The Journey of Gold from the Mine to Your Jewellery Box

In the Indian scenario, gold is the measure of prosperity one can showcase. Shopping for a wedding means buying jewellery, especially gold. It never falls out of fashion. In this blog, we will go beyond the jewellery store and understand the journey of Gold from being found to taking shape into a piece of fine jewellery.  

We all know how beautiful it looks when it is worn, but do we know how it is collected from the mines? It is a finite metal that is depleting in nature. It is found in nature along with other metals. Every year there are 2500 to 3000 tonnes of gold mined around the globe. The largest gold mine is in Witwatersrand, South Africa, which accounts for 30 % of gold found across the globe. Half of the gold found is used in making jewellery and the remaining in currency, medicine and technology.

The excavation of gold raises a lot of environmental concerns. It is officially a conflict material and is difficult to track its origin. As we know gold is a finite resource, the US Geological Survey claims that only 50,000 tonnes are remaining in nature to be excavated. Gold falls under the non-ferrous metals category, which means it will never change its property, no matter how many times it is recycled.   

There are four different methods to extract gold.

Placer Mining

This type of mining is carried out on stream beds where gold deposits are found. It is based on gold’s high density which makes it sink away from the minerals with which it is found. It is a primitive method where gold is panned for along with sluicing which is a modern technique. In sluicing, a ditch is cut into the hard gravel or rock and water streams along with gold-containing gravel are allowed to pass through and collected.     

Hard Rock Mining

This method accounts for most of the gold mining across the world. This method allows the miners to recover gold from the rock where it was formed. It includes underground mining or open pit methods.  

By-Product Mining

This recovery of gold takes place when looking or mining for other minerals such as copper, or sand and gravel. It is found as a by-product. The largest by-product mine is in Grasberg, Papa, Indonesia.

Processing Gold Ore

It is a process where the rocks are crushed and chemically processed to extract gold. After the gold is extracted, it is refined to separate any impurities.

The purity of gold is measured by the ratio of the weight of the primary metal to any added base metals or impurities. If gold is 99.9 % pure then it is labelled as 999 or .999.

How jewellers turn it into a piece of art

Once the gold reaches the jewellers, they mould it into a piece of fine jewellery. It needs great craftsmanship to transform a bar of gold into fine art. First, they design the jewellery and then they make a wax model of the design using tools like steel wax carvers, files, hand gravers, burrs, drills, and heat.

A Sprue is attached to the wax that will work as a channel for melting during the burnout phase and the molten gold will enter during the casting. The sprue wax is attached to a round rubber base and an investment flask is kept over it which is also attached to the round rubber base. This investment flask is made up of steel and is cylindrical.

Then an investment powder is used that can withstand the blazing temperature. This powder is made into a slurry by mixing it with water. The slurry goes into the flask that is surrounded by wax and then placed into a vacuum to remove all the air bubbles. Once the investment powder hardens, the rubber base is removed, and the flask is placed in a burn-out oven. Burnout takes several hours, and in the end, a hollow replica remains.

The mold is ready for the jewellers to cast it. Then the molten gold is passed through which takes the shape of the cast. Once it solidifies, the cast piece is broken and the jewellery is cleaned and polished for that final finish you see in the stores.

It is a tough journey where a lot of hard work and risks are involved. A proper understanding of how the gold industry works will give an insight into the worth of gold in your jewellery box.

If you too love gold and want to possess this fine piece of art, that has travelled a long way to the store then visit Rajakumari Gold and Diamonds, a state-of-the-art jewellery in Kerala. At Rajakumari Gold and Diamonds showroom, you will find the best Kerala Wedding Jewellery. The collection is so vast and ultra-modern that you will love it. If you are looking for something antique then there is an array of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings just for you.

Visit the showroom for a pleasant experience and worthy investment.