Author: Shail Pillay
The Origin of Gold
Gold is not endemic to planet Earth and came to Earth through meteorite showers billions of years ago long before the planet existed in the form we know it. Gold originated through supernova explosions. In simple language, gold is stardust in the truest form that cannot be recreated by mankind on earth making it an extremely rare and valuable element on planet earth.
The Unique Properties of Gold
1. Impossible to Produce
Throughout history mankind has been fascinated by alchemy and countless failed attempts have been made to synthesize gold.
2. No Half-Life: An Eternal Element
The only naturally occurring isotope of gold Au 197 is extremely stable and non-reactive meaning it does not decay over time. A ton of gold will remain a ton of gold even after a million years
3. Indestructible
Gold is virtually indestructible, so all the gold that has ever been mined is still around. The fact that it is highly non-reactive, resistant to corrosion through acids and other chemicals, and does not decay, Gold is an eternal element making it a symbol of immortality in some ancient cultures.
4. Highly Malleable and Ductile
An ounce of gold (28 g) can be stretched into a wire that is over 80 km long.
If that is hard to imagine, it will blow your mind that all the gold that has been ever mined, which is about 200,000 metric tons, can wrap the Earth’s circumference an obnoxious 11.2 million times. Just FYI, the Earth’s circumference is about 40,000 kms.
5. Fungible & Portable
Gold can be divided into different-sized units for transactions and packs a considerable amount of value into a small package, enhancing its portability.
6. High Density
Gold is one of the most dense elements making it easy to fit in small spaces. All the gold mined till date in the world can be fit in a building measuring 25 x 25 x 25 metre building. In other words a 7 storied building the size of a tennis court will store $ 20 trillion of gold.
7. Jewellery Making
Gold’s alluring yellow color, bright lustre coupled with the fact that it is highly ductile and malleable makes gold the element of choice for making jewellery. Across all cultures from Americas to Asia women wear jewellery and gold is their preferred element of choice.
8. Gold: The Universal Standard
Gold is the universal language of wealth, a kg of gold is a kg of gold globally. Fiat currency is susceptible to devaluation through inflation or currency debasement. Gold provides a natural hedge against devaluation of currency.
9. Reserve Asset
Central Banks globally store gold as a reserve asset. The top 10 central banks in the world along with IMF own 25,000 tons of gold which accounts to about 12% of gold ever mined throughout history.
Safe-Haven and Long-Term Value Generator
Gold is a safe haven, an asset class that holds it’s ground during tumultuous times and is a long-term value generator. Over the past 25 years, Gold has outperformed the S&P 500 in dollar terms and the Nifty 50 in INR terms. During vulnerable times when the Equity market plummets, like during Global Financial Crisis or COVID-19 pandemic, Gold was the asset holding the fort.
