Gold is used decoratively in all sorts of contexts, from costume jewellery, watchcases, pens and pencils to spectacle frames and bathroom fittings. Demand for gold from this sector is around 90 tonnes per year, and is used in various forms, such as’ rolled gold’ and ‘gold fill’.

Visually, the most spectacular use of decorative gold is gold leaf, which has been used for centuries to adorn the domes or ceilings of public buildings, mainly because its resistance to corrosion means it will outlast paint by many years.

 

Gold's ability to reflect heat in summer (and retain it in winter) has also led to the use of gold-coated glass in several modern buildings, especially in North America; one ounce of gold typically covers one thousand square feet of glass. This reflective glass can cut cooling and heating costs by 40%.

Gustav Klimt, the Austrian artist behind such masterpieces as ‘The Kiss’, is famous for his use of gold leaf. In fact, his father was even a gold engraver, although not a particularly successful one. But does the gold in Klimt’s paintings make the work more glamorous? Well, his 1907 ‘Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer’ was recently bought for a record-breaking £73 million, so some people think so!