Uses of Gold in the World Besides Jewelry and Coin

Gold is most often found as jewelry and currency, especially since its rarity throughout human history had made it something to be desired and easily controlled.

However, there are a few surprising uses for gold, beyond looking pretty. Could it be “the most useful metal”, even in this modern industrial age? And does that make it more valuable to you than before?

The practice of gold buying may typically involve gold coins and jewelry, due to the amount of gold and the ease of refining it. Nonetheless, here are other places you can find it:

Electronics

Gold has been well-used in electronic devices, since it’s a great conductor of electricity and soft to manipulate. It also resists tarnish very well, making it ideal for electronics that work in low voltages and are susceptible to rust, which can disrupt the flow of electricity.

Most modern cell phones contain about fifty cents worth of gold in them!

Small amounts of gold can also be found in calculators, GPS units, televisions, and computers. The amount of gold found in these devices, however, is hardly worth the money if someone was trying to sell gold for a quick buck.

Even still, it’s good to know about the treasure inside your electronics, so you remember to recycle! Gold is a very useful and finite metal; it’s wise to keep even the small amounts in circulation.

Medicine

Does gold have medicinal benefits? How can that be right?

While it’s true that eating gold is meaningless (and kind of excessive), this precious mineral does have a place in our healthcare!

For example, gold crowns and caps in dental care! A practice used for over 4,000 years, dentists often mix gold with other minerals to create a stronger, more cost-effective crown for your teeth. Gold is also used in stents, pacemakers, and other kinds of implants, as the human body is less prone to rejecting this metal.

Don’t get any exciting ideas, though; selling gold found in a body is typically frowned upon, even if the body is given to science. Mostly, it’s too much work to extract the gold – but some people just find it distasteful.

Art

Gold jewelry can be considered a form of art, but not all art is wearable!

Gold has been used in art across various mediums, including paint, sculptures and even architecture. Most of these use gold film or leaf, as opposed to creating something entirely out of gold. After all, a solid-gold ring is spendy – but nothing like a solid gold statue, even a small one!

Even still, gold film or leaf was still expensive. So, art using gold meant the artist had a wealthy patron or religious institution serving as the gold buyers backing them.

What To Do With Gold

The best place to sell gold depends on the amount of gold you have.

A painting with gold leaf may find its place at an art gallery. However, an electronic device or component with a higher amount of gold than normal may be best suited to a pawnshop.

When considering where to sell gold, keep in mind: places that say “we buy gold” will most likely pass up on buying the small amount of gold in your smartphone, especially since most of the phone’s value is not the gold.

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