Historically, the value of metals depends on the complexity of their extraction and their abundance in nature. Since gold, silver and platinum are very difficult to find and then purify from impurities, they began to be called precious. Rare earth metals such as iridium, palladium, osmium are much more expensive than gold and are also precious.
Instructions
Step 1
Gold is the oldest precious metal. For a long time, people have found pure gold in the form of nuggets. The value of this metal increased significantly when the good ductility and ductility of this material was discovered. Ease of processing, the ability to easily turn a nugget into a thin plate, and then bend it as you like, led to the fact that gold began to be used everywhere for the production of jewelry.
Step 2
A little later, gold established itself as the world's monetary equivalent. Its reserves on the planet are relatively limited, not everyone knows where to find it and not everyone can get it. In addition, the durability of gold coins also affected, which can be stored for decades and centuries without being exposed to rust, like iron, and will not turn black like silver.
Step 3
Over time, state-owned gold began to be stored in bank vaults, and instead of ingots, they issued written documents confirming the right of a particular person to a certain amount of gold. These written documents gradually turned into money. And until the 70s of the 20th century, each national currency was backed by the country's gold reserves. At present, the volume of the gold reserve determines the level of the country, its stability and protection from the crisis.
Step 4
After the abolition of the gold and foreign exchange standard, the yellow metal has not lost its value. From a monetary equivalent, it has become an instrument for long-term investment of money. People understood this immediately, as soon as in the 70s after the exchange of the gold and foreign exchange standard, prices for it went up sharply and in 10 years rose 20 times. Of course, there have been periods of temporary fall in gold prices, as, for example, during the exacerbation of the global crisis in 2009. But in the long term, gold prices have risen and will continue to rise for many decades to come.
Step 5
Currently, precious metals are metals that are not subject to corrosion and oxidation. In addition, the supply of precious metals on Earth is small, and products made from these metals have unique properties. This category included gold, silver, platinum, rhodium, ruthenium, palladium, osmium, and iridium.
Step 6
The uniqueness of the properties of gold - low electrical resistance and good thermal conductivity - allows you to create with its help various components of microelectronics, use in the production of high-tech devices, in nuclear research. Gold is one of the most chemically inactive substances and this quality gives it additional value in chemical research.
