into ultra-thin wire and also being flattened into semi-transparent 31 00:03:46,120 --> 00:03:54,800 sheets known as gold leaf or gold foil. The color of gold is also a big distinction. Most 32 00:03:54,800 --> 00:04:03,320 metals are gray or appear white, but in its raw elemental form, gold is an orangish yellow. 33 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:10,280 That is until we alloy it or combine other metals into a recipe to change its hue, and 34 00:04:10,280 --> 00:04:17,520 in the case of white and rose gold, we override its yellowishness. When fusing gold with platinum 35 00:04:17,520 --> 00:04:24,040 or nickel metals, it becomes white gold. Raising the copper percent in the alloy produces rose 36 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:32,320 gold. If adding strictly silver, you get green gold. Even blue and purple gold can be created 37 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:40,040 using iron and aluminum respectively. Historically speaking, the oldest gold artifacts date back 38 00:04:40,040 --> 00:04:48,320 to about 4500 BC in Bulgaria, and relatively soon gold items would appear in ancient Egypt 39 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:55,280 as smelting would be developed. What is smelting? It's using heat at various temperatures to 40 00:04:55,280 --> 00:05:02,960 extract metals from other elements. And the form that has shifted from finding grave offerings 41 00:05:02,960 --> 00:05:09,600 in Bulgaria to decorative uses in the Sumerian culture? That region would develop gold smithing 42 00:05:09,600 --> 00:05:15,080 techniques, some of which are still used today. 43 00:05:15,080 --> 00:05:20,720 Fast forward to biblical times. Gold is a major player in moral stories, like that of 44 00:05:20,720 --> 00:05:26,680 the golden calf, or that it was one of the gifts of the Magi for the Christ child. And 45 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:34,720 in revelations, it described the fourth density as having streets made of pure gold. The Greeks 46 00:05:34,720 --> 00:05:40,720 created the myth of golden fleece. Ancient China begins to use a gold cube as a type of 47 00:05:40,720 --> 00:05:47,400 circulated money, and the Roman Empire made advances, like hydraulic mining, to accelerate 48 00:05:47,400 --> 00:05:53,560 the time that was spent discovering gold. One of the main reasons gold became so global 49 00:05:53,560 --> 00:05:59,840 is due to advances in traveling and discovering other lands. In the 14th century, a Saudi 50 00:05:59,840 --> 00:06:05,840 Arabian ruler on a religious pilgrimage was passing through Cairo, and he charitably gave 51 00:06:05,840 --> 00:06:11,760 away so much gold that it caused a decade long inflation by depressing the price of 52 00:06:11,760 --> 00:06:19,320 the metal. And European exploration slash exploitation of the Americas, central and 53 00:06:19,320 --> 00:06:27,680 South America primarily, it raided Mayan and Aztec cultures. Their term for gold was 54 00:06:27,680 --> 00:06:34,320 quote, God excrement, unquote. And after their leader was killed, most of the supply was 55 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:42,240 shipped back to Spain. Was it a language barrier? A decoy to settle the score? We're talking 56 00:06:42,240 --> 00:06:49,160 about the legend of El Dorado, meaning the golden one, which began as a mythical chief 57 00:06:49,160 --> 00:06:55,160 who would cover himself with gold dust and submerge himself in a lake. The tale would 58 00:06:55,160 --> 00:07:04,040 morph from man to city to kingdom to empire that inspired quests to find. Europe was also 59 00:07:04,040 --> 00:07:10,800 investing centuries of trade routes with Africa and called the region the Gold Coast due to 60 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:17,360 large deposits found in that territory. And exchanges were had from tribes on that continent 61 00:07:17,360 --> 00:07:26,280 to British, French, Spanish, and Danish merchants. Magically, gold played a role in folklore 62 00:07:26,280 --> 00:07:33,280 and fables. Look at the cautionary tales of Rumpelstiltskin, King Midas, and the golden 63 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:41,000 goose in Jack and the Beanstalk. As for adult alchemy, the pursuit of discovering how to 64 00:07:41,000 --> 00:07:48,240 turn lead into gold via science and chemistry, and in athletic competitions, where top prizes 65 00:07:48,240 --> 00:07:54,840 are either made of gold or called gold as a level of placing and achieving. Beyond that, 66 00:07:54,840 --> 00:08:01,200 great accomplishments and excellence is rewarded with gold or gold plating as medals, trophies, 67 00:08:01,200 --> 00:08:08,480 and statues, such as the Oscars. Furthermore, it's found its way into perfecting or divine 68 00:08:08,480 --> 00:08:17,320 principles, the golden rule, the golden ratio, golden anniversaries, golden age of a civilization, 69 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:24,960 which is referencing wisdom and enlightenment. As for gold's original to current usages, 70 00:08:24,960 --> 00:08:33,000 golds play a big part in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. Many cultures insist that rings 71 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:40,680 exchanged at weddings are to be made of gold for the vows before God. Or in Orthodox ceremonies, 72 00:08:40,680 --> 00:08:48,880 a golden laurel, wreath crown, is worn at the time of making vows. Nowadays, gold production 73 00:08:48,880 --> 00:08:58,880 is mostly from China, then Russia, then Australia. 50% of the gold yield goes into jewelry, and 74 00:08:58,880 --> 00:09:07,200 a mere 10% is for electronics. Gold conducts heat and electricity. It strongly reflects 75 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:12,800 infrared light from the spectrum, so it's critical in heat shields. Alternative medicine 76 00:09:12,800 --> 00:09:18,960 has used gold consumption for nervous disorders and rheumatoid arthritis. But you can find 77 00:09:18,960 --> 00:09:25,560 it was the prominent material in restorative dentistry and performs better, in some cases, 78 00:09:25,560 --> 00:09:32,080 than porcelain crowns and bridges. Gold has even made its way into the luxury foods and 79 00:09:32,080 --> 00:09:40,120 beverages industry, often on desserts and in liqueurs. Since it is non-toxic and inert, 80 00:09:40,120 --> 00:09:46,080 there is no harm in consuming a bit of gold. Did you ever wonder how many different values 81 00:09:46,080 --> 00:09:52,360 and uses gold could have? The part I find most romantic is that approximately 30% of 82 00:09:52,360 --> 00:09:57,960 the global gold supply is recycled, as gold can be refined an infinite number of times 83 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:06,600 to state change from alloy to element to alloying again. For all we know, the gold in your engagement 84 00:10:06,600 --> 00:10:13,960 ring could have been mined centuries before and taken different forms. A crown for a king, 85 00:10:13,960 --> 00:10:24,400 a frame for a painting, or a ceremonial plate long before it wrapped around your finger. 86 00:10:24,400 --> 00:10:31,000 Next we have silver. This chemical element has the Latin name Argentum, translating 87 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:39,240 to shiny white and symbolized by the letters AG on the periodic table. It has the highest 88 00:10:39,240 --> 00:10:46,080 electrical and thermal conductivity and the most reflectivity of any metal. When found 89 00:10:46,080 --> 00:10:52,640 as a standalone deposit in nature, it is called native silver. It also occurs as a compound 90 00:10:52,640 --> 00:10:59,320 with gold as I just mentioned, or a byproduct of mining for other metals like copper. Like 91 00:10:59,320 --> 00:11:05,400 gold, it too was used in currency and found as ornamental objects back to prehistoric 92 00:11:05,400 --> 00:11:11,960 times. While silver is more abundant than gold, structurally it's not as strong nor 93 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:18,880 as dense. That, plus being more reactive to gold, means having to find it in native form 94 00:11:18,880 --> 00:11:25,880 could be more limited. What it does share characteristically is the malleability, ductile 95 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:34,200 or formable quality and conductivity. Historical application and acquisition of the resource 96 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:39,600 differs a bit from gold. There is evidence it was already successfully smelted in the 97 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:49,120 fourth millennium BC and produced in China, India, and Sardinia off the coast of Italy. 98 00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:54,120 When the Phoenicians first explored Spain, they acquired so much silver they couldn't 99 00:11:54,120 --> 00:12:01,240 fit it all on their boats and used it to anchor their ships instead of lead. By the time of 100 00:12:01,240 --> 00:12:08,080 Greek and Roman empires, silver was a standard for coinage and currency respectively. Romans 101 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:13,600 had mastered their silver mining, which came to a halt with the fall of that empire for 102 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:20,160 centuries until the rise of Charlemagne. Did the discovery of North and South America 103 00:12:20,160 --> 00:12:29,080 mean that Spanish conquistadors plundered silver too? Yes, it did. But a fun fact, Argentina 104 00:12:29,080 --> 00:12:36,680 was named that due to it being so rich in silver. Again, the trade goes global, from 105 00:12:36,680 --> 00:12:45,360 South America to Europe to China. Silver, quote, went round the world and made the world 106 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:54,160 go round. In the 19th century, production moved to North America. Canada, Mexico, and 107 00:12:54,160 --> 00:13:00,920 the Southwest United States yielded material. Deposits got mined in Siberia, Poland, and 108 00:13:00,920 --> 00:13:10,200 Australia. Today, Peru is the biggest producer, with Mexico being second. Where we find silver 109 00:13:10,200 --> 00:13:17,920 throughout the ages is, as money, jewelry, table utensils, still called silverware to 110 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:24,000 this day, Western concert flutes have been made of sterling silver, which is an alloy 111 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:29,060 containing amounts of copper and zinc to fortify the silver, which unfortunately leads to 112 00:13:29,060 --> 00:13:36,400 tarnishing and oxidation. It is a lighter material, so making larger items like vases 113 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:43,520 and tea services was more practical than using gold. Silver, being able to take a mirror 114 00:13:43,520 --> 00:13:51,440 finish, was used as just that in the home, and silver foil behind glass would soon follow 115 00:13:51,440 --> 00:13:59,960 as mirrors. In medicine, it was incorporated into wound dressings, instruments, and bandages 116 00:13:59,960 --> 00:14:07,680 as it has antibacterial properties. It would be found in dental fillings, it is important 117 00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:16,160 in electronics, and RFID technology, solar panels and water purification systems, a colorant 118 00:14:16,160 --> 00:14:22,000 in stained glass. But my favorite interest for use is in photography as the base for 119 00:14:22,000 --> 00:14:28,040 an image transfer. I would love to believe that my Tiffany's charm bracelet is a recycled 120 00:14:28,040 --> 00:14:34,480 Roman plate or a dessert spoon from a French castle, bridging centuries and continents 121 00:14:34,480 --> 00:14:42,480 in various forms and uses. Symbolically, silver has been thought to have mystical properties. 122 00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:47,160 Think of the tales of the silver bullet as a weapon against vampires, werewolves, or 123 00:14:47,160 --> 00:14:54,320 other supernatural beings. Folklore claims it facilitated passage to the fairy realm. 124 00:14:54,320 --> 00:15:01,240 Biblically, it was 30 pieces of silver in the Bible used to reward Judas for betraying 125 00:15:01,240 --> 00:15:07,400 Jesus. So yet again, we have a precious metal that worked its way into an association with 126 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:13,200 corruption of the human spirit. A bit more romantically, it was associated with lunar 127 00:15:13,200 --> 00:15:21,160 energy for healing, dreams, and intuition for the wearer. Moon goddesses are often depicted 128 00:15:21,160 --> 00:15:27,320 with silver weapons. It is also correlated with purity as such a high percentage of it 129 00:15:27,320 --> 00:15:34,760 is used to create with, if not pure silver itself, with no alloys whatsoever. I cover 130 00:15:34,760 --> 00:15:39,320 how it took a female designer in the 1970s to elevate silver from practice metal for 131 00:15:39,320 --> 00:15:47,640 goldsmiths to an elevated material in the Elsa Peretti episode. Lastly, we see silver 132 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:54,720 showing a second place finish in sports and games. Why? Perhaps we have the ancient poet 133 00:15:54,720 --> 00:16:03,040 Ovid to blame or thank. His passage in his magnum opus, Metamorphoses. He writes how this 134 00:16:03,040 --> 00:16:09,880 element was superior to the needed alloy for war and protection. And he wrote, quote, that 135 00:16:09,880 --> 00:16:21,960 silver was better than bronze, but bested by none other than gold. And now platinum and 136 00:16:21,960 --> 00:16:28,600 the platinum family of metals, the most complex and at one time controversial as far as international 137 00:16:28,600 --> 00:16:36,480 economy. Platinum is named for the Spanish diminutive of plata. So it translates to little 138 00:16:36,480 --> 00:16:44,960 silver. Its raw color is silverish white, almost a chrome look. And it is scarce in comparison 139 00:16:44,960 --> 00:16:51,640 to golden silver. So the yield is lower. It resists corrosion even at very high temperatures 140 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:58,040 and occurs uncombined with other metals as native platinum. It was first used by pre-Columbian 141 00:16:58,040 --> 00:17:03,680 natives in South America for artifacts. And while European writings referenced it in the 142 00:17:03,680 --> 00:17:11,680 16th century, it wouldn't be until 1748 that scientists would begin investigating platinum. 143 00:17:11,680 --> 00:17:19,240 So it doesn't have the history, or at least not the evidence of prehistoric use in documentation. 144 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:24,880 Humanity had to get to a level of evolution to discover it past gold or silver. Was platinum 145 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:31,200 found in the gold used at Egyptian burials? Yes, because smelting out platinum from gold 146 00:17:31,200 --> 00:17:38,920 wasn't invented yet. So objects being made could not be pure platinum. Characteristically, 147 00:17:38,920 --> 00:17:45,200 it is twice as heavy as gold and more moldable than it is well. Would you believe it is so 148 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:51,160 rare on earth that it exists in higher abundances on the moon and in meteorites that have struck 149 00:17:51,160 --> 00:17:57,640 our planet? That rare. The reason for such a long time to discover it is that its behavior 150 00:17:57,640 --> 00:18:06,960 is so mysterious. In 1557, a humanist author wrote, No fire nor any Spanish artifact has 151 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:13,360 yet been able to liquefy. So it's a higher melting point and your acids aren't going 152 00:18:13,360 --> 00:18:19,760 to work on it, fellas. So in the 18th century, explorers are sending nuggets back to Europe 153 00:18:19,760 --> 00:18:28,080 and they're misidentifying it. Is it like things we know? Mercury? Is it a metallic salt? 154 00:18:28,080 --> 00:18:32,760 We had one guy calling it white gold, but it doesn't match any of the properties, characteristics, 155 00:18:32,760 --> 00:18:38,440 or behaviors. It gets a little better later in the century because somebody's thinking 156 00:18:38,440 --> 00:18:43,000 it's useless because it's so hard it must be closer to iron, which is brittle to work 157 00:18:43,000 --> 00:18:51,680 with. But wait, it's also so close to the molding and hammering of gold. So what gives? 158 00:18:51,680 --> 00:18:56,840 Platinum hasn't been extracted from its family elements, so nobody knows how platinum alone 159 00:18:56,840 --> 00:19:03,120 behaves. I tell my clients it's like when Justin Timberlake left the boy band NSYNC. 160 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:09,600 Not a unit anymore, but a soloist. And you won't totally know what's possible until 161 00:19:09,600 --> 00:19:16,240 you've got some sort of baseline. So nobody can figure out if it's a single metal yet 162 00:19:16,240 --> 00:19:24,280 and everyone's discoveries are inconsistent. Finally, and I mean finally, King Charles III 163 00:19:24,280 --> 00:19:31,840 of Spain gifts a library and a laboratory to a French chemist and almost a year later 164 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:37,760 he succeeds in producing 50 pounds with his process and Spain gets a whole new business 165 00:19:37,760 --> 00:19:44,280 and enters its platinum age. Let's briefly cover the other family members that some of 166 00:19:44,280 --> 00:19:50,880 you may have heard about. Ruthenium. That strengthens platinum for die struck jewelry, 167 00:19:50,880 --> 00:19:58,080 where it is machine pressed versus hand forming and fabrication. But it's used more in electronics. 168 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:06,960 As is iridium. Some jewelry is stamped irid-plat. Palladium got to be a solo material in jewelry 169 00:20:06,960 --> 00:20:12,920 before 2000. But while lighter and whiter and harder than platinum, it's not as widely 170 00:20:12,920 --> 00:20:19,880 known and is unfamiliar. Being more used in World War II as a strategic metal, meaning 171 00:20:19,880 --> 00:20:26,600 in defense. Rhodium you may be familiar with. From plating white gold to give it a super 172 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:33,800 white and highly reflective finish. And lastly, Osmium. That's not used in jewelry, but it 173 00:20:33,800 --> 00:20:40,520 is to make ultra hard pen tips and highly durable components. And hey, it gets poisonous 174 00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:46,720 when you heat it up. The metaphysics of platinum strength made it popular in Victorian bridal 175 00:20:46,720 --> 00:20:53,520 jewelry since it doesn't show damage or wear and tear like gold and silver. Remember, it 176 00:20:53,520 --> 00:21:00,840 is rarer than gold. Metaphysically it is called the solid wisdom metal and worn for enlightenment 177 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:08,040 and clear hindsight or foresight. The first British crown for the Queen Mother in 1937 178 00:21:08,040 --> 00:21:13,320 has a platinum foundation. And you can hear more about the English crown in the Cartier 179 00:21:13,320 --> 00:21:22,040 episode. As for other industries, well buckle up. I'm sure you're not surprised with computers, 180 00:21:22,040 --> 00:21:27,600 cars, electronics or medicine. But did you know it is currently used in chemotherapy 181 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:34,960 treatment and that author Ernest Hemingway is said to have had a platinum metal knee replacement? 182 00:21:34,960 --> 00:21:42,040 Because at the time that metal had proven to be hyper allergenic both on the body and 183 00:21:42,040 --> 00:21:51,600 in the body. Culturally it is used for recognizing exclusive levels. With certain credit cards, 184 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:57,080 platinum is above the gold card. In record music sales it shows higher heights than gold 185 00:21:57,080 --> 00:22:03,240 certified number of units moved. And as platinum was coming into popularity at a time when 186 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:07,800 movie stars were not just bleaching their hair a few shades lighter to gold but went 187 00:22:07,800 --> 00:22:16,200 twice as long the time of processing to achieve platinum blonde. Finally, the controversy 188 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:22,240 of platinum was international sanctions during apartheid which is institutionalized racial 189 00:22:22,240 --> 00:22:31,080 separation. South Africa's policy was condemned in 1962 at the United Nations and platinum 190 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:37,400 was part of that boycott. While it did impact the lowest social levels immediately, the 191 00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:45,800 long game did cut their net capital in half. Nelson Mandela gets liberated and interviewed 192 00:22:45,800 --> 00:22:53,120 by 1993 for Time Magazine. He was asked if the de-investment globally brought an end 193 00:22:53,120 --> 00:23:01,800 to apartheid despite other countries debating its potential correlation. He replied, Oh, 194 00:23:01,800 --> 00:23:08,640 there is no doubt. 195 00:23:08,640 --> 00:23:12,480 Thank you for listening and learning with me. I would love you to share this project 196 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,920 with people finding rare beauty in today's world and throughout our times. Until the 197 00:23:16,920 --> 00:23:43,680 next episode, keep your own stories sparkling.