Gold

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Gold is a very stubborn element when it comes to reacting to or combining with other elements. Keeping this in mind, helps to explain many things about gold.  There are very few true gold ores, besides native gold, because it forms a major part of only a few rare minerals, it is found as little more than a trace in a few others or it is alloyed to a small extent with other metals such as silver.

Gold is almost indestructible and has been used and then reused for centuries to the extent that all gold of known existence is almost equal to all the gold that has ever been mined. Gold is a great medium metal for jewelry, as it never tarnishes. Native gold wires emerging from massive white quartz can make for a visually stunning specimen.

A few of the minerals that bear gold in their respective formulas are in a subclass of sulfides called the tellurides. The element gold seems to have an affinity for tellurium and this is one of the only elements that gold can bond with easily. In fact only a few rare tellurides are found without gold. A few of the tellurides are nagyagite, calaverite, sylvanite and krennerite. These are all minor ores of gold but their contributions to the supply of gold pales next to native gold's own contribution. Occasionally these minerals are associated with native gold. Gold's ductility, sectility, density and softness are usually sufficient to distinguish it from the much cheaper imposters.