GOLD CRYSTALS (thumbnail, 2.59 grams)

Gold is a chemical element represented by the symbol Au (derived from the Latin word aurum) and has the atomic number 79. In its purest form, it appears as a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Gold is classified as a transition metal belongs to group 11 it one of the noble metals. It is among the least reactive chemical elements, positioned as the second-lowest in the activity series, and exists as a solid under standard conditions.

Gold is frequently found in its native state, manifested as nuggets or grains, within rocks, veins, and alluvial deposits. It can in a solid solution series with the native element silver (as seen in electrum), is naturally alloyed with other metals such as copper and palladium, and contains mineral inclusions, such as those in pyrite. Less commonly, gold present in minerals as gold compounds, typically in conjunction with tellurium (gold tellurides).

MINIATURE