GOLD with QUARTZ (thumbnail) 4.48 grams

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

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