Gold Cuffs

Gold has been venerated throughout time as the perfect precious metal. It has started wars, created a lot of crime, and it would seem that man will go to any lengths to have this precious metal in his possession. Anyone would wonder what it is about this seemingly ordinary metal, produce from the earth's core that drives men to the brink of craziness. The Inca civilization, in the 14th century, was so enamored of it that they cover every wall with it in the temple built to honor the sun. Imagine what that would have looked like shining across the walls with the sun setting or rising. They used to think that the sun itself was made of gold hence the honoring in the Temple of the Sun. One of the seven wonder's of the world, the original ones that is, had a magnificent temple built with a massive statue of a goddess sitting with her hand held out. On the hand stood a full size man – this will show how large the statue was – made of solid gold. The statue itself was hung all over with shields of thick solid gold and in front was a pool of precious oil. It was built so that the rising sun's light would hit the pool and reflect up to the statue. This truly must have been a magnificent sight. In more modern times, the Wild West – as it was known in the mid 19th century – saw the mad Gold Rush where everyone from the East Coast region trekked across America, fighting bad weather, native Indians and all other kinds of perils, to get to where they could dig for gold. Such was the lure of this seemingly inconsequential metal. Many bank robberies have been undertaken, not for the cash being kept in huge vaults, but for the gold reserves hidden there. These robberies, and there have been many failed attempts, must have taken meticulous planning and huge expense but this didn't stop those who were determined to get their hands on the yellow stuff. Most countries around the world will have gold reserves and perhaps the most famous one is Fort Knox in America. Underground, heavily guarded vaults hold enough gold to satisfy even the most voracious of appetites. Even the staid Bank of England holds huge amounts of gold in its vaults to fend off any run on the bank. Although paper money has value, it is only face value. New notes are forever being put into circulation and old notes taken out, but gold is forever. Imagine that gold is so sought after that some restaurants serve food with gold flakes in it! Normal people, of course, would draw the line at that questionable pleasure and would rather wear gold than imbibe it! The gift made from gold is always something special. Lovers celebrating St. Valentine's Day often opt for a little something made from gold. A ring is perhaps the favorite as it precedes the ubiquitous marriage proposal but it is not the only gift that causes hearts to flutter. Some like to give their sweethearts a gold heart pendant or bracelet or certainly anything with a heart on it to show that their heart is taken by the wearer; a very romantic gift indeed. For a gift that is somewhat halfway between declaring undying love and showing a definitive interest is perhaps the bracelet. Many men, or women, will balk at the idea of putting too much affection on display early on in a relationship. But they certainly want to show the intended recipient that they are somewhat special in their lives. The bracelet seems to fall somewhere in between love and friendship and could be used as a stepping stone to further deepening of emotions, so to speak. If this is the case, there are many designs on offer. Some are banded with crosses and circles. In internet speak, this is hugs and kisses and they have become very popular in recent times. Others will have circles within circles, stones, both precious and semi precious, embedded along the length of the chain, or small charms to dangle from them. Plain chains are also fashionable, indeed there are not many designs these days that will ever go out of fashion, and some may prefer them to the more ostentatious designs that are available. The solid gold bangle is also a great favorite and comes in several widths and weights. Don't forget though that some ladies have larger hand spans and have difficulty pushing them over the widest part of the hand. If this is the case, try the hinged variety that normally has a safety chain as an added feature. Men like these solid bracelets too and if a woman wants to make her statement, it makes a great gift. Perhaps the most popular solid bracelets around are the very thin, fine variety which are usually worn in multiples. This is a great idea for those who love these bracelets because they can just get added to over time. Even twenty can be worn with this style and some like the jingle jangle sound every time the woman moves. Don't forget too that gold comes in more than the traditional yellow color. These days, rose gold and white gold are among the favorites styles and look great when combined in any design. Some people even prefer to have wedding bands made in white gold because it is similar to platinum – an even more precious metal than gold. Whatever the gift, gold bracelets will always be a very popular choice when it comes to gifts. Of course, in this day and age, many women won't wait to be bought a present, they will just go out and buy it for themselves. There is nothing wrong with this, naturally, but a gift is something special and who doesn't want to feel special? Birthdays, Christmas and other holidays are custom made for people to show others how much they are appreciated so keep on giving!

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