Electrum

Not to be confused with Electron.
This article is about the metal alloy. For the sculpture, see Electrum (sculpture). For the particle consisting of a positron and electron, see Positronium. For the gemstone, see Amber.
"Green gold" and "Greengold" redirect here. For the color, see Green-yellow. For the Israeli figure, see Zvika Greengold.
Natural electrum "wires" on quartz, historic specimen from the old Smuggler-Union Mine, Telluride, Colorado, USA
The Pactolus river, from which Lydia obtained electrum for its early coinage
Electrum Phoenician bowl with mythological scenes, a sphinx frieze and the repre­sentation of a king vanquishing his enemies, Cypro-Archaic I, from Idalion, 8th–7th centuries BC (Louvre, Paris)
Brooch with a griffin protome, from the necropolis of Kameiros, Rhodes, c. 625–600 BC (Louvre)

Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver,[1][2] with trace amounts of copper and other metals. Its color ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver. It has been produced artificially and is also known as "green gold".[3]

Electrum was used as early as the third millennium BC in the Old Kingdom of Egypt, sometimes as an exterior coating to the pyramidions atop ancient Egyptian pyramids and obelisks. It was also used in the making of ancient drinking vessels. The first known metal coins made were of electrum, dating back to the end of the 7th century or the beginning of the 6th century BC.

  1. ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Electrum, Electron" . Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 252.
  2. ^ "Coinage". worldhistory.org.
  3. ^ Emsley, John (2003) Nature's building blocks: an A–Z guide to the elements. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0198503407. p. 168