Mining for gold and then turning that precious metal into wearable jewellery dates back to ancient Egypt and one of the earliest recorded gold mines is in Nubia. The Romans mined for gold from 25 BC and used hydraulics, or high pressure water jets to shift material from the rocks and move the sediment, the water containing the sediment was then passed through sluice boxes to separate water and gold.... 

In the wake of the credit crunch signs for pawnbrokers have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, it’s almost impossible to move without seeing advertising for someone who wants to buy your gold from you, but why gold in particular? Gold has for thousands of years been one of the main currencies in the world, until the start of the 19th century the gold standard was the basis for our international monetary...