Causes of blackening of gold.
Gold is a very malleable, soft, yellow metal. This metal is considered to be noble, which is why gold jewelry is highly valued and is considered a sign of wealth and luxury. Indeed, the presence of gold and gold jewelry can be considered as a kind of wealth and prosperity, because this metal costs much more than, for example, silver and other metals.
In addition to the beauty that all gold jewelry carries, sometimes it also brings trouble. These troubles are manifested in proper care of the products, since very often gold jewelry turns your hands, neck and ears black. Today we propose to find out the possible causes of such phenomena and find a way to avoid it.
Properties of metal and reasons for its darkening
Darkening of gold is a fairly common problem. Many people mistakenly believe that it rusts. However, this precious metal does not have such a property. The decoration turns black, gray and even green as it oxidizes.
Cleaning Blackened Jewelry
Experts identify several scientifically proven reasons for the darkening of jewelry. Let's look at the most common ones.
Low quality product. What impurities cause gold jewelry to oxidize?
Today there is practically no jewelry made of pure gold. Usually alloy metals are added to the composition, such as silver, nickel, copper, sometimes iron, chromium, aluminum. Due to these inclusions, gold oxidizes, and traces of plaque appear on the product. However, this happens if there are more foreign metals than the base material, or the master used gold of a purity lower than 585.
Consequences of diseases
When the previous options disappear, the cause should be sought in the presence of some disease. But the traces indicate not the disease itself, but its possible appearance. The reasons may be of the following nature:
- Taking various medications . One of the most common reasons for the appearance of stripes is interruptions in the functioning of the liver or kidneys. Dark spots appear after taking medications that can change the patient's hormonal levels. For this reason, pregnant women begin to see dark streaks from gold, although there were no problems with jewelry before. Normalizing hormone levels eliminates black stripes.
- Intense sweating can also lead to this phenomenon . The reason is due to medications and surgical intervention in the patient’s body. Because of them, numerous stripes may remain. If your body temperature is high or if you are in a stressful situation, it can be difficult to avoid stains. Therefore, it is enough to remove the ring and wash your hands with cold water.
- Diseases due to harmful environmental influences . Experts note that those who spend a lot of time near highways and industrial enterprises have health problems. Surgery and recovery with medications that affect the human body are required.
It is also important to note that dust particles, which are brought from various enterprises and objects, gradually settle in areas under the ring. When interacting with gold jewelry, gold oxidizes. This is when the black stripes appear. In this case, you should refrain from wearing jewelry for a while and choose a favorable moment to wear it again.
An Esoteric Approach to Gold Blackening
People who believe in esotericism believe that the precious metal does not turn black due to external reasons. They claim that blackened gold is a clear sign of an unfavorable aura, curses, and the evil eye. Esotericists also believe that noble metals sense their owner, reacting to him by changing color. Let's consider the most common reasons for the darkening of jewelry from an esoteric point of view.
Darkening of gold is an indirect sign of damage
There is an opinion that if your favorite gold jewelry darkens, it means that the person has been jinxed or damaged. It turns out that a product made of precious metal wants to warn its owner about an enemy.
Darkening of the gold ring
Gold warns of danger
There is also another belief: if a piece of jewelry given by a loved one turns dark, it means there is trouble with it. According to another version, the owner of the jewelry is in danger.
Evidence of committed sin, deception
There is such a folk sign: a gold ring on the finger of an honest person shines brightly, but on a deceiver it is darkened. Knowing this, you can avoid communicating with unpleasant people. In addition, jewelry obtained by dishonest means turns black.
Your enemies are jealous of your success
Superstitious people do not recommend boasting of successes in order to avoid the evil eye. The evil eye will not only harm you, it will also age any necklace or other gold jewelry.
The gift is not from the heart
Jewelry and even the skin of its owner may turn black if the item was not given from the heart. Perhaps something in your circle is hypocritical.
Gold ring with clear signs of oxidation
If there are stones
To quickly and effectively clean gold jewelry with a stone at home, you should follow some rules. They are applicable to any stones, but mainly to soft ones.
- You should not resort to using methods that involve the use of vinegar and ammonia. These components can negatively affect the condition of the stone; it will stop sparkling or change shade.
- Do not use abrasive cleaning agents (powders, acids)
- Polish only with lint-free cloths (towels) or flannel cloths
- Do not soak in water or soap solutions for longer than 20-30 minutes.
The most favorable composition for cleaning jewelry decorated with stones is alcohol. To restore its shine, it is immersed in an alcohol solution for 20 minutes. It will have a beneficial effect on the precious metal and cleanse the stone.
Cleaning gold with stones (read)
Products with diamonds or other hard stones
If we are talking about jewelry, for example, with diamonds or cubic zirconia, then any methods where the main component is ammonia are suitable. It should be used when it comes to dirt, darkening, or lack of shine. After the procedure, do not forget to wipe the jewelry with a soft cloth. If you just want to refresh the product, a soap solution will be enough.
How to purify gold: advice from superstitious people
If you think the gold has tarnished due to envy, the evil eye or other similar reasons, simply cleaning the jewelry may not be effective.
People associated with esoteric teachings suggest “cleansing” jewelry using ordinary water. So, to get rid of the evil eye, you will need spring water. Dip a gold ring or other item into running water from a spring, then wipe your hands with it, and then wash your face. Water is a special liquid; it will take all the bad things with it.
Superstitious people also cleanse jewelry using air, earth, and fire. However, all these methods have not received scientific justification and are not recommended by experts.
Why does the finger under the wedding ring turn black?
At a time when people believed in omens, seeing a black mark from a ring was considered a very bad sign. Today no one believes in such signs, and the blackness is explained by the simple desire of jewelry stores to give their goods a more attractive appearance. For this purpose, products (especially rings) are rubbed with a special polishing paste.
It is this that remains on the skin over time in the form of dark spots, and there is no talk of gold oxidizing.
TOP 6 methods for cleaning blackened gold at home
There are several proven recipes that can be used to clean alloyed jewelry:
- Ammonia + washing powder. You need to mix 4 drops of ammonia (about one spoon) with water (one glass), then with laundry detergent. Dip the product into the mixture and rub it with a soft cloth. This method is perfect for cleaning low-quality jewelry.
- Soap solution is one of the simplest methods. Mix liquid or bar soap with water, dip a toothbrush in it and rub the product with it. You need to rub gently until the jewelry is clean.
- Ammonia + baby shampoo. Take one spoon of baby shampoo, 100 ml of water, 30 ml of ammonia. Mix the ingredients. Place the decoration in the resulting product for 1.5-2 hours.
- Ammonia + sugar + water. Mix 200 ml of boiling water with 50 grams of sugar. Place the product in the resulting product for two days, then wipe it with ammonia and warm water.
- Hydrogen peroxide + soda. Mix the ingredients: 100 ml of water, 35 ml of hydrogen peroxide, 20 grams of soda. Place the decoration in the resulting mixture for 2-3 hours.
- Sugar/salt + water. Fill a glass container with 150 ml of hot water, add 50 grams of salt or sugar. Immerse the gold item in the resulting mixture. After 10 hours, the jewelry should be rinsed in clean water, traces of sugar/salt removed, and wiped with a soft cloth or paper towel.
- Ammonia + magnesia + glycerin. Take the same amount of ingredients and mix them in a prepared container. Rub the resulting product onto the jewelry, then rinse it with water and dry it.
- Beer + egg white. You will need the white of one chicken egg and 2 teaspoons of light beer. Combine the ingredients by mixing them thoroughly in a separate container. Rub the gold jewelry with the resulting product, then rinse off the remaining cleansing mixture.
“Jewelry made from Scythian gold, which has lain in the ground for over 2,700 years, is light, thin, as if made from...
On the territory of the Belsky settlement, archaeologists unearthed over three dozen unique jewelry
The Scythians (ancient Iranian-speaking tribes who lived in the 8th century BC - 4th century AD in the steppes of the Northern Black Sea region from the Danube to the Don) have been hunting for gold since time immemorial. For all nations, gold is a symbol of wealth, but in Iranian mythology it was identified with fire, the sun and eternal life. Therefore, the mounds where the Scythians had the custom of burying their ancestors were literally “stuffed” with precious jewelry. Moreover, not only the burials of the nobility, but also the servants. The deceased was sent to the afterlife in clothes and shoes completely covered with the metal of “eternal life.” And almost from the first burials, the Scythian burial mounds began to be robbed. It is clear that after thousands of years, finding Scythian gold in the ground is a very great success. But it was precisely this kind of luck that smiled on July 28 at the scientific expedition of the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography of Sloboda Ukraine at the Kharkov National University. V. N. Karazin. This was her penultimate day of excavations on the territory of the Belsky settlement, located in the Kotelevsky district of the Poltava region.
By the way, the treasures lay at a depth of no more than 30-50 centimeters. And the mound at the Skorobor necropolis, where the excavations took place - one of many in the Belsk Fortress, which spreads over an area of about 5 thousand hectares. Over the 110 years during which scientists have been searching for artifacts here, the ground here has been dug up, as they say, up and down. But such a rich “catch” was caught right now.
The head of the expedition, director of the Kharkov Museum of Archeology and Ethnography Irina Shramko, admits that she did not believe the words of the museum’s senior researcher Stanislav Zadnikov when he called and said that he had found a gold plaque in the shape of a goat. I thought he was joking. But, nevertheless, I immediately left for Belsk. And while driving from Kharkov, the information about the amount of gold made me more and more happy.
“On Thursday evening, archaeologists dug up four rarities,” Poltava TV journalist Sergei Blavatsky, who was the only media representative who managed to visit the site of the unusual find and film the gold mining process in real time, told FACTS. — On Friday morning, together with the deputy chairman of the regional council, Anatoly Hanko, who previously worked as an archaeologist, we went to the Belskoye settlement. On the way, they happily reported to us: “There are already ten figures!”, “Ten more have been added!”, “Twenty-five, and this doesn’t seem to be the end!” In our presence, members of the expedition, using a metal detector, carefully discovered, using special tools, several more typical Scythian jewelry in the form of animals. The archaeologists were so tired that they worked lying on the ground.
— You held products of their famous Scythian gold in your hands. Are they heavy?
- On the contrary, they are very light, thin, as if made of foil. But, nevertheless, priceless. I can’t even believe that these things lay in the ground for over 2700 years!
— Weren’t archaeologists tempted to continue excavations?
- No, there was no longer any reason for this. While we were there, they filled the dug hole with earth, leveled it, photographed the place and left. The finds will be stored in the Museum of Archeology and Ethnography at the Karazin Kharkov National University.
“In my long practice, I have only once found a golden plaque, very small, one centimeter by one centimeter in size,” Stanislav Zadnikov’s eyes glow with happiness. - And here is real wealth! Over three dozen jewelry that simply has no price! The Scythians used such plaques with holes to decorate their clothes, and without holes, to decorate shoes in the form of appliqués (they were probably glued to the skin). These products are known on the Right Bank of the Dnieper, in the middle part of the Dniester, in the Caucasus, but on the Left Bank they were found for the first time! They are generally unique for the Belsky settlement. Scientists believe that they were lucky enough to excavate a mound in which one of the first burials of ancient Scythians was made, dating back to the second half of the 7th century BC. The mound was small, and the robbers (most likely the Scythians themselves) made a hole on top and entered the burial through it.
“In order not to fiddle around in the dark with searching for gold jewelry, the attackers took them along with the skeletons, so it is impossible to say for sure who was buried in the mound - a man or a woman. As well as how many dead people were buried there,” says expedition leader Irina Shramko. — Only one tooth was discovered from the bones. Although gold jewelry in the form of daisies and beads indicates that they belong to a female individual. By the time the burial was disturbed, the threads that attached the plaques to the clothing had probably rotted, and the jewelry simply fell apart. The most valuable things, of course, were taken away. But, fortunately, something fell, something got caught somewhere, something was stolen by moles... Therefore, our search was crowned with success today.
Stanislav Zadnikov notes another uniqueness of the find. Among the artifacts there is a women's pendant with a soldered eye, which indicates its non-local origin - the ancient Scythians did not know soldering. This confirms the existence of trade ties between our ancestors and tribes living in Western (western and southwestern) Asia, the Caucasus, and Urartu. Archaeologists also recovered two arrowheads, part of a knife, and many ceramic items found in the burial.
Photos from social networks
Read us on the Telegram channel, Facebook and Twitter
fakty.ua
How to prevent gold from tarnishing
To prevent the metal from darkening and the jewelry from losing its original appearance, follow these tips:
- Buy jewelry from specialized jewelry stores. Large jewelry stores value their reputation and offer only high-quality products. Usually, before sale, all jewelry is tested in a laboratory and store.
- Choose high standard gold, buy 583-585 standard or higher.
- Remove jewelry if in contact with chemical products. Household chemicals contain many aggressive substances that damage alloyed products. Therefore, when cleaning, washing dishes or any other household chores, you need to wear gloves.
- Monitor your health and sweating. Excessive sweating can cause precious metals to turn black. To avoid this, avoid wearing jewelry in hot weather or while playing sports. If you need to take pills, carefully study their composition. Make sure that the preparations do not contain substances that spoil gold.
- Periodically wipe the jewelry with a dry velvet scarf. This will rid the product of small, yet invisible contaminants. In addition, the delicate structure of velvet will not damage gold and will not leave even the smallest scratches on it. The main thing is not to use any chemicals. Treatment with a dry velvet scarf will be an excellent preventative against blackening of gold.
A loud scandal with the rusty St. George the Victorious. Several popular explanations for corrosion
Investors buying gold banknotes to preserve capital, on coins with the image of St. George slaying the serpent, began to notice changes. They were expressed in the fact that after several years of storage, reddish, brown spots and stripes appeared on them. The noise was raised by the famous Russian entrepreneur German Sterligov back in 2010. He demonstrated the “defective” coins on the Dozhd TV channel.
The examination showed that the banknotes were made of 24-karat gold at the St. Petersburg Mint - SPMD.
The infamous gold coin with rust
The banks issuing them began to offer their own explanations for the anomaly.
- SMP Bank called the local color change “patina.” This is an oxide-carbonate film that forms on decorative items over time; among metals, its appearance is typical for copper and its alloys, such as bronze and others. If the coin gold were of low quality, with a large percentage of impurities added, then the explanation could be considered valid. But the 999th standard excludes such additives and, therefore, patination of the precious metal.
- Ak Bars Bank proposed a hypothesis about the contact of gold with the hands of the owners, as a result of which oxides appeared. We touched objects around us, brushed our teeth with fluoride paste, touched mercury-containing batteries - and there you have it, rusty gold. The greasy fingerprints led to oxidation. The same applies to non-standard storage conditions. This explanation could be believed if centuries-old history and science did not refute it.
Gold is the most inert among all metals.
For an oxidation reaction to occur, you need to immerse it in hot selenic acid, an aqueous solution of cyanide, aqua regia, or heat the medium to 200-300 degrees. You can, of course, dissolve it in mercury to form an amalgam - a low-melting composition. Amalgamation is one of the methods for extracting metals from ores. It is quite difficult to assume that the owners of the coins carried out one of these procedures.
“Question-answer” section
Why does gold darken in a child’s ears and how to fix this problem?
Expert opinion
Grishanov Mikhail Petrovich
Jeweler, director of the Grishanov and Co. workshop
There can be many reasons - from low-quality alloy from which the earrings are made, to the characteristics of the skin. The latter is especially important, because the earrings in the ear are constantly in contact with the skin. To fix the problem, clean the jewelry using a gentle method. For example, a soap solution or a mixture of soda and hydrogen peroxide will do. It is better not to use aggressive cleaning products, as they can irritate the baby's delicate skin.
Why does the gold on a person’s neck – a cross and a chain – turn black?
Expert opinion
Pribrezhny Gennady Valentinovich
Jeweler 6th category
Jewelry on the neck may turn black due to the properties of the leather. Special pores remove various substances from the body that react with oxygen and oxidize gold. Because of this, chains, crosses and necklaces turn black.
Effective special products for cleaning jewelry at home
Various manufacturers offer special products for cleaning jewelry. This:
- ultrasonic devices;
- effervescent soluble tablets;
- cleaning pastes and impregnations;
- wet wipes soaked in the desired substance.
In all cases, you should carefully study the instructions for use. They may not suit all types of jewelry.
If there are no special effervescent tablets for cleaning jewelry, you can use AlcoSeltzer tablets
Let's talk about where you can find gold deposits
Gold is a noble metal, the mining of which began in ancient times. It may seem that this material is now of no practical value. But even in the modern world, you can see cases of brutal bloodshed that are directly related to this metal. This article will talk about where you can find gold and how you can do it.
A little history
If we go back to the times of Ancient Rus', it is reliably known that lands containing gold were not discovered at that time, even despite the fact that the territory of the state was quite vast. Ruler Ivan III was obsessed with the goal of finding the noble metal and even invited specialists from distant Italy for this purpose. But to his regret, only a small piece of gold was found, which was only enough to make a small cross.
The next seeker was Ivan the Terrible. For the sake of gold, he even conquered Siberia with the help of a huge army, but he never achieved the expected result. The same fate befell all the other rulers of Ancient Rus'. But the turning point in the history of gold mining was the coming to power of Peter I. It was under the power of this ruler that the first items of clothing and jewelry that contained gold and precious stones began to appear.
The first gold nugget was mined in 1945 by a Russian peasant from the Urals who was building a house on the river bank.
While digging a hole, he found golden grains of sand. The peasant immediately showed the find to his friend, who was also a silversmith. The master confirmed that the nugget was genuine. Experts arrived at the place where the grains of sand were found and began further searches. But unfortunately, they left with nothing. And only two years after the discovery of the deposit, a decision was made according to which it was necessary to continue the search and dig a mine. This decision turned out to be more than successful.
At the bottom of the dug shaft, a large amount of gold reserves were found, which marked the beginning of larger-scale mining of the metal.
Where to look
The question of how to quickly and efficiently find gold in the ground, as well as in what places this should be done, worries many seekers. In fact, there are many places where gold particles are present, but they are contained in very small quantities. If you are serious about searching for a large mine, then luck may turn your way, but the likelihood of this is negligible.
A small part of the precious metal can be found in sea water. According to experts, if you separate all the sea water from the gold reserves, you will get about 10,000,000,000 tons of metal. This figure is simply shocking. But at the moment there is not a single way in which this could be done.
It is pure precious metal that can rarely be found in nature. Most often, gold is found with many impurities, from which the metal will then have to be purified. The most common place where you can find pure gold without impurities in large quantities is in quartz beds.
Under the influence of natural elements, such as wind or rain, layers can be destroyed. As a result of this process, a solid piece of gold nugget is formed. Also, gold reserves can be deposited in several types:
- Eluvial deposits;
- Residual deposits;
- Bottom sediments;
- Terrace deposits.
Residual deposits can be observed directly near the vein itself, which has been subjected to physical or chemical influence. Eluvial deposits are most often located at the foot of mountains.
This is what quartz layers look like.
Terrace deposits are in most cases found at the bottom of the river. After a certain time, the river erodes the land, as a result of which an additional bottom is formed. The old bottom rises above ground level, which is why it is called a terrace.
The terraces, which are several hundred years old, contain a very large amount of gold reserves. Bottom sediments form at the bottom of rivers in the form of precipitation. With the help of rain, gold moves along the river bed.
Today, the process of mining gold deposits is not much different from the extraction of all other metals and ores. First, a deep shaft is made, and then huge pieces of ore are lifted to the surface, which contain what started all these searches and excavations. At the final stages, gold should be separated from all unnecessary elements and impurities. To do this, the metal is ground to a powder state.
Searching for gold in Russia
There is practically no exact answer to the question of how to find gold in Russia even today. The most promising regions for searching are the Urals, Chukotka, Magadan, and Amur. It was in these places that nuggets were discovered, weighing 16 kilograms. Similar finds are still in the memory of local residents.
But before you go looking for metal, you need to find out whether it is in a particular place. All the necessary information can be provided by geologists or indigenous inhabitants who are well versed in the given territory.
Very often, the discovery of gold deposits is mentioned in newspapers, so in order to collect as much information as possible, you should turn to archival data.
Industrial mining sites.
There are also special geological funds that collect information about gold mining in a particular region. Such funds can be of great help in advancing the search for a profitable mine.
If the places where gold reserves were found weighing 50 grams or more have become known, then nuggets several times heavier can be found there.
Based on everything that was said above, it should be concluded that before going to a specific region in order to start searching for precious metal there, you need to carefully check all the data, analyze the information, and view all photos and video materials.
How to search correctly
Finding gold is a very long process that can last for years. It is unlikely that in the first days of searching the digger will find something worthwhile. In order to somehow speed up this process and make it more productive, it is recommended to study a large amount of literature that can teach you how to properly organize your searches.
It has already been said that gold is found in quartz strata. To detect them, you need to pay attention to certain signs that are characteristic only of such deposits.
Gold dredge
After many years, the technologies used to mine gold in ancient times have not changed much. All that has changed is the work of mechanized machines instead of human labor.
Today, few people are engaged in gold mining using trays, since this method is no longer relevant and widespread. But the technology has survived. Today, many people use a huge machine that has a large number of trays.
A dredge is a device used to flush water from a river. It is this huge and noisy structure that is capable of extracting precious metal from river rock. Although this method is very effective and profitable, it has a very negative impact on the environment. After dredging, river beds are left in a deplorable state. But in order to know how to find and then safely extract gold from the river, it is recommended to use dredging as the easiest way to mine gold.
Gravitational differentiation
This gold mining technology involves grinding rock that contains the metal. After these rocks have been loaded onto trucks, they are taken to special mills. Inside these mills, huge stones crumble under the pressure of large balls made of strong cast iron.
After crushing, this entire mass is placed in a centrifuge, in which the earth and stones are separated from the pyrite. Pyrite contains particles of valuable metal. Very often the shine of the mineral is mistaken for real gold.
Modern mining technologies
Today, technological progress has made significant strides forward. With the help of the latest technologies, gold is extracted even from poor and almost deserted mines. Balanced deposits are also created.
In order to establish the use of heap leaching, it is enough to spend one year of work. In addition, it is a very profitable investment. Within a year, the mine owner will be able to hold entire bars of precious metal in his hands.
Searching with a metal detector
There is an opinion that it makes no sense to continue gold mining in ore that has already been mined. After all, in order to find a few grams of metal, it is necessary to process a whole pile of rock, and this is a huge amount of work. The question arises: how to find gold, with the most accurate determination of its location?
On average, there are about five kilograms of pure gold per ton of land. If these data are correct, then metal mining becomes unprofitable. But there are certain places where quite a large amount of precious metal accumulates. Such places are called deposits. They are found by geologists who have relevant knowledge in this area. In such local accumulations, the gold coefficient is several times higher than usual.
In the deposits you can find nests and columns. These are places in which there is much more metal than in all others. The efficiency of mining can only be seen when the amount of precious material is calculated relative to the ton of rock that was processed. In order to learn how such calculations are made, you can study the corresponding video.
To find such deposits, a metal detector is used, which is widely used for such purposes. It significantly increases the level of efficiency and reduces the duration of search work. If the metal detector indicates something, then the sector must be carefully checked and, perhaps, even a soil sample must be taken and the rock washed.
Many years of practice have proven that gold nuggets are never far from each other. If one was found, then it makes sense to look further, since there should be more similar specimens nearby.
Metal detectors were first used about forty years ago in foreign countries. Today you can see instruments that have excellent sensitivity, which can indicate even a small piece of metal. The device shows exactly how to quickly and accurately find gold in nature.
Scientists geologists tested dozens of instruments that searched for an identified object in a variety of conditions, both on land and in deep reservoirs. The test results proved that the metal detectors performed well and that they can conduct full-scale searches.
During the research conducted in the Irkutsk region, geologists managed to find more than a hundred nuggets, the total weight of which was more than 1 kilogram. Most often, such specimens are found on the surface of industrial dumps, and not on the surface of the earth, as is usually shown in movies.
There are different types of terrain that have unique prospects for mining, so searches should be carried out wherever possible. To avoid mistakes, there is a more proven and reliable option. Where gold can be found, mining must have already been carried out previously or continues to this day. Places where gold has never been mined do not present any prospects or opportunities for further exploration.
It is important to consider that excavations had already been carried out before your arrival. Therefore, if even highly qualified specialists could not find anything, then you are unlikely to be luckier than them. But there are also exceptions.
Geologists are interested in areas that have vast volumes. They do not pay attention to distant corners. Therefore, if you look hard enough, you can find small amounts of gold nuggets in those distant corners.
It is better not to skimp on buying a metal detector.
Small streams high in the mountains are another promising place where you can get metal. Light pebbles are carried away by the current, while heavier ones remain and accumulate at the bottom of the river.
Is it possible to find gold using a regular, amateur metal detector? Naturally, it is possible, but it is better to use a tool that costs 30 thousand rubles or more, since it greatly simplifies the task.
golden-inform.ru