The gold is a chemical element of symbol With the and of Atomic number 79.

It is a Métal of transition yellow shining, very ductile and malleable; gold is in a native state in the form of nuggets or of alluvia river. He is regarded as a Noble metal. He is the first known metal and is employed by the man since

The art of the work of gold is the Orfèvrerie. __TOC

Etymology

Sometimes the name of the gold of the Latin aus, aurum , which gave the gold bearing adjective , in the old French texts, one finds it under the meaning " Aur" ; germ. gold, geld, gyld .

In Greek old, gold says χρῡσός ( chrysos ): an ivory and gold statue is known as chryséléphantine ; of the same chrysanthemum results in “gold flower”.

History

detailed Article : History of gold

The Man uses gold since the Chalcolithique, at the end of the Préhistoire. he is the first known metal and is employed since front thousand-year-old Ve. J. - C.

It is during the Antiquité, to the VI E, in Perse, that Cyrus II would have struck a gold currency for the first time. The use was spread then in Greece, then in the whole of the ancient world during the hellenistic period beside the silver moneys, of less value.

At the beginning of the 2nd century, victorious of the Daces, Trajan brings back to Rome amazing spoils: 165 tons of gold and 300 tons of money. One speaks then about the “gold of Daces”.

The Romans founded the monometallism gold with Constantin I {{er}} (beginning of the 4th century). In fact the conquests Sassanides, then Arab S reflect fine with the importance of gold in Occident, by causing its shortage lasting all the top Moyen-âge. The diffusion of gold in the western world knew initially a revival in the Mediterranean at the 11th century, then at the 13th century.

The countervailing charges in the Germanic codes were called Wergeld . The Viking S subjected the States attacked to a tribute called danegeld : “gold of the Danes”.

With the the Middle Ages, the alchemists tried to manufacture gold starting from other substances like the Plomb. They thought of obtaining this result by using mythical the Philosopher's stone. Today one succeeded in manufacturing gold starting from other metals in particle accelerators, but the production costs are higher than the ransom price, this method was thus abandoned. In alchemy, the symbol of gold is a point surrounded by a circle.

The search for gold constituted one of the reasons of the conquest of the American continent. Thus, Hernán the Cortes undertook the conquest of the Aztec empire, located at the Mexico in particular to monopolize the gold which had the Aztec emperor. Hernán the Cortes sent a great quantity of this invaluable metal to Charles Quint, of which a part in the form of jewels, but the majority were molten to finance the wars carried out by the Spain. The Conquistador S were to take the quinto real (i.e. a fifth of recovered gold) and to send it to Charles Quint. Gold flowing since the mines of the Nouveau World caused the richness of the Spain and the Portugal at the beginning of the modern period, before benefitting the other European States which could collect best, the such France and the Great Britain. At the same time diffuses the legend of the Eldorado.

At the 19th century, a Gold rush is declared in California and contributes for a share to the Conquête of the American West and to the foundation of many cities, of which San Francisco. The mining cities built in too moved back places were abandoned as soon as the seam at the origin of their richness had been suddenly dried up. These cities are what is called quoted today phantom, vacuums of population, but whose walls hold sometimes still upright, preserved by the aridity of the local climate. The United States remains the second gold producer country in the world in 2004.

Gold was used as standard (Gold Standard), then after the Accords of Bretton Woods, in 1944, of standard of exchange ( Gold Exchange Standard ) between the various countries of the world until in the Années 1970: in 1971, the the United States suspended the convertibility of the Dollar out of gold and in 1976, the agreements of Jamaica contracted by the countries of the the IMF removed the standard of exchange gold.

Today, the greatest world gold reserve is with the the United States, it acts of the federal fund of New York, however less famous than that of Fort Knox, in the Kentucky. In 1995, the gold reserves in the banks of the whole world were assembled to approximately 910 million ounce S what represents a cube close to 12 side meters.

The modern sports, finally, use gold like rewards supreme at the time of the various competitions: Medals of gold to the Olympic Games, Balloons of gold in football.

Properties

The basic color of gold is yellow with complex reflections which one naturally knows like gilded in the French language.

By transparency through a very fine sheet, gold appears green

Chemical properties

Gold is a noble Métal, therefore its state of the most common oxidation is (0). However, it can form several compounds, its number of oxidation which can vary (- I) with (+V); With (I) and With (III) are majority. However, its relative chemical inertia protects it from the attacks of the Oxygène: metal gold does not tarnish and does not form a Oxyde, at some temperature that it is; and it also resists the action of many chemicals, of which majority of the Acide S.

Aurous ion

The ion aurous With (I) meets on Ligand S soft such as the Thioéther S, the Thiolate S or the Phosphine S tertiary sectors. Its compounds are generally linear.

During the treatment of gold bearing sands by cyanidation, gold is solubilized in the form of the complex dicyanoaurate With (CN) the ₂^– , in which finds itself With (I). The potassium dicyanoaurate is a colorless, water soluble salt and very poison.

Curiously, the aqueous complexes of the aurous ion are rare. The binary gold halides, like AuCl, form polymeric chains in zigzag, again suitable for the linear coordination of With (I). The majority of the drugs containing gold are derivatives of the monovalent ion With (I).

Fore-and-aft ion

The other current shape of oxidized gold is the fore-and-aft ion With (III). It enters, for example, in the composition of gold chloride (III), AuCl₃. Its derivative is the acid chloroauric, HAuCl₄, which is formed when gold dissolves in the Eau levels. The fore-and-aft complexes are typically configured in flat square, like the majority of composed with an orbital d⁸.

Less common states of oxidation: With (- I), With (II) and With (V)

Melted with Cesium, gold forms Aurure of cesium CsAu which is not a Alliage, but a ic compound Ion. The gold atom To the form then a negative ion monochargé. The properties of aurure are similar to those of a Halogénure. For example, CsAu crystallizes in the reason for cesium chloride. Among other aurures, one counts those of Rubidium, Potassium and Tétraméthylammonium (CH₃) ₄N⁺.

The compounds of gold (II) are generally Diamagnétique S and present connections With-With. It is the case in remarkable [[complex (chemistry)|complex] of With (II) the Xénon like ligand contains: (Sb₂F₁₁) ₂.

Gold pentaflurorure the single example of With (V), the state of oxidation highest met until here.

In some compounds of gold appear connections aurophiles , which describe the reciprocal interaction of ions gold at a too long distance to constitute a connection With-With the Covalente, but shorter than for the forces of Van der Waals. The connection aurophile is comparable with a Hydrogen bond in term of force.

Alloys

The gold of jewelry, i.e. mixed with one or more other metals to increase its rigidity, can have white colors (White gold) or reds (Red gold) according to the type of alloy which constitutes it (money, copper).

• the yellow gold is in theory made up of gold 75%, of 12,5% of money and 12,5% of Cuivre.

• pink gold is normally composed of gold 75%, of 5% of money and copper 20%.
• the white gold comprises usually 75% of gold, money, copper and palladium.
• blue gold is in fact an alloy of gold and Fer. A heat treatment oxidizes the iron molecules on the surface of metal and its color of azure gives him.
• the white gold of jewelry is a term used to speak about the white gold

It should be noted that the " term; However blanc" is often used to indicate the White gold in jewelry. In France and Europe nickel is now prohibited, because source of allergies. Gold " blanc" is thus covered with a fine layer of rhodium, which disappears with time, giving again a color gray-yellow with gold.

For gilding with the sheet, the alloy must remain softest possible.

• the yellow gold is composed of 980 gold ‰, of 10 ‰ of money and 10 copper ‰. It can be pure.

• the red gold is composed of 945 ‰ of gold and 55 ‰ of copper.
• yellow gold ½ is composed of 915 gold ‰, of 60 ‰ of money and 25 copper ‰.
• lemon-yellow gold is composed of 945 ‰ of gold and 55 ‰ of money.
• the white gold is composed of 750 gold ‰, 150 ‰ of palladium and of 100 ‰ of money
• the French white gold is composed of 200 ‰ of gold and of 800 money ‰, elsewhere in Europe, it with 500 ‰, is combined with 500 money ‰.

Each gold beater has its own alloys which deviate slightly from these standards.

Mechanical properties

The gold atoms are piled up according to a structure known as “Cubique with centered faces” (CFC). This crystalline structure presents much dense crystallographic plans. However, the plastic Déformation is done by slip of the dense plans the ones on the others (like the charts to be played of a package). In a general way, all the cubic crystals with centered faces are ductile (the Plomb, the Aluminum…).

Pure gold becomes deformed easily cold, by hammering or by stretching (Tréfilage, Laminage), it is engraved easily. It has of this fact used very early to manufacture jewel X and ornaments, or in the form of fine sheets for Plaquer objects. For example, with Paris, the dome of the Invalides is gilded with the gold sheet. On the other hand, having only one low mechanical resistance, it was not used to make tools.

Thermal and electric conduction

Gold is an excellent thermal and electric driver, but its cost (related to its scarcity) limit its uses.

Because of this characteristic, of its inalterability and its great ductility, it is used to carry out connections, in particular in certain electronics components, like the microprocessors.

Gold is also used allied with Fer in Thermocouple S for the measurement temperatures lower than the room temperature.

Metallurgy

Methods of extraction

The extraction of gold is cut out in several phases:

• mining extraction of the ore;
• concentration of gold, by gravitation or foam emission;
• leaching (scrubbing) using Cyanide;
• suppression of the mercury by precipitation (treatment of Merrill-Crowe);
• suppression of the Iron by treatment the nitric Acid ;
• fusion.

Gold washing

Gold washing is the exploitation of alluvial layers, resulting from the deposit of gold particles in the bed of the rivers.

Gold forms a amalgamates with the mercury, which allows the extraction of its mineral gangue of it. The use of mercury to amalgamate gold can have serious ecological and medical consequences .

Gold beating

Also Orbattage is said.

The gold beating is the reduction of gold or alloys of very fine gold foil (1/10 µm). The gold beater uses an alloy with copper (to harden metal slightly) and with the money (to return to the original color) with 980 gold ‰.

; The forging mill: The alloy is molten then run in an ingot mould. An ingot of approximately 400 grams is rolled in a ribbon of 40 meters by 4 centimetres, the “caucher”. This ribbon is cut in thousand square districts of 4 × 4 centimetres. Each district is introduced into a special paper stacking of 16 × 16 centimetres on side: the “chaudret”.

; Roughing: Gold undergoes the first beating under a machine hammer from ten to fifteen kilos. Under the pressure of the blows of hammer, the districts increase while swelling until forming sheets of approximately 15 × 15 centimetres. The unit is then cut using a massicot out of piles of 5 × 5 centimetres on side (4 or 9 piles according to the cases).

; Finish: The thousand gold districts are separated from papers to be introduced one by between the sheets of a new stacking, moulds it of 14 × 14 centimetres on side. Formerly in goldbeater's skin, the moulds are out of mylar (polyester) varnished since the years 1950.

; Beating: The mussel of two thousand districts is beaten with the machine hammer from 5 to 8 kilos. Again, the districts increase while swelling until forming sheets of 12 × 12 centimetres on side.

; Emptying: A worker, the videuse one, takes moulds it and withdraws with gold sheets which it cuts to the desired format, 80 × 80 mm, 84 × 84 mm, 93 × 93 mm… then introduced into a booklet of 25 sheets.

The gold beaters to the Révolution worked in a hundred Manufacture S which employed nearly five thousand people. Today, there does not exist any more in France but only one manufacture, the Dauvet house founded in 1834 which employs a score of people.

Economy

Production in the world

It is estimated that since the Man was interested there, 145  000 tons of gold were extracted according to World Gold Council in 2001. Today, approximately 2  is extracted; 500 tons of gold per annum. The principal producer countries are:

• the South Africa: the first gold mines were discovered there in 1886 and since, the South Africa remained the principal gold producer in the world with today nearly 500 tons extracted each year. The principal mines of the country are located at the neighborhoods of Johannesburg
• the the United States: the madness which seized the American west at the time of the great gold rush is finished today, but the the United States have today mines in the Nevada enabling them to produce approximately 350 tons per annum.
• the Canada: it produces nearly 150 tons each year, mainly in the area of the Ontario and the North-West of the Quebec.
• the China: gold is mainly extracted there from the area of Shandong
• the Indonesia and the New Guinea: 200 tons together.
• the Russia and old socialist republics: the mines of the the Ural go up nothing any more on the surface today but one hundred of tons of gold, quantifies to strong reduction compared to the production under the mode of Stalin. The Ouzbékistan produced to him approximately 80 tons of gold per annum.
• the Ghana: old the Gold Coast (coast of Gold) always extracted gold, at a rate of 75 tons per annum.

Statistics

| |- |align=center colspan=2| Figures U.S Geological Survey 2001, in tons |}

The India is the first holder of the world, as a big part of the inheritances deprived in the form of jewels.

The whole of the worn computers to the the United States represents a layer of 2 gold ore MT.

Reserves of the central banks

The central banks have a big part of the world gold stock:

Use

The industry of gold separates in four main categories. The jewelry consumes approximately a third of the production. The banks buy gold in compensation of the emissions of currency (approximately a third of the worldwide production). The private individuals buy a quarter of the worldwide production in the form of coins and ingots. The remainder (about 10%) is used in industry, in particular in the Dorure.

Market of gold

Compared to the majority of the other goods, the characteristic of the market of gold is that the stocks of this inalterable matter, accumulated with the wire of the history at the private individuals and various organizations (central banks…), are estimated at approximately 50 times the world annual production.

Gold is dimensioned, under physical shape, with London Stock Exchange and, in the form of contracts in the long term, in New York. World rates are fixed in US dollars/ounce of gold. Apart from these organized markets, which treat large quantities, there exist companies of trade of gold and noble metals opened to the private individuals and the various transformers and to users.

The courses particularly fluctuating and are subjected to various factors: evolution of gold stocks of the central banks, requests for goldsmithery, in particular in India and China, industrial request (electronic…), purchases and speculative sales according to monetary uncertainties, costs and volumes of production, state of the mining reserves, etc

The actions of the great gold bearing groups are primarily with dimensions in London, New York, Toronto, Johannesbourg and Sydney.

At the end of the 19th century, during one time of monetary stability dominated by the Pound sterling with a fixed parity of the principal currencies, gold is used as monetary standard. Each central bank must be able to provide to the carriers which wish it the equivalent out of gold of their liquidities. This period ends with the war of 1914. Follows one period of instability of foreign exchange rates which will culminate with the difficulties of the crisis of 1929.

The system of Bretton Woods of 1948 is a new attempt to stabilize foreign exchange rates based on a fixed parity of the dollar compared to gold. This parity will be put at evil by the markets as of the Années 1960 and the United States gives up the fixed parity of the dollar in 1971.

Since, gold was a blue-chip stock, belonging to the monetary reserves of each central bank and which causes the attraction of the savers when a crisis or disturbed period is in sight. As its course did not cease dropping overall during the glorious Thirty while keeping in the general public the image of a sure placement , the Minister for Finance Valery Giscard d'Estaing launched a Government loan indexed on the gold, which was quickly subscribed. The chance made emerge the Oil crisis of 1973 before this loan was not completely refunded - refunding was done by drawing lot - and certain savers touched thus more than three times their setting except inflation!

Various uses, industrial, monetary, and its scarcity make of it a placement whose value is not likely to crumble. This function refuge remains at most faded overall by a tendency depression of the rate of gold these ten last years… undoubtedly until the next giant crisis. Nevertheless, it is observed that the course of the gold ingot in Paris doubled between January 1999 and September 2007 (of 8017€ with 16224€ approximately - source: Banque de France). The tendency is clearly bull besides since semi-2005.

Monetary reserves make it possible the central banks to intervene on the courses of the currencies while selling or by buying currencies. These interventions can be in the form of gold but also of short-term investment or in foreign currencies.

Various coins were only struck out of gold: the Roman Aureus for example. Some like the parts of 20 Reich Mark or the 10 and 20 frank Napoleon are quoted on the stock exchange.

There existed until the beginning of the 20th century a right named right of bullion according to which any private individual having of gold had the right to bring it to the bank of France to dissolve it in struck coins of the seal of the State . This right was hardly any more used as from 1914, year when inflation appeared in a durable way.

Gold is exchanged on the market of the noble metals, mainly on the places of New York, London, Zurich and Hong-Kong. It is with dimensions in ounce (troy ounce) (1 ounce = 31.1034768 G) and in American dollars. At the beginning of 2004, the course amounted to approximately 400$ (300 euros) against 300$ in 2001, and 600$ in 2005 what represents an appreciation of 50% in the 30 months space, the UBS envisages a rise of 200$ between 2006 and 2009 are more than 800$, Jim Rogers (Quantum Fund " Soros") speak him of more than 1000$ in 2007, and G.A.T.A. of 3000$ in 2012.

There exist various types of ingots according to the countries. On the market the large one of London, London Bullion Market, which are one of the very first markets in the world for the physical money and gold negotiation, the unit of negotiation is the monetary ingot of 400 ounces troy, approximately 12,5 kilos.

On the national markets known as " of détail" , one can find ingots of various sizes. In continental Europe, the ingot of one kilogram is generally used, and when the country still has a market of national gold, the bar of one kilo is with dimensions. In France, gold is not quoted on the stock exchange any more since 2004. With Luxembourg Stock Exchange for example, the ingot of one kilo is daily with dimensions in euros. But one can also find ingots of 500 grams, the 250 grams, etc smallest of the ingots are called lingotins.

The behavior of the ransom price plays a big role in the hopes of inflation, or at least on the idea that is made the financial market of inflation come, Alan Greenspan (former president of the EDF) always built her monetary policy (Forbes) by using the key which was the price control of gold; investors and participating in the direction anglo-sax " market participants" realized with the time of the abnormal behavior of the market of gold and of silver by noting a great number of abnormal facts (interbank swaps, double accountancy of the same gold stock of the bank, important curry trade, intolerable promises, etc) they were put in group called SPOILED, and thus hope to fight against the trust of gold… today in bad posture… but Greenspan left.

Taxation

• France: The gold sales actual in the European Union by the French taxpayers are subjected to a contractual tax of 7,5  % (article 150 V (a) of the General Tax Code). This tax, instituted in 1976, because closing of the French market of gold, for the benefit of the money market of London. Following the corrected finance law 2005 of December 30th, 2005, the appreciations can from now on be imposed according to a mode close to the common right (without abatement).

The French nonresident in France should not pay this tax.

• the Swiss United Kingdom
• Croatia

Art and craft industry

Pure gold was used in certain Asian jewels, which thus have the characteristic to be deformable (what obliges to be limited to simple forms: bracelets in twists, for example.)

There remains however little used in Bijouterie; in order to obtain better held mechanical as well as original colors, it is allied:

• with the Nickel (green gold)
• with the Copper and the money (yellow gold or rosy)
• with copper (red gold)
• with the money (white gold)
• with the Iron (white gold)
• with the Aluminum (but purple)

In goldsmithery, the money covered with gold is called the Vermeil.

Gold is thus used to create jewels, medals, luxury articles (watch, pen).

It can also be used in the form of sheets to gild the woodworks, the books, the Ferronnerie S by a process of Dorure; as well as chocolate candies in Occident and the cakes in India.

The percentage of gold in metal is called “the title”. For a very long time, it can be the subject of a guarantee (of the State currently) thanks to a punch which indicates the title of the Alliage used. The goldsmiths coarsely evaluate it thanks to the “stone of key”.

In France, the marking of the gold jewels is obligatory since the November 9th 1797 by the affixing of punches (except if the object is too small to receive the punch). Two punches are used: the first, called “punch of State”, indicates the title; the second is that of manufacturing, he is called “punch of Master”. The current punch is a head of eagle for the solid gold.

The Carat S correspond to the mass percentage of gold included/understood in metal.

One can also speak about thousandth. Starting from measurements above, one could speak about gold with 1000 thousandth, 917 thousandth, 833 thousandth, 750 thousandth…

Industry

Nowadays, gold is frequently used in high technologies, because of its inalterability and its good electric Conductivité. It is used for example in electronic, in order to carry out stainless electrical contacts.

It is also used to opacify optical bodies within the framework of space technologies, and like catalyst in combustible batteries.

Medicine

The gold was - and remains, for which agrees to face the expenditure - a substitute definitely higher than the amalgamates S for the dental collusions, but request the use of a technique different from traditional “leadings”: they are the Inlay S.

In medicine, some derived organics from gold, known as “gold salts” are sometimes used in the treatment of certain affections in Rhumatologie.

• Auranofine (Ridaura®)

• aurothiomalate sodic
• aurothiosulfate sodic
• aurothioglucose
• aurotioprol

Symbolic system

• the Noces of gold symbolize the 50 years of Mariage in the French folklore.

• gold is the 10th level in the progression of the Sarbacane Sportive.
• gold represents solar light as a symbol of the expressed light, but also symbol of energy (YIN).
• gold is the material symbolic system of the sporting Médaille S corresponding to the first place before the money and the Bronze.
• gold expresses knowledge. One also speaks about the Golden age which constitutes the perfection.
• gold is the metal of the kings and the emperors, not only in Occident but in all the rest of the world. It evokes the Sun and all its symbolic system: fruitfulness, richness, domination radiation; center heat, love, gift; hearth of light and knowledge.

Gold and the religion

Pure gold is inalterable. It is probably that which makes of it a metal if snuffed, more than its scarcity. That also gave him a great load symbolic system, as of its discovery by the man. Inalterable, as the gods are eternal, bright as the sun (moreover its name comes from the Latin aurum , also meaning dawn ). Gold thus symbolizes the capacity and the divine one.

In many civilizations (however without connection) gold was the symbol of divine par excellence. That can be explained in particular by two properties which it has,

• its quasi-inalterability at the time, which in fact a material of immortality, out of the In-on this side

• its bright yellow color which reflects the power of the yellow sun

The Égyptiens of antiquity, which had a quasi obsessional interest of the eternity, gave to gold divine properties by defining it as the flesh of the gods. It is out of gold that one made the funeral masks the purpose of which were to fix forever the idealized face of the Pharaon and to identify it with stars. The gold mask of the Pharaon Toutankhamon is made of 11 kilograms solid gold and one estimates to have found in his tomb (one of smallest of the Vallée of the Kings) more than one ton of pure gold. The Buddha of gold of Bangkok measurement more than 3 meters in height for 5,5 tons. It is the largest statue of solid gold of the world.

In the Bible, the Golden calf symbolizes the idolatry.

Gold stories

• During the Antiquity, Midas, Crésus (these two kings de Lydie drew their gold in particular from the Pactole river) or the king Solomon was known for their legendary richness and their taste of gold.
• the Roman consul Crassus, known for its thirst for gold and its immense richness was made prisoner by the general Parthian Suréna. This last, to carry out its prisoner, would have run gold in the throat of the Romain.
• the “good Saint Eloi” of the song the good king Dagobert was a goldsmith. The goldsmiths of the time mérovingienne, because of a gold shortage in Occident, were known to recover the gold falls, free “to cut down” a little more the objects during their manufacture (by scraping them). With the quantity usually necessary to make a throne, holy Éloi manufactured two thrones, proving its honesty consequently.
• With the the Middle Ages, the alchemists sought the means of transmuting the Plomb into gold.
• the search for the Eldorado , the country of gold, was one of the motivations of the colonization of the Latin America.
• a book of Blaise Cendrars, Gold , tells the Gold rush with the the United States, but especially the unhappy history of John Sutter, to which belonged legally the extracted gold, and of which the rights were never recognized by justice.
• a book, the Veined Treasury of the Sierra of B. Traven tells how three Americans succumb to the fever of gold to the return of their forwarding in the Mexican jungle. This book was adapted to the cinema by John Huston in 1948.
• the Gold of the Rhine , first of the four operas constituting the prelude of the Ring of Nibelung of Richard Wagner, reports how Alberich seizes the gold of the Rhine, forges the ring whose curse will cross all the Tétralogie.
• At the time of the very first tests of the documentary database of the Bourse de Paris , no relative information with gold could be found, until an engineer had the idea to consult the list of blank words (" with not indexer") provided out of standard with the software, and to withdraw some from it Coordinating conjuction!

• the Pyrite FeS is also called “gold of insane” because of its yellow color resembling that of gold.

Other meanings

Heraldic

In Heraldic, the gold one of both metals (the other being the money) - is represented by the yellow color, or a sowing of points in monochromic version.

Expressions

• “All that shines is not gold”;
• “Speech is silvern and silence is golden”: silence is better than the word;
• “to be made gold testicles” (vulgar): qualify a gainful employment;
• “Ace good ace gold” used after 1945 to indicate the dollar;
• “a person out of gold” represents a person full with good qualities: nice, soft, pleasant… ;
• to have a “gold heart”: to be generous;
• “To be rolling in money”: to be rich;
• “To gild the pill”: To be made bronze. Formerly, certain pills with the particularly unpleasant taste were rolled in a gold sheet which broke only once in the stomach;
• “It is a true gold mine”: define a very lucrative situation or person or an object;
• “To be worth gold”: to be worth expensive, be invaluable.
• “To be worth its heavy of gold”: id.

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