Gold has always had a magic hold over people. Literally every king in medieval Europe had an alchemist trying to produce gold. It has, throughout the ages, been used as a store of value and to this day the world's central banks hold substantial gold reserves.
Gold is a heavy and soft metal with low mechanical strength. It has very good formability and can be rolled, for example, to a 0.0001 mm thick foil. Pure gold and gold alloys are used in the jewellery industry and for decoration. Valuables, ornaments and jewellery work are still by far the biggest field of application for gold.
Gold is also used in the electronic industry, in the ceramics and glass industries and in medical and dental applications. It has gained a new application in aerospace; as a protection against heat radiation, etc. The medical industry also represents a relatively large part of the consumption. Gold is almost completely corrosion resistant and an excellent conductor, making it a metal much in demand for contact surfaces within electronics and for the telecomm industry's high-technological products.
As gold does not oxidise or create sulphides, very weak electric currents can also be conducted across the contacts. The reflection value of gold is high, and it is therefore used in window-glass and optics to control the amount of heat and light let through.