The Qualities of Gold.

Very few terms are more loosely used than that of “gold,” and it is therefore necessary that the traveller should make himself fully acquainted with the nature of the alloy made use of under the name of gold in the various countries he may chance to visit. Let him not suppose that, because the glittering chain or ring displayed in an English jeweller’s window is marked in conspicuous letters “Warranted fine gold,” the ornament is as a matter of course composed of pure gold, or he will buy experience dearly. Fine gold means nothing further than that an alloy of some kind containing some gold is for sale. It is well, therefore, to insist on the exact quality of the article (in carats—18 carats, 22 carats, or whatever it is represented to be) being stated on the vendor’s bill of charge.

The nature of gold alloy differs materially in various countries. We have, therefore, thought it well to provide the reader with the following useful tables compiled by Mr. E. W. Streeter and used in his “Hints to Purchasers of Jewellery.”

Qualities of Gold manufactured in different Parts of the World.

£ s. d. £ s. d.
England From 1 carat, worth 03 6 to 22 carats, worth 3 17 10½
France ” 18 carat, 33 8½only common by special permission.
Denmark ” 18 ” ” 33 8½
Baden ” 14 ” ” 29 6½
Germany (all States) ” 12 ” ” 22 5½to 15 carats, worth 2 13 1
Russia ” 15 ” ” 213 1 to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Austria ” 10 ” ” 115 4¼to 18 ” ” 3 3 8½
Italy ” 12 ” ” 22 5½to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Holland ” 4 ” ” 014 2 to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Africa ” 23 ” ” 43 1½
India ” 4 ” ” 317 10½to 23½ ” ” 4 3 1½
Rome All 18 ” ” 33 8½
U. States of America From 1 ” ” 03 6 to 18 ” ” 3 3 8½
Norway and Sweden All 18 ” ” 33 8½
Belgium From 18 ” ” 33 8½to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Spain All 18 ” ” 33 8½
Switzerland All 18 ” ” 33 8½
Geneva From 14 carat, 29 6½Watch cases only.
China From 16 ” ” 216 7½to 23¾ carats, worth 4 4 0
Japan From 18 ” ” 33 8½to 23¾ ” ” 4 4 0
Brazil All 18 carat, 33 8½
Hamburg From 13½ ” ” 211 3½to 18 ” ” 3 3 8½
Turkey ” 18 carat, 33 8½
Greece ” 10 ” ” 115 4¼to 16 ” ” 2 16 7½
Persia ” 3 ” ” 010 7½to 23½ ” ” 4 3 1½
Egypt ” 18 carat, 33 8½
Rio Janeiro Imported from 1 carat 03 6 to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Chili ” ” 03 6 to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Peru ” ” 03 6 to 22 ” ” 3 17 10½
Siam Nearly pure, fine work.
Australia Same as England, except that made up from the diggings.
Mexico Principal manufacture fine.
Any quality is allowed to be imported into these countries.

The following table by the same author will serve to show in a condensed form, the value of different gold alloys relatively, and also the extremely low standard at which so called “gold articles” are manufactured in this country.

Gold Value Table.

£s.d.
22-carat gold is worth31710½per oz.
18” ”338½”
16” ”2167½”
14” ”296½”
10” ”1154¼”
9” ”11110 ”
8” ”183¾”
6” ”112½”
4” ”0142 ”
2” ”071 ”
1” ”036 ”

Since writing the early portion of this work, we have found it requisite, in order to supply a manifest want, to have manufactured a small leather case (on the exact model of our own), containing all the tests and appliances requisite for the identification of precious metals or precious stones.[D]

We have also caused to be constructed, from our own pattern, a small triple branch of gold of different degrees of alloy. Each branch, when rubbed on the touch stone, and treated with nitric acid, will leave a characteristic streak, which may be compared with one formed by rubbing the article to be tested, and treating it with acid in the same manner; the nature of the alloy will thus be found by comparison.[E]

Emerson’s Table of Strengths, showing the Load that can be safely borne by a square inch Rod of each of the following Substances:

lbs. avoir.
Iron rod, 1in. square, will bear 76,400
Brass 35,600
Ivory 15,700
Oak, box, yew, plum-tree 7,850
Elm, ash, beech 6,070
Walnut, red fir, holly, elder, plane, crab 5,000
Cherry, hazel 4,760
Alder, asp, birch, willow 5,000
Lead 430
Freestone 914

Emerson’s rule is, that a cylinder, the diameter of which is d inches, loaded to one fourth of its absolute strength, will carry as follows:

cwt.
Iron135 × d²
Good rope22 × d²
Oak14 × d²
Fir9 × d²

Another of his rules is that a cylindrical rod of well-seasoned clean-grown fir of an inch circumference drawn in length will bear at its extremity 400lbs. and a spar of fir 2in. in diameter will bear about 7 tons, but not more. A well-made and carefully-kept hemp rope of one inch in circumference, will bear 1000lbs. being at its extremity.

Mr. Barlow has formed the following table as a mean resulting from experiments on the strength of direct cohesion on a square inch of the following substances:

lbs.
Box20,000
Ash17,000
Teak15,000
Fir12,000
Beech11,500
Oak10,000
Pear9,800
Mahogany8,000

He also states as follows regarding the transverse strength of beams, &c. Mr. Weale thus quotes from Mr. Barlow’s essay: “The transverse strength of rectangular beams, or the resistance which they offer to fracture, is as the breadth and square of the depth; therefore, if two rectangular beams have the same depth, their strengths are to each other as their breadths, but if their breadths are the same, then their strengths are to each other as the square of their depths. The transverse strengths of square beams are as the cubes of the breadths or depths. Also in cylindrical beams the transverse strengths are as the cubes of the diameters. Thus, if a beam which is one foot broad and one foot deep support a given weight, then a beam of the same depth and two feet broad will support double the weight; but if a beam be one foot broad and two feet deep it will support four times as much as a beam one foot broad and one foot deep. If a beam one foot square support a given weight, then a beam two feet square will support eight times as much. Also a cylinder of two inches in diameter will support eight times as much as a cylinder one inch in diameter. The appended table gives data bearing on the subject.

Teak2·462Elm1·013
English oak1·672Pitch pine1·632
Canadian oak1·766Red pine1·341
Dantzic oak1·457New England fir1·102
Adriatic1·383Riga fir1·108
Ash2·026Mar Forest fir1·262
Beech1·556Larch1·127