25 Facts About Gold & Why It Is So Expensive

Gold is admired by jewelry enthusiasts worldwide due to its beauty, color, and rarity. With the price of gold soaring in recent years, many are left questioning its expensive nature. In this blog article "25 Facts About Gold & Why It Is So Expensive” we take a look at gold's history, some interesting facts about gold and explore why the price of gold has risen so high over the years.

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25 Facts About Gold

1. Gold is an expensive metal because of its rarity.
2. Gold is the only yellow metal on earth.
   
3. Gold has been on this earth for 4 billion years. 
4. Gold melts at 1,064.43°C (1,947.97°F) temperature.
5. Gold was found by the ancient Egyptians around 2450 B.C.
6. The chemical symbol for gold is Au - latin aurum.
7. Gold weighs 19.3 times as much as 160 pounds per gallon of water. 
8. The largest producer of gold is China - accounting for 11% of worldwide production - list by country.
9. The United States has the most gold reserves in the world. As of the year 2021 the United States has 8,134 metric tons. 
10. Gold cannot be produced via chemistry or alchemy.
11. Gold is the most malleable of all metals and the highest karat is 24k.
12. 700 BC was when the first gold coins appeared. 
13. Welsh Gold is one of the most sought- after golds. The rarity gold is found in natural geological deposits in two distinct areas of Wales.
14. Gold can tarnish appearing greenish or a bluish tint.
15. Gold deposits can be found on eucalyptus leaves.
16. Currently Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and Wisconsin are the only United States where you can pan for gold.
17. Pure gold is too malleable for designing jewelry. For everyday jewelry wear 14k is the best choice. 
18. Switzerland has the purest gold in the world - measuring 999.9 fineness gold being the most pure.
19. Gold can be tested various ways which include  acid scratch tests, conductivity measurement and X-ray fluorescence testing.
20. Gold can conduct electricity because of its low electrical resistivity and high thermal conductivity.
21. Colored golds can be categorized into three groups: Alloys containing silver and copper in different ratios, resulting in white, yellow, green, and red golds.
22. Many factors contribute to the inflation of gold some include: inflation, geopolitical tensions, mining, refining costs, supply and demand.
23. In 1969 the average closing price for gold was $41.10.
24. In the year 2024 gold went up in value 27.23% and the cost per ounce was $2,388.98.

25. In January 2025 gold reached $2,772.00 per ounce. 

The chart below shows how much the price of gold has increased over twenty years. Note that the "Average Annualized Return" is the geometric average of an investment's earnings in a year. This formula calculates the return rate on the principle invested, excluding any available cash or committed cash.

Gold Return Over 20 Years