Not all that glitters is gold...or is it?

Regal, royal, exquisite, timeless and often divine. Gold has had several annotations from the very start of civilisation. Mines that run as deep as 6 miles underground to extract and process the metal are still up and running to this day. The significance of gold in the evolution of humankind and society is difficult to miss. Unmistakably the colour of wealth, it was often used as a division wall between societies different standings. Gold silverware and crowns were definitely not to be found in the homes of average working class families, but rather the ones with high social standing and often of royal descent.

Today the colour maintains its value but has also adapted to a more metaphorical use in spaces such as literature, photography, poetry and music. More often than not it is also used to show contrast and to annotate what is good, pure, untouched and raw. A strong religious example is that of catholic and orthodox churches, dripping in plated gold our interpretation of the divine is immediately associated with spiritual wealth, which we depict as material wealth, and it all ties down to Gold.

Aside from religion, the metal itself has shaped history, and art irrevocably. Ancient Japanese techniques for repairing damaged fine china call for pouring molten gold into the cracks moulding the piece back together again. Unlike other techniques, this one differs by far regarding its approach to the object and philosophy, as an ode to the art piece, it highlights and draws attention to the cracks rather than trying to conceal them. What is really interesting here is that, instead of using bronze, steel, or any other metal, gold was chosen showcasing again the metaphorical value of the colour. The technique has come to be known as "Kinstugi or Kinstukuroi" which directly translates to "to repair with gold".

These have been just a handful of examples as to what Gold was, further moving into this theme I intend to explore what gold is in pop culture and what are the ways Fashion exploits the infamous metallic shade.