Gold is a metal prized for its beauty, usefulness, and scarcity. Throughout history, people have sought gold more eagerly than any other metal.

Gold has a lovely yellow color and a metallic glow. It is one of the easiest metals to shape. It can be beaten into thinner sheets than any other metal. Gold does not rust or tarnish. Gold deposits rich enough to mine profitably are found in many locations. But mining such deposits yields only small amounts of gold.

Gold was one of the first metals discovered. People have used gold for jewelry and money for thousands of years. Today, gold mining is an important industry in many parts of the world.