A child roams the lands of Europe thousands and thousands of years ago. As the first hominid looks around, he finds a small stream and sees something peculiar. It shines and looks like the sun. This child chooses this nugget and shows it to the rest of the group. Hominids have just found not only gold, but also the very first metal discovered by our ancestors. As you can see, gold has a vast and varied history. It's part of almost everything we have, from jewelry to airplanes to satellites; Gold is a very precious and versatile metal. Yet, can this amazing metal have flaws, can it change a country's economy for the worse? Since this child picked up this gold coin, it has been used throughout the ancient world and not only physically resembles something, but also figuratively. . This represented power and immortality, as gold does not corrode {to decay, erode, etc.}. Gold was also used to make jewelry for many reasons. It has an extremely high luster {the way a mineral, like gold, reflects light}, and its aesthetic qualities have made people dream of it. In Egypt, around 5000 BCE, men and women wore gold jewelry and around 2500 BCE, at Ur {in the ancient Sumerian city, present-day Iraq}, they made the first chains of gold. gold. Gold was also used as currency. The first pure gold coins were made in Lydia thanks to King Croesus. Whenever you mine gold, even the purest gold nuggets can contain 5% silver. To remove the silver, they would put salt on the nugget and heat it to about 600-800 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the chemicals to somehow evaporate the silver. Gold was also used as a motif to discover and learn some basic concepts that scientists used every day. Through all...... middle of paper ......pes.India is the largest consumer of gold in the world. Its economy is largely based on gold, as India's gold demand represents 25% of global demand. In Hindu weddings, 50% of all costs are spent on the bride's gold. However, gold weighs on its economy. The reason is due to a principle called CAD. India's imports far exceed exports, weakening the rupee and making it less valuable. If they reduced their gold imports and used the amount of imports they already use, their economy would improve significantly. Gold is a very useful, valuable and versatile mineral. From ancient times until today, it has been used for everything. Yet, like money, if you have too much of it, it can go to your head and destroy you. That child in that stream at that time had not picked up that shiny object, life as we know it would not exist.