Interesting Facts About Gold & Gold Nuggets

• Gold is recovered by two methods, hardrock mining and placer mining. Hardrock miners tunnel below the ground to follow the twisting veins of lode gold. Placer miners mine gold which has been exposed by natural erosion processes into rivers and streams.
• Less than 2% of the earth's gold is found in nugget form, making it one of the earth's most precious metals.
• Gold never occurs in pure form in nature. It is mixed with silver, copper, and other metals. Refined gold is 99.9% pure (24K). Our Alaska gold nuggets run about 87.5% pure (22-23K).
• The chemical symbol for gold is Au, from the Latin word “Aurum”, meaning “shining dawn”. Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all metals, and can be hammered into a sheet thin enough so that light will pass through it. It is a great natural conductor of heat and electricity, as it is unaffected by air and most chemicals, and serves as a good barrier to radiation. It is used in jewelry, sculpture, currency, dentistry, computers, space helmets, satellites, and more.
• Gold nuggets used in our jewelry have not been altered from their natural shape.

Learn more about J&M Alaska Gold Nugget Jewelry, Mining for Gold, Gold Weights, and our Custom Jewelry designs.