Gold has been valued by humanity for a long, long time. So long that it’s taken on an almost mystical stature. Gold is a key player in legends across the world, with myths of dragon’s hordes and pirate treasure being just the tip of the iceberg. Even for those of us who wear gold jewelry every day, in a wedding ring, etc., the word gold most often conjures up piles of coins or stacks of gold bars. Gold is inextricably linked with wealth in our myths, and in real life.
As you can see in this infographic, a whopping 17% of the world’s supply of gold is held by central banks. Although the gold standard is no longer the basis of our monetary system, having some around seems like a good idea. Technology uses only a little less, with 12% going into our gadgets and gizmos, and majestic, size-of-a-small-country gadgets like the Large Hadron Collider at CERN (which might actually be producing gold by accident?).
Maybe the gold in your life is a ring on your left ring finger, or wherever wedding rings go in your culture, maybe you’ll be interested in the history of the engagement ring.