why is gold considered valuable across so many cultures?

[OS]

It's not a particularly useful metal, it's just shiny and interesting to look at.

 

[Electrode]

Bingo.

 

[ThisIsMatt]

Yeah, it hasn't been particularly useful in the past, but it is today.

It's shiny, interesting to look at, and scarce

 

[Ameesh]

scarce

 

[dighn]

shiny, remains shiny under many conditions and most importantly it's rare

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Ameesh
scarce

scarcity alone isn't enough to give an item worth. Like I'm sure fossilized dodo sh*t is really rare, but there's not going to be large demand for it.

 

[Kadarin]

It's as arbitrary as assigning value to paper money. But we have to base the economy on something, and as long as everyone mutually agrees upon gold, then it's all good.

 

[brxndxn]

It's valuable across so many cultures because it's very rare across so many cultures. And unless there's a way discovered to make gold out of lesser items, gold will always remain valuable.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: OS
It's not a particularly useful metal, it's just shiny and interesting to look at.

Gold is used for it's superior electrical conductivity, its malleability and it's resistance to corrosion. Gold is used for Gold Plating. Gold Plating is used in circuits, transistors and communication systems. Gold reflects heat and light, so it is also used in defense and aerospace industries, for example, windshields of jets and on space vehicles as well as being used in space helmet visors & space suits. Gold is used in almost every electronic device you can imagine including the PC you are using right now.

Airbags in your car use gold plated sensors which signal the airbag to deploy. Gold is the only metal resistant and reliable enough to use in airbags.

In medical industries, dentists use gold to fill your teeth because gold alloys are strong and resist corrosion by the fluids in your mouth. Gold is non-toxic and biologically benign, so surgeons use gold instruments to clear blocked coronary arteries. Gold can also be injected into the body to help obstruct the spread of prostate cancer in men.

The saddest fact is, gold is used to protect the dumbass named: George W. Bush... Airforce One is protected from heat seeking missiles by gold-plated reflectors...

 

[B00ne]

from Webelements: "It is estimated that all the gold in the world, so far refined, could be placed in a single cube 60 ft. on a side"

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Xiety

Originally posted by: OS
It's not a particularly useful metal, it's just shiny and interesting to look at.

Gold is used for it's superior electrical conductivity, its malleability and it's resistance to corrosion. Gold is used for Gold Plating. Gold Plating is used in circuits, transistors and communication systems. Gold reflects heat and light, so it is also used in defense and aerospace industries, for example, windshields of jets and on space vehicles as well as being used in space helmet visors & space suits. Gold is used in almost every electronic device you can imagine including the PC you are using right now.

Airbags in your car use gold plated sensors which signal the airbag to deploy. Gold is the only metal resistant and reliable enough to use in airbags.

In medical industries, dentists use gold to fill your teeth because gold alloys are strong and resist corrosion by the fluids in your mouth. Gold is non-toxic and biologically benign, so surgeons use gold instruments to clear blocked coronary arteries. Gold can also be injected into the body to help obstruct the spread of prostate cancer in men.

The saddest fact is, gold is used to protect the dumbass named: George W. Bush... Airforce One is protected from heat seeking missiles by gold-plated reflectors...

That's fine and dandy and all but the worth of gold was established long, long before any of those applications were discovered.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: OS

Originally posted by: Xiety

Originally posted by: OS
It's not a particularly useful metal, it's just shiny and interesting to look at.

Gold is used for it's superior electrical conductivity, its malleability and it's resistance to corrosion. Gold is used for Gold Plating. Gold Plating is used in circuits, transistors and communication systems. Gold reflects heat and light, so it is also used in defense and aerospace industries, for example, windshields of jets and on space vehicles as well as being used in space helmet visors & space suits. Gold is used in almost every electronic device you can imagine including the PC you are using right now.

Airbags in your car use gold plated sensors which signal the airbag to deploy. Gold is the only metal resistant and reliable enough to use in airbags.

In medical industries, dentists use gold to fill your teeth because gold alloys are strong and resist corrosion by the fluids in your mouth. Gold is non-toxic and biologically benign, so surgeons use gold instruments to clear blocked coronary arteries. Gold can also be injected into the body to help obstruct the spread of prostate cancer in men.

The saddest fact is, gold is used to protect the dumbass named: George W. Bush... Airforce One is protected from heat seeking missiles by gold-plated reflectors...

That's fine and dandy and all but the worth of gold was established long, long before any of those applications were discovered.

It's not a particularly useful metal, it's just shiny and interesting to look at.

Then you might want to edit your original post

 

[Corporate Thug]

it ranks high on the bling-o-meter

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: Xiety

Then you might want to edit your original post

dunno feeling kind of lazy to rewrite it. But yeah I was sloppy.

 

[Turkish]

Originally posted by: OS

Originally posted by: Xiety

Then you might want to edit your original post

dunno feeling kind of lazy to rewrite it. But yeah I was sloppy.

heh i will keep flaming you tomorrow morning then

 

[vegetation]

Gold can be pounded easily into all kinds of shapes, it's a very soft metal, and doesn't rust.

 

[TheCorm]

It's only really valuable if it's pressed with Latinum.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Rare, did not tarnish, looked like the sun[a god to early man],and was easily worked.
To make very thin sheeting it was pounded out between goat skin hide. It could be worked so thin that it would transmit light, a green haze of a light if I recall it right.:sun:

 

[PlatinumGold]

was gold valued by all cultures?? or is that value one imposed by the western world on everyone else?

 

[tnitsuj]

Originally posted by: TheCorm
It's only really valuable if it's pressed with Latinum.

What the hell is latinum? You mean platinum?

 

[FoBoT]

Originally posted by: tnitsuj

Originally posted by: TheCorm
It's only really valuable if it's pressed with Latinum.

What the hell is latinum? You mean platinum?

its a star trek geek reference , "gold pressed latinum" is mentioned in deep space 9 by the farengi dudes (the ones that are the buyer/seller/commerce race)

 

[TheCorm]

Originally posted by: FoBoT

Originally posted by: tnitsuj

Originally posted by: TheCorm
It's only really valuable if it's pressed with Latinum.

What the hell is latinum? You mean platinum?

its a star trek geek reference , "gold pressed latinum" is mentioned in deep space 9 by the farengi dudes (the ones that are the buyer/seller/commerce race)

(puts on star trek geek glasses and fake spots)

 

[2002R1Rider]

Precious metal and one hell of a conductor.

 

[Rufio]

i like gooooooooooooooooold!

 

[DaiShan]

Scarcity.