In fact, some of Colorado’s newly mined gold was refined to .9999 purity and milled into 140,000 sheets of gold leaf just 1/8000th of a millimeter thick to regild the 250-foot-tall dome of the state capital building in Denver.
When Colorado’s capital was built in 1898, the dome was clad in copper. But in 1908, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Pikes Peak gold rush, the state fathers ordered the dome gilded with gold. Mine owners at the then-booming gold camp of Cripple Creek donated the required 200 troy ounces of gold. Cripple Creek miners also provided the gold for the recent regilding of the dome. However, this time, it took only 65 troy ounces, thanks to the ability to create an ever-thinner gold leaf. Another sign of changing times is the price of the gold itself: The 200 troy ounces needed to gild the dome in 1908 cost $4,000; today, the necessary 65 troy ounces cost $127,000.
Speaking at the completion of the regilding project, former Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper called gold “a true Colorado treasure that symbolizes its past, present, and future.” Indeed, Colorado opened with a gold rush; today, it still produces 300,000 troy ounces of gold each year. As for its future, the former governor and now U.S. senator, a geologist himself, referred to the ability to economically extract gold from very low-grade ores that will enable Colorado to produce gold for decades to come.
Colorado’s historic gold production is now nearing 53 million troy ounces. That amounts to 1,648 metric tons, which would occupy a 14-foot cube and be worth $100 billion at today’s gold prices.
HUMBLE BEGINNINGS
この記事は Rock&Gem Magazine の January 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Rock&Gem Magazine の January 2021 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
This News is for the Birds
The amazing range of the would-be birds!
CALIFORNIA MAGNESITE PLASMA AGATE
California magnesite plasma agate is a kaleidoscope of minerals. Much like its neighbor from Clear Creek, it contains chalcedony, serpentine, jadeite and chromite.
HOW TO CREATE A CABBING MATERIAL
Even though Mother Nature creates almost unbounded types and numbers of beautiful materials for cabbing, often I struggle to find a slab that will work for the project that I want to do.
PINWHEEL - VIET GEMS 149
I am frequently asked what my favorite gemstone designs are and where to find them. After my trip to the Tucson Gem and Mineral Show, I updated my list of favorites to include gemstone designer, Phan Thanh Trung.
Copper Minerals: My Favorite
I have lived in the “Copper State” of Arizona for 65 years so it should not surprise readers that copper minerals are among my favorites to collect.
OPPENHEIMER, TRINITY SITE AND TRINITITE
The widely acclaimed, 2023 Hollywood biographical movie Oppenheimer recently won seven Academy Awards including Best Picture and Best Actor (Cillian Murphy).
Clearing ,Smudging & Setting Intentions for Stones
Why do you believe what you believe? Are your beliefs true because you choose to believe them? Whether it is religion, science or the metaphysical, your belief and faith make it real to you in mind, body and soul.
Rhode Island's Hobbit Stone Age
Rhode Island may be 22nd out of 30 states in miles of total coastline but when you compare coastline length to land acres, it ranks second only to Maryland.
Black Range Amethyst
Amethyst in Southwest New Mexico
EQUINE Bling!
How an Oklahoma Saddle Maker Uses Moissanite, Gold, Silver Turquoise tc to Adorn Saddles Jewelry