The Basics of Finding, Extracting, and Refining Gold
In recent years, many have decided to be smart about their money and invest in stocks and other companies. On top of that, a massive group of people are starting to invest their money in gold. This idea sounds like it comes straight from a movie, but investing in gold is actually hugely beneficial. This is primarily because the value of gold continuously increases, and it plays an integral part in diversifying your investment portfolio.
When you think of gold, you might think of shiny stacks of nuggets and bars and beautiful jewellery hanging around your neck. However, where do they come from, and how do you get them? You may often see this metal when it has already been processed, polished, and turned into something beautiful. What many forget is that it comes from the ground and goes through an extensive process before they look gorgeous.
In this article, we will share the basic process of finding, extracting, and refining to get those beautiful gold nuggets and bars:
Looking for gold in the ground
Mining for this material is the first and most labour intensive step in the process of extracting and refining because digging takes so much time and physical work. In the present, there are different geographical locations for gold mines as compared to how it was decades ago – more concentrated.
When you find these precious metals in the ground, they don’t come out as nuggets or bars; you’ll have to extract them from the land they are found. Miners use high-quality and top of the line equipment to help remove the deposits. With the use of high-pressure water jets or conduct placer mining, miners will be able to break down hard deposits to extract the metal easily.
The extensive process of extracting gold
Extracting gold doesn’t stop when they are taken out of the ground. The whole extracting process is very tedious because you will want to be able to get the gold in its pure form, which is why miners need to know what kind of ground they are working with. With this information, they will be able to understand what materials and chemicals they can use to help efficiently extricate the metal without damaging its parts.
Since different metals and other objects always surround gold, the extraction process will need to be done carefully to remove these unwanted foreign matters.
Finishing up the process
After extraction, you’ll have to let it go through a refining process. This last step makes the precious metal show its purest form. There are two process types that miners use. The first is the Wohlwill process, where miners will have to treat the extracted material through chloride and electric currents. In doing so, it will help separate gold from tinier and more hard to get impurities and foreign matters.
The Miller process, on the other hand, uses gaseous chlorine to extract impurities while the metal is at its melting point. Although this process is simpler and faster compared to the previous process, you only get 99.5% of its purity.
Conclusion
Much of tremendous and labour intensive work goes into finding, extracting, and refining gold. It is no wonder that these nuggets are of high value and make great investments. Now that you know the processes in which this precious metal is extracted, you finally understand why they are valued at a high price. If you’re thinking of investing in anything, gold would be your best option.
Gold Nugget Shop has superior experience in trading this metal around the world. We offer premium and unique gold specimens and gold nuggets in Australia. Our goal is to create more opportunities for smart investors – buy our gold today!
