Gold in Pop Culture

May 20, 2013 -- Upon check-in to the Burj Al Arab in Dubai, a hotel that awarded itself a seven-star rating and calls itself the most luxurious hotel in the world, guests now receive a new amenity – a gold-plated iPad, reported The Telegraph, a British newspaper based in London.

With the name and slogan of the hotel engraved on their gold cases, the 24-karat tablets are valued at $10,000 and boast a concierge app for the Burj Al Arab. 

In a statement, the hotel said the gold iPad was introduced as a way of differentiating itself from its competitors. The statement referred to the gold-cased iPad as “the ultimate in luxury accessories.”

The limited edition iPad was designed by Gold & Co., a London-based design firm that specializes in creating gold-plated electronics and luxury items.

“We manufacture the finest gold-plated products for discriminating customers. Each limited-edition item is individually numbered to ensure exclusivity,” reads a statement on the Gold & Co. website. “Our assortment includes the most highly rated, in-demand electronic devices on the market today, including the iPad 3, iPhone 4S, Apple MacBook Pro, Apple iMac, Blackberry 9900 and Porsche Design P9981.” 

(November 9, 2012) - For the past couple of months the media in the United States has been heavily covering the 2012 presidential election race. Now that a victor has been decided, gold prices are on the rise. While the gold market typically responds to events such as this which have global ramifications, the dollar's value slid due to the widespread belief that the US economy will see more stimulus in the immediate future. Financial world figures are speaking out about buying gold because many believe that the perceived course of US economic policy could end up creating extreme devaluation of the dollar which would mean that gold is a safer alternative for investors. According to a recent article by Glenys Sim of Bloomberg Businessweek, gold isn't the only thing climbing in value due to the election news. The GCSI Index of raw materials by Standard & Poor's showed a half percent gain overall.

(November 8, 2012) - The wealthiest people in the world have long been able to have credit cards that the average person could never be approved for, but the latest trend in credit cards includes cards forged from real precious metals that come with a stunning array of benefits for those lucky enough to afford it. Being able to buy gold is one thing, but being approved for a credit card made with more than two dozen diamonds and mother of pearl inlaid on a card of pure gold is an out of this world idea for most of us. The card is not an investment product, but it does require that the person seeking to get one have the $100,000 needed to obtain it. According to an article in The Huffington Post, the card requires that the applicant have $35,000 in a Kazakhstani bank known as Sberbank-Kazakhstan. The other $65,000 of the card's price pays for the cost of producing one.

(October 26, 2012) - When most of us think about hiding gold in the mattress, we probably recall images of people sleeping on mattresses loaded with gold assets like coins, bullion or even bars. Yet a new product innovation disregards the current price of gold and is bringing consumers everywhere a chance to not just invest in the yellow metal, but to literally get a good night's sleep on it. Most of us are familiar with products containing precious metals and possibly even fabrics with gold or silver thread woven in, but this new way to sleep is something really unique for lovers of gold. According to a recent article by Pet Jeffries of The Oregonian, a mattress maker from Italy, Magniflex, is now making luxury mattresses that can include the buyer's choice of silver, gold or even platinum woven right into the designer mattresses. It's something sure to get the attention of those who would like to sleep in the lap of luxury and it's definitely bound to be a conversation piece for those who can shell out the cash to own one.

(October 23, 2012) - Plenty of people have big dreams of treasure hunting, maybe finding some gold coins and gaining fame in the process, but a relatively small percent ever go out to purchase the needed equipment. One man in the United Kingdom, however, did exactly that and ended up unearthing more proof that investing in precious metals has been going on for a very long time. The man, whose name has not been released to the public, dug up ancient gold assets from the Roman Empire - over 150 coins of pure 24 karat gold. According to a story by Suzan Clarke of ABC News, the coins date back to the 4th Century and could be what historians are saying is the largest cache of such coins ever located on the British Isles. Currently, the value is estimated to be over $150,000 but that figure could climb once experts have enough time to thoroughly examine each coin.

(October 22, 2012) - Those who invest in the yellow metal know that gold prices are very good now, a bull market that has been enjoyed for quite some time. Analysts believe that for now, the precious metals industry is stabilized and is not likely to see any strong swings one way or the other until after the presidential election in the United States has reached its conclusion. After this, according to a recent report by Mary O'Byrne in Resource Investor, the gold market should see further growth and give investors something to be very happy about if they happen to have gotten in at the current price level.

(October 10, 2012) - It comes as no surprise to most precious metals fans that countries around the world would choose to invest in gold since it is today, as it long has been, a key asset that can stabilize in ways other assets rarely can. Recently, the Business Insider reported on new figures from the World Gold Council that showed gold bars are becoming even more popular with countries in all parts of the world that are now viewing the yellow metal as a key to helping their economies get through difficult times of disaster or inflation. Thanks to the huge purchases of central banks over the past year, gold prices have been able to rise and hold steady, being bolstered by purchases that head well into the tons. For investors, this is important news because it shows them how the market is affected by the strategies of different countries' central banks.

Those who love a gold investment are just as shocked as the art world by the latest news regarding a seemingly magical strain of bacteria which can consume highly toxic gold chloride and excrete 24 karat gold nuggets. Investors wishing they knew where to buy the gold eating bacteria like this for themselves need to take heed, however, according to a recent article in the Washington Post because it is not something the average person wants to handle in any way. Gold dealers are not likely to start producing their own pure gold nuggets with the help of the bacteria, called Cupriavidus metallidurans, because it is not only as rare as the gold it produces, it also needs to feed on gold chloride, sometimes called liquid gold, which is extremely poisonous to life forms. Still, the story is an exciting one which has captured the imaginations of the general public, art fans and precious metals investors alike.

While it would be novel to have a gold investment produced via the Cupriavidus metallidurans bacteria, it took some highly educated scientists in a well-equipped lab to get the job done right. Plenty of art fans would love to know how to buy gold chloride eating, pure gold producing bacteria for themselves, the work in question is an installation piece and unlikely to be available for collectors to buy.

Just when gold investors thought they have heard everything, there comes the story of what is perhaps the strangest gold investment of all, a gold-plated Apple iPhone 5. While common uses of gold have long included decorative purposes, such 'blinging' of hi-tech gadgets comes as a shock to many who might not have known that there have been several different Apple products given this type of treatment using gold and even diamonds. For those investing in precious metals, having a gold-plated iPhone 5 might not seem like the ideal investment, but rarity of such a device is sure to make it more valuable in the decades to come. This latest gold-plated iPhone was reported by Mashable as not having a publicly known price, but it is safe to say that it should be relatively high considering that the normal device without gold plating sells for $849 with no contract in place.

Pawn shops are places where people have historically been able to buy and sell gold, typically in the form of jewelry or coins for quite some time. What may surprise some people however is that the business owner featured in reality TV show Pawn Stars does indeed value both the yellow and silver metal as items of value worth purchasing. According to a recent interview on CNBC, Rick Harrison, the show's star, said that the real value of precious metals boils down to the fact that they are highly liquid and can be sold easily on the market so he never needs to fret over getting cash if he needs it.

Harrison told the interviewer, "It just depends on what the items are. If you bring me a piece of art that might sit on the wall for two or three years, I’m going to give you maybe 50 percent of what I think I can get out of it. If you bring me a gold coin in the store that I can sell immediately right on the market, I’ll make one percent, I have no problem with that."

Clearly, this is also the case with silver. The show has in fact bought quite a bit of it, one time even purchasing over 3,300 ounces of silver from a walk-in customer. Precious metals matter in the pawn shop industry where liquidity is extremely important and hard assets such as gold, silver or platinum are going to be incredibly easy for shop owners to sell.

For years investors and collectors have had the opportunity to purchase gold bullion and coins to diversify their portfolios. But what about diversifying your plate? People now have the option of eating the precious metal in very unique ways. You might be surprised at the number of dishes and beverages which contain real gold. While you cannot technically taste the yellow metal, the price of gold dictates that these ultra-luxurious treats are definitely going to require you to have not just the exquisite tastes of those who dine on them, but also the means to cover the costs. It should be noted that the expensive golden ingredient is in no way digested by the body itself and cannot enter the bloodstream. Recently, more and more of these dishes have made their way into the news; we will now take a look at some of them so you can see what is out there if you ever decide to convert your portfolio into a personal buffet.

A restaurant in Germany serves real gold leaf along with white Italian Alba truffles in a schnitzel it offers, a desert that when it first came out cost a little over $240 per plate. Of course, the price of gold will determine the price of the Golden Kaiser Schnitzel taking into account inflation and other variables.

The 2012 Olympic Games in London have turned the world's attention once again to the coveted gold medal. The same holds true for the silver and bronze medals which are still admired around the world for what they symbolize. But what are the metals actually made of? It is interesting to note that the medals for the Olympics have not always included precious metals. Let’s first cover the beginnings of the Games and how the medals came to be.

The Olympic games trace their lineage back to Ancient Greece when winners were given not gold, but olive wreaths. It would not be until 1896 that the modern Olympic Games tradition would begin with games held every 4 years during the summer season. Silver medals were given at the first games in Athens, Greece as well as an olive branch. The runners up received a laurel branch and a bronze medal.

The 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis, Missouri were the first to use actual precious medals in the popular 3 kinds we know today. The International Olympic Committee, commonly known as the IOC, is the body that set the standard of gold, silver and bronze medals, even going back and awarding those top three competitors in each of the 1896 and 1900 Games in 1904.

While it is certainly not the first time that the idea of extracting precious metals from used computer components has circulated in the media, a recent article  suggests that in certain parts of the world, this can be quite a popular endeavor. As an emerging economy, India has many businesses that are looking to set new standards. They are trying things that might be slower to accomplish in more developed nations, such as extracting silver and other reusable valuable metals from older model circuit boards. For some, the question is why buy gold when they can extract it from what would otherwise be trash clogging up landfills.

The article in question profiled a company in Bangalore called E-Parisaraa, who works with a number of other companies to handle electronics that are being thrown away. Close to 300 companies currently work with E-Parisaraa. The company handles their waste and then processes it to extract small quantities of both gold and silver; it can then sell for a substantial profit. In addition to computers, the company handles fax machines, cartridges, cell phones, printers, audio and video equipment, microwaves, telephones and much more.

BOSTON (May 10, 2012) - Many investing in gold today keep track of the moves the world's most wealthy make as reported by the media. Recent news has shown that fine art is acting much like precious metals, getting snapped up at major auctions given by leading auction houses such as Christie's and Sotheby's. One auction in particular, for the world famous painting entitled 'The Scream' by Oslo's now deceased painting legend Edvard Munch, caught the eye of noted economic analyst Richard Russell.

Russell was quoted as saying, "Even if the dollar becomes worthless as a unit of exchange, the Munch painting will still be worth a fortune in whatever unit of money is in favor ten or fifty years from now."

Gold bars and other forms of gold have historically represented purchasing power, Russell went on to say. An example that he gave in regards to fine art noted that when a wealthy collector purchases a painting for $119 million, they are not worried about whether the painting's value will jump to $200 million within a decade or drop to $50 million during that same span of time. These buyers, stated the analyst, know that whether inflation rises like a rocket or massive deflation occurs, they have a priceless work of art that is going to be able to be leveraged for its value should they ever face a financial crisis.

Munch painted several variations of The Scream, which as its name implies, features a man with both hands clasped over his ears, his anguished face emitting an inaudible scream.

The human lust for gold - it drives man and woman to devote hours and hours to sifting through rolling rushes of river water, to following 'Go West' and other callings to foreign terrain, and to plot and plan devious, dishonest machinations to capture its possession.

Though reports of Mark Twain's death might have been exaggerated, the legendary writer and humorist is en route to being immortalized on gold and silver coins.

The post office of India is offering a discount of 6 percent on gold coins as a festival approaches.

Fifty-nine year-old Englishman George McKean has an uncanny ability to unearth precious metals.

Gold is going missing in India from one of the most unlikely places to have theft – the safe confines of a police station.

Britney Spears has kicked off her very own gold rush.

As Travis Howard faces the final month of his undergraduate studies, the 21-year-old's focus on metallurgy benefited him very well.

The leader of an Eastern European country prodded the newly tapped environmental minister to rapidly decide on a pressing mining project that is believed to hold as much as 300 tons of gold and 1,600 tons of silver.

Have metal detector, will find the oddest - yet often valuable - items inadvertently left behind.

Gold prices will continue driving higher this year and into next year, pushing past both record prices and the milestone mark of $2,000 per troy ounce, the top official of the metals consultancy GFMS said.

The black market trade and commerce of the yellowish metal in debt-hobbled Greece, the recipient of two international bailouts in less than two years, is rampant and beyond the reach of officials.

The price of gold not only will crash through record highs later this year but the yellowish metal also will hurtle past the psychological threshold of $2,000 per troy ounce, an English fund manager said.

More than 17 short tons of gold and silver coins hauled from the ocean floor off Portugal five years ago are at the center of a court case that is before the high benches of justice in Southern Spain.