A Gold Crown that Cannot be Worn
Gold has a chemical element of Au which comes from Latin aurum meaning shining drawn. This is because the alchemists liken it to the sun for its yellowish tinge. For centuries, this precious metal was used for money, jewelry and others.
Gold is a coinage metals because it comes in the form of raw nuggets or grains found in rocks. Gold is considered the most malleable and ductile of all metals. It is malleable because it can be beaten down to very thin layer of sheet. Ductile because it can be formed into strands of threads thinner than hair.
Gold is the standard for used for jewelry. Pure gold is too soft to be used. It needs to be hardened in order to be formed into a gold crown. Gold content in crown gold is measured in carats represented by symbol k. Pure gold is 24k.
Jewelry such as a gold crown is highly sought. A gold crown is a symbol of royalty. Gold being one of the most precious metals would aptly fit royalty thus being sought in making a gold crown.
Gold Crown Coins
Crown gold traditionally does not refer only to jewelry. A gold crown is actually a gold coin circulated from 1526 to 1930s were made of standard 22k alloy referred to as crown gold. This alloy is used to harden the gold. Gold crown is a gold alloy introduced in England for a gold coin. This was manufactured in 1526 by Henry VIII because of its wear properties and to save mint costs.
Crown gold is 22/24 or 91.667% made of gold. Gold coins used to be made of 23 carat gold but it was too soft for use and caused wear and tear. That was why they were forced to add alloy to it to make it harden. Gold crown became the standard gold coin then.
Crown gold used an alloying metal usually copper sometimes silver. Crown gold is still the standard used in British gold sovereign still minted even to this day. In US, it was circulated as gold coins such as two US bullion coins.
US and UK gold bullion coins are 24 kt or .999 fine. They didn't use gold crown because gold bullions are not intended to be circulated publicly. In 2006, US made a new bullion coin called the American Buffalo which is .9999 fine. Gold British Sovereigns and American Gold Eagles still use gold crown to continue tradition.
A gold crown is also called guinea gold.
