Gold has been part of the history of mankind since just after the Neolithic age, before recorded history. This beautiful colored metal has been cherished for so long. It is rich in symbolism for cultures past and present and still is.

While many people are turning now to wedding bands of platinum and titanium, gold wedding bands still hold its glittering place as the number one choice.

For some people and cultures gold represents sunshine and happiness. The alchemists who sought to turn lead (and other elements) into gold used the Chinese symbol of the sun, a dot enclosed in a circle, as the representation of gold. The sun is life, the sun is powerful, and gold is the color of the sun.

While gold was considered very plentiful in ancient Egyptian times it was still the chosen treasure to bury with the great Pharaohs to take to the God’s on the other side of the river.

Sacrifice and eternity are a part of gold’s appeal for many people. Gold in wedding rings represents eternal love and yet gold is also associated with evil.

The evil side of gold in nearly every religion or culture in the world is not so much about the gold itself but rather about man’s own greed. Without doubt there have been millions who have succumbed to the allure of gold, often at the peril of their own lives, the taking of other’s lives and the loss of their own humanity for the greed of wealth. Is it the allure of gold itself that makes it so wanted and precious, or simply the ‘wealth value’ man has placed upon it? Throughout history gold has continued to be precious although its monetary value rises and falls.

The bible shows gold as both evil and good. While it was evil to worship the golden calf (money rather than God), we also see in Revelations that the streets of Heaven itself will be made of gold.

India consumes around 25% of the world’s gold resources. It is sacred to most of the country’s main religions, and is perhaps the most precious gift man can find to offer a god – apart from the self.

It cannot simply be gold’s scarcity that has made it so revered and precious? There have been countries so rich in gold it was almost disposable like plastic is in our society now. Perhaps everyone sees something different in gold.

If you were to look on a dazzling array of perfectly formed gold bars sitting in a bank, do you see the beauty of gold or do you see wealth? When you see a well designed piece of gold jewelry do you see wealth or do you see beauty, or do you see both? What symbolic images does gold gilding in a book bring up for you?

It is not exactly a glass half-empty or half –full situation but what would you think if you found a gold ring while cleaning out the attic or basement? Would your thoughts be – oh that’s beautiful, I could keep it or maybe sell it to pay the bills? Or would your thoughts be – hey that looks like real gold I can get cash for gold, and its quite pretty too?

Gold has a special allure and affects all of us in different ways. What are your thoughts?

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