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| 0 | Rare and beautiful The noblest of metals Gold is precious, there’s no doubt about it – but why? It’s true that it has certain properties that make it useful in electronics, aeronautics and medicine. For thousands of years, however, gold had little practical value. It was prized for its shine, the fact that it never rusts, and for its rarity. It is also soft and easy to shape. These were reasons enough for humans to rob and murder each other and destroy the environment in their drive to own more of the precious metal.The items on display belong to the Goldkammer Collection. |
| 1 | Star dust How gold came to earth The earth’s crust is full of gold, but it’s normally found only in very low concentrations. Alchemists have tried for centuries to make gold. This was always doomed to failure: gold is a chemical element and it is impossible to produce it artificially. Gold can only be formed by either nuclear fusion or nuclear fission. Such a process normally occurs during major cosmic events – a massive star exploding sometimes causes new neutron stars to be born. If two of these stars collide, new chemical elements such as gold can form. The Earth’s gold was formed in a similar cosmic event. More gold was probably also brought to our planet by meteorite impacts billions of years ago. |
| 2 | Unknown: Workshop of an alchemist, Engraving, 1735. The goal of an alchemist was always to make gold. Alchemy was the precursor to the modern science of chemistry, which was first developed around 1800. Nowadays, we know that it is impossible to produce gold chemically. |
| 3 | 1 Reproduction of a “golden regulus”, 2010. The original was made in the presence of the Elector of Saxony, Frederick Augustus I, by Johann Friedrich Böttger during an alchemical experiment in 1713. 2 Coaster made of “red porcelain”, 2010. The alchemist Johann Friedrich Böttger was trying to make gold. He failed – but succeeded in producing “red porcelain” in 1707. Rittersaalverein Collection 3 Cup from the series “300 years of Meissen porcelain”, 2010. After creating “red porcelain”, the alchemist J. F. Böttger went on to discover white porcelain in 1710. It was certainly not gold – but his discovery made Böttger’s home town of Meissen very wealthy, and it became known as the capital of porcelain. Rittersaalverein Collection |
| 4 | The Crab Nebula is the remnant of a stellar explosion: supernova 1054. The stellar explosion left a neutron star at the centre of the Nebula. Gold sometimes forms when neutron stars collide. Photo : ESO |
| 5 | In August 2017, two neutron stars collided. The Hubble Space Telescope made it possible to observe such a collision for the first time. The collision likely produced 200 times the earth’s weight in gold. Above: Photograph of the two stars colliding, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Below: artistic interpretation of the stellar collision. Photo : NASA / ESA; University of Warwick. |
| 6 | Bracelet made by Kurt Neukomm, goldsmith from Burgdorf. Terrestrial gold – and therefore the gold in this bracelet – is the result of two neutron stars colliding near our solar system. |
| 7 | Mountains – crevices – peaks Where to find gold When the Alps were formed, it caused the earth’s crust to crack. Rainwater soaked into the crust, where it grew hot and then evaporated. The resulting vapour was full of elements carried from the earth’s crust. The gold particles crystallized and formed gold-bearing quartz veins to a depth of ten kilometres. Millions of years ago, rivers carried sand, scree and small amounts of gold down from the Alps to the Plateau, forming huge alluvial fans in the Nagelfluh conglomerate. The Napf is one of these alluvial fans, carried there by the primeval river Aare. Nowadays, flakes of gold in the Nagelfluh conglomerate are carried along by streams, accumulating in the stream beds. These deposits are called “alluvial gold”. |
| 8 | The primeval Aare River once flowed from the Valais Alps down to the Napf region. |
| 9 | Gold ore from a quartz vein near Brusson in the Aosta Valley, Italy. The oldest gold deposits in the Alps are in this region. |
| 10 | A piece of the Nagelfluh conglomerate from the Napf region. The Nagelfluh is made up of gravel and sediment, which originally came from primeval riverbeds. The sediment from these rivers sometimes contains gold. |
| 11 | Gravel from the Nagelfluh conglomerate in the Napf region. The wide variety of pebbles in this conglomerate allows us to understand how this rock was formed. Rivers carry sediment from several regions. This sediment then agglomerates, forming new rock. |
| 12 | Alpine alluvial gold has been found in the following rivers: 1 Grosse Fontanne, Napf region, Canton of Lucerne 2 Grosse Fontanne, the largest gold flake ever found in Grosse Fontanne, found by Gabrielle Lièvre in 2008 3 Areuse, Canton of Neuchâtel 4 Sumvitg, Canton of Grisons 5 Goldach, Canton of St. Gallen 6 Rhône, Canton of Valais 7 Medelser Rhine, Canton of Grisons 8 Rhine near Karlsruhe, Germany |
| 13 | Gold ore and alluvial gold Two ways to extract gold “Gold ore” can be distinguished from “alluvial gold” by the method of extraction. Gold ore is mined and then crushed. The gold is then chemically separated from the subsequent mineral sand. Mercury is often used in smaller mines. In industrial mines, cyanide is used. Both products are highly toxic and accidents have catastrophic consequences for people and the environment. Alluvial gold that has settled in riverbeds is separated from the river silt using gold pans or sluices. Usually only a few millimetres of gold flake are the result – with a lot of luck perhaps a nugget. |
| 14 | Californian metal gold pan. Gold panning takes advantage of the fact that gold is heavier than any of the other elements present in sand. Using a circular motion, any unwanted elements are washed out while any gold flakes stay in the pan. |
| 15 | Alluvial gold from: 1 Crevice Creek, Alaska, USA 2 the Dom Rock Mountains, Arizona, USA 3 Yuba River, California, USA 4 gold bearing land in the Phichit area, Thailand 5 Hokkaido, Japan 6 Tankavaara in Finnish Lapland 7 Sherlock Creek, California, USA 8 78 gram gold nugget from Australia; Nuggets of this size are extremely rare. |
| 16 | Miner’s helmet with lamp ; Nevada gold mine, 1960s, USA. |
| 17 | 1 Pyritic gold ore, Reef Cook 2 mine, South Africa. Pyrite, also known as “fool’s gold”, is an iron ore. In this case, it is fused with gold. 2 Debris from a gold mine in South Africa. Gold was extracted from this sand using cyanide. |
| 18 | 1 Crystallized gold on quartz, California. 2 Gold on bedrock. Red Lake Mine in Balmertown, Canada. 3 Gold on quartz. The Sixteen to One Mine in California, USA. 4 Crystallized gold on bedrock, Olinghouse Gold Mine, Nevada, USA. |
| 21 | Not so shiny Industrial gold mining in Switzerland There are huge reserves of gold in Switzerland’s bank vaults – and very little in the ground. It is likely that even the Helvetians were already prospecting for gold. In the Middle Ages as well as in modern times, gold hunters tried their luck in the regions around the Napf, below Solothurn and near Geneva. For most of them, gold panning was merely a side job. A few gold mines also existed in Switzerland: in Gondo, at the foot of the Simplon, from 1660 to 1897. In Sessa and Astano in Malcantone and in the Calanda massif there were gold mines in the 19th century, some of which remained open until the 20th century. The gold mine at Lake Salanfe in the Lower Valais produced gold from 1904 to 1924. More recently, there have been a few unsuccessful attempts to mine gold commercially in the Surselva in the Anterior Rhine. |
| 24 | 1 Gold prospectors would sell their leftover mineral sand to clerks’ offices, where it was used to dry ink on documents. 2 Sand shaker used for drying ink, mid-19th century. |
| 25 | More of a hangover than a high. 40 grams of gold per tonne of rock. According to geologists, it was possible to find this fabulous amount in Gondo at the foot of the Simplon! People had been mining gold there for a long time, but it was clearly time to really get down to business: “Small investors shouldn’t look to California or the Transvaal, where they often get dividends of 50 percent, because now they’ll be able to get the same in Gondo – and much more besides! “promised the Société des Mines d’or d’Helvétie in 1892. Investors from all over Europe were delighted. The small mountain village welcomed the latest fashions from Paris, and played host to lavish parties celebrating the future wealth of the region. But the results were dismal… In 1897, the Société went bankrupt. |
| 26 | A share in the Société des Mines d’or d’Helvétie, 1892. |
| 27 | 1 Gold ore and pyrite from Gondo. It is one of the more recent alpine gold deposits. 2 Gold medal from Gondo, 1893. In addition to striking the official 20 franc gold coins, the Usine Genevoise de Dégrossissage d’or also produced some medals made of Gondo gold. |
| 28 | 1 A share in Mines de Costano SA, 1939. The company operated a gold mine in Sessa in the canton of Ticino until 1954. The disused La Costa mine is now a tourist attraction. 2 Ore from the La Costa mine near Sessa in Malcantone. Small lenticles of ore contain an average of 12 grams of gold per tonne of rock. |
| 29 | 1 A piece of rock containing native gold from the Golden Sun Mine above the Felsberg in the Calanda massif. 2 A core sample taken during exploratory drilling in the Val Plattas. From 1986 and 1991 the Canadian company Narex prospected for gold near Disentis in the Grisons Surselva. 3 Gold on quartz from the Val Sumvitg, canton of Grisons. René Reichmuth found 1.4 kilos of gold here in July 2000. It was the largest amount of gold ever discovered in Switzerland. |
| 30 | Not always so noble. The finest gold is not always the cleanest Gold bars produced by mining companies always contain a percentage of other metals. Its purity – or as it is known in the business “its fineness” – is achieved by refining it. Although gold refineries are frequently located in gold-mining countries, about half of all the world’s gold is refined in Switzerland. The reasons for this date back to the 1970s, when South Africa was the world’s largest gold producer. Most states boycotted the country over its racist apartheid regime – but not Switzerland, which was happy to accept South African gold. Even today the world gold trade is not “clean”. Gold is regularly used to finance civil wars. Nowadays, it’s possible to buy fair trade gold, but it remains a niche market. |
| 33 | Crucible for melting one-kilogram ingots at the Argor-Heraeus refinery in Mendrisio, 2018. |
| 34 | 1 Commercial one kilogram gold ingot (replica) from Argor-Heraeus, Mendrisio. The bars are stamped with weight, fineness, manufacturer and serial number. 2 Standard gold ingot (replica). A standard ingot weighs 400 ounces (12.5 kilos). 3 Fairtrade gold ingot. The Berner Kantonalbank sells certified Fairtrade gold bars since 2014. They cost 5 to 10 percent more than standard gold. 4 The Australian Nugget, a bullion coin. The Nugget comes in different sizes: 0.1 ounces, 0.5 ounces and 1 ounce. An ounce is 31 grams. 5 1/2 Krügerrand. The Krugerrand is an official South African currency. It has no face value and is used as a bullion coin. |
| 35 | A class action lawsuit filed in the 1990s by the victims of Nazi terror served as a reminder of a dark chapter in Swiss history. Swiss banks prospered during the Second World War, largely because of gold that the Nazi regime stole from Jews. Jean Ziegler’s 2002 book provides an easy-to-understand explanation of what happened. |
| 36 | Making the most of yourself Raw material for jewellery and silver Gold’s beauty has always been and remains its most important feature. Most of the yellow metal is shaped into jewellery or used for decoration. Gold jewellery has existed for thousands of years. In ancient Egypt, the noble metal was used as jewellery, primarily by women. Gold leaf was first produced in India. Using leaf, even relatively large objects could be gilded without needing too much gold. Gold coins of uniform weight and value were first minted under King Croesus of Lydia, in the 11th century B.C.E. |
| 37 | 1 Gold and lapis lazuli ring by the goldsmith Johann Friedrich Neukomm, Burgdorf, 1950s. In the 1950s, goldsmiths began to experiment with new shapes. 2 Gold and turquoise brooch by Johann Friedrich Neukomm, 1950s. |
| 38 | Capricious What’s this? A cracked and damaged brooch? In the 1960s, a young Kurt Neukomm (born 1938) began to produce jewellery that many considered provocative. Yet by the mid-20th century, modernity had finally made its mark on the goldsmith’s trade. Specialists soon showed an interest not only in Neukomm’s jewellery, but also in the images he used to incorporate gold elements into his work. To this day, many museums display Neukomm’s works. |
| 39 | Gold brooch by Kurt Neukomm, 1968. |
| 40 | 1 Kurt Neukomm won the 1972 Bayrische Staatspreis für das Handwerk with this slate relief decorated with a detachable jewel. 2 Gold ring made of coins by Kurt Neukomm. |
| 41 | Goldsmithing tools. |
| 42 | Egyptian gold leaf. The ancient Egyptians knew how to produce gold leaf that was two hundredths of a millimetre thick. Ethnological collection |
| 43 | 1 Gilding tool. 2 Gold leaf. Nowadays, it’s possible to mint leaf that is ten thousandths of a millimetre. A square metre of leaf weighs only 2 grams. 3 Elephant gilded with gold leaf, Myanmar, 2006. 4 Pattern frame, gilded with gold leaf. |
| 44 | Façade panel of a pavilion at the National Exhibition Expo 02 in Biel. Four grams of gold was enough to gild the panel. |
| 45 | Gold scales Modern money is based on trust: a five-franc coin or a ten-franc note is worth what it says because we trust the central bank that issued it. If gold is used as a form of payment, it is different – coins are worth the value of the metal they are made of. In other words, a currency is nothing more than a defined weight of precious metal. But gold coins have always aroused a degree of suspicion. They are liable to be forged, and who knows if someone hasn’t clipped a little off? This is why merchants and bankers always weighed their coins using special gold scales. The counterweights were not marked with weights but with the value of the currency to which they corresponded: “guilder”, “ducat”, ” louis d’or” and so on. |
| 46 | Gold scales, Lyon, 18th century. “Rittersaalverein” Collection |
| 47 | Swiss gold coins 1 Bernese doubloon, 1829 2 2 Bernese ducats, 1727 3 Helvetic Republic double-doubloon, 1800 4 10 franc Swiss gold coin (“vreneli”), 1915 5 20 franc Swiss gold coin (“vreneli”), 1922 1-3: “Rittersaalverein” Collection |
| 48 | Swissmint gold coins, face value 50 / 100 francs. As well as minting everyday coins, Swissmint also produces special edition coins for collectors. |
| 49 | Radiance and squalor Gold through the ages Though gold has little practical value, almost all cultures throughout history have attached great symbolic value to it. Gold’s lustre is suggestive of the sun. It’s rarity makes it a symbol of wealth. As it cannot rust, it is noble and enduring; symbolic of immortality. This is why gold was often used to make burial goods and religious objects as well as symbols of secular power, like crowns. The desire for gold has often caused insatiable greed. European invaders cheated and murdered for gold, particularly in America. |
| 50 | Unrestrained greed People call may them “explorers” but conquistadors such as Fernando Cortez or Francisco Pizarro were essentially brigands sanctioned by the King of Spain. Heavily in debt in Europe, they were neither honourable nor restrained in their pursuit of gold and silver. Atahualpa, the last ruler of the Peruvian Incan Empire, had the misfortune to meet Pizarro. The Spaniard threatened to kill the Incan king, and the latter was forced to promise him gold and silver. Atahualpa pledged to fill an entire room with the two precious metals. The king kept his promise – it is reported that gathering all the imperial gold together took the Incans three months. Pizarro took the gold but reneged on their agreement. In July 1533, the Spaniards strangled Atahualpa. However, even at his execution he was blackmailed once again – he only avoided being burnt at the stake by accepting being baptised. |
| 51 | Attabaliba alias Atahualpa (circa 1500-1533). Colour woodcut from “Geography in pictures” by Georg Adam Dillinger, 1738. |
| 52 | Child’s funerary mask, Ancient Egypt, gilded and painted. From the Memphis region (near Cairo). Ethnological collection |
| 53 | Golden grave ornament from Costa Rica, age unknown. |
| 54 | Brass chalice, gilded, Rougemont, canton of Vaud, late 19th century. “Rittersaalverein” Collection |
| 55 | An Ashanti ruler’s crown, present-day Ghana, mid-twentieth century. |
| 56 | Swiss Army captain’s hat, 20th century. The piping in the form of three golden “spaghetti” show rank. |
| 57 | Gold-measuring scales with figurine-shaped weights, a spoon and a box to keep gold dust. Ashanti, present-day Ghana, early 20th century. |
| 59 | Insignia of the Spanish branch of the Order of the Golden Fleece, mid-twentieth century. The pendant symbolises a golden ram’s fleece. |
| 60 | From gold rush to genocide The discovery of gold in California triggered the gold rush in 1848. Tens of thousands of people flocked to the west coast of North America, but not many found success. For the Amerindians, however, it was catastrophic: the gold rush became the catalyst for genocide. Killing any natives that interfered with the search for gold was not only legal, it was rewarded. The state of California paid a bounty for each dead Native American : $5 for a head and 50 cents for a scalp. Within a few years, many Native American tribes were completely wiped out. |
| 61 | Contemporary newspaper report about the gold rush in California (1849). |
| 62 | 1 Plaque with claim number, Yukon, Alaska, circa 1940. Gold prospectors used plaques like this one to mark the territory where they had licence to prospect. 2 Postcards from Alaska, early 20th century. Floating excavators, also called dredges, were used to search deep underwater for gold material. |
| 63 | Gold is everywhere The precious metal in everyday life Real gold is usually only used in small quantities. Jewellery notwithstanding, dental crowns and electronic devices also contain gold. The metal is also used in medicine and as an award in athletics competitions – or at any rate something gilded that looks like gold is awarded. Even though real gold is expensive, it costs nothing to call something “gold” and to use gold as a colour. This is especially true in advertising and in product names as well as, of course, in legends and fairy tales, where the precious metal is everywhere. |
| 64 | 1 Aurum potabile (“drinkable gold”) from the Schnell Pharmacy, Burgdorf, late 19th century. This water contained gold, and was supposed to relieve and prevent chronic inflammation and rheumatism. 2 Gold leaf for gilding pills. Schnell Pharmacy, Burgdorf, end of the 19th century. 3 Horn tool for gilding pills, Schnell’s Pharmacy, Burgdorf, late 19th century. The gilded pills were not bitter and were easier to swallow. 4 Blank unused gold tooth, Burgdorf, circa 1950. 5 Advertising brochure for porcelain dentures, 1933. |
| 65 | 1 Pocket watch, circa 1900. “Rittersaalverein” Collection 2 Gold-coloured Swatch wristwatch, 2004. |
| 66 | 1 AMD 6 TM computer processor, early 21st century. Because of its resistance to corrosion, gold is used to plate electrical contacts. 2 Mobile phone printed circuit board, early 21st century. On average, a mobile phone contains 24 milligrams of gold. One tonne of electronic waste contains 30 grams of gold. For comparison, in open pit mining, the average gold content of a tonne of rock is 3 to 5 grams. |
| 67 | 1 “Ohrschüfeli”, part of the traditional folk costume of Appenzeller men. 2 Basel Carnival plaques, 2017 to 2019. The carnival committee sells these plaques to finance its work. |
| 68 | 1 Golden boots by Hunter, 2008. In 2008, Hunter, the Scottish rubber boot manufacturer and official supplier to the British Royal Family, gave every British Olympic champion a pair of golden boots. 2 Rio de Janeiro 2016 Summer Olympic Games gold medal (reproduction). Up until 1912, Olympic gold medals really were made of gold. Nowadays, they are merely gold-plated – although regulations state that they must contain at least 6 grams of fine gold. 3 Wreath badges Gold, Eidgenössisches Schützenfest (Swiss federal shooting competitions), Winterthur, 1990. |
| 69 | Gilded ceramic bowl by Regina Salzmann, Burgdorf, 2014. |
| 71 | 1 Finnish beer. “Lapin Kulta” means “Lapland Gold”. 2 Riesling x Sylvaner “Goldene Sonne” from Felsberg. “Goldene Sonne” (Golden Sun) was the name of the gold mine at the Calanda above Felsberg near Chur. 3 “Napfgold“ of Napf Brewery in Wasen i. E. |
| 72 | 1 Peeler, gold-plated, limited edition, 2018 2 Perfume diffuser, Lady Million, 2010 3 Gold digger, Ravensburger game, 1988 4 Gold chicken 5 Das Rheingold, Richard Wagner, CD 2013 6 Paperback Donald Duck, 1990 7 Chocolate Gold Treasure, 2019 8 Haribo Gold Bears, 2006 9 Orange Juice Gold, 1993 10 Chips Bouton d’Or, 2015 11 Gold Nuggets, Burgdorf, 2011 12 Gold Flake cigarette tin, 1960s 13 Cigarillo Lucerne Lion Gold, 1950s 14 Enamel sign nut gold, 1920s 15 Golden Crackles, 1994 16 Nescafé Gold, 2018 17 Swiss Cheese Union, 1981 18 Dominican Churchill cigars with gold leaf |
| 73 | Three pieces of the Bernese Cantonal Bank safe deposit box. It was originally in a building built in 1918 on Bahnhofstrasse in Burgdorf. |