Out of all the precious metals, gold is the one that is most important and sought after. More than half of all the gold that is consumed goes to the Jewelry industry, but the rest of the gold is used in electronics, dentistry and other similar fields. Plenty of it is kept as an investment in safes and banks from all over the world and its use as an investment is much more common in times of crisis. Since the economic crisis started, the price of gold just kept growing and it has hit record numbers.

A lot of people are concerned over the gold mining operations from all over the world, because they are a danger for the environment. The mining process used to extract gold is considered the most hazardous to the environment and the dirtiest. With the mining methods used in our modern days, the environment is affected by the equipment and the chemicals which are used. Gold mining operations can potentially contaminate the drinking water, pollute the air and destroy the environment. It can also lead to health issues, including respiratory problems and disabilities. In countries like Colombia, gold mining is increasingly more dangerous for the ecological system and the local fauna and flora suffers because of it. Another mine in Alaska is dangerous for the local salmon habitat, which is known as being very productive. The locals that are employed in industries which are based on that salmon would also have to suffer.

One way of dealing with the effects of gold mining is by making sure that you’re buying gold which comes from responsible sources and some of the large jewelry chains are offering you this kind of information. Another way is to start to recycle gold, using the broken pieces of jewelry to create new ones.