Electrum

__NOTOC__ Electrum is a naturally occurring alloy of gold and silver, with trace amounts of copper and other metals. Color ranges from pale to bright yellow, depending on the proportions of gold and silver.

Electrum was used in as early as the third millennium BC in Old Kingdom Egypt, sometimes as an exterior coating to the pyramidions atop ancient Egyptian pyramids.^*

Electrum was also used in the making of ancient drinking vessels and coins.

Composition

Electrum consists primarily of gold and silver but is sometimes found with traces of copper and other metals. As a result, electrum is usually a good conductor of electricity.

Analysis of the electrum composition in ancient Greek coinage dating from 600 BC showed that the gold composition was 55.5% in archaic Phocaea. In the early classical period the gold composition of electrum ranged from 46% in Phokaia to 43% in Mytilene. In later coinage from these areas, dating to 326 BC, the gold composition averaged 40% to 41%.

Appearance

The color of electrum is pale yellow or yellowish-white and the name is a Latinized form of the Greek word ηλεκτρον (elektron) mentioned in the Odyssey meaning a metallic substance consisting of gold alloyed with silver. The same word was also used for the substance amber, probably because of the pale yellow color of certain varieties, and it is from the electrostatic properties of amber that the modern English words "electron" and "electricity" derive.

Electrum was often referred to as white gold in ancient times but could be more accurately described as "pale gold". The modern use of the term white gold usually concerns gold, silver and palladium alloys.

History

Electrum is mentioned in an expedition sent by Pharaoh Sahure of the Fifth dynasty of Egypt (see Sahure).

Electrum is believed to have been used in coins circa 600 BC in Lydia under the reign of Alyattes, infrequently referred to as Alyattes II as a result of a possible previous king Alyattes, though it is far from certain that this figure was a king of Lydia or even existed.

Electrum was much better for coinage than gold, mostly because it was harder and more durable, but also because techniques for refining gold were not widespread at the time.

In Lydia, 14.1 grams of electrum was made into one stater (meaning "Standard"). A stater was about one month's pay for a soldier. To complement the stater, fractions were made: the trite (third), the hekte (sixth), and so forth, including 1/24 of a stater, and even down to 1/48th and 1/96th of a stater. The 1/96 stater was only about 0.14 to 0.15 grams.

Because of the variety of electrum's composition, it was rather difficult to determine the exact worth of each coin. Widespread trading was somewhat hampered by this, as a foreign merchant would offer rather poor rates on local electrum coin.

These difficulties were eliminated in 570 BC when pure silver coins were introduced. However, electrum currency remained fairly popular until approximately 350 BC. The simplest reasoning for this would be that, because of the gold content, one 14.1 gram stater would be worth as much as ten 14.1 gram silver pieces.

In fiction

In the fictional Star Wars universe, Jedi Master Mace Windu wielded a lightsaber that had a hilt made of electrum (only members of the Jedi Council were permitted to make such a saber). It is unknown if electrum had any effect on the lightsaber; it is believed to only be cosmetic. The Sith Lord Darth Sidious also constructed a lightsaber that had a hilt made with electrum.

A naturally-occurring golden alloy named electrum featured in the Transformers episode, The Golden Lagoon, but featured the additional unusual property of rendering Transformers immune to damage when coated in it.

Before 3rd Edition, an electrum coin (electrum piece) was worth 10 silver pieces (half a gold piece) in the Dungeons and Dragons role-playing game. Electrum was also innately magical.

The Terry Pratchett book Pyramids (Discworld) features an Electrum-plated Pyramidion that was used in a failed attempt to "flare off" the time stored in a magical pyramid.

In music

There is a band called Electrum, from Edinburgh, Scotland. They play indie guitar pop with a female singer, and have released a single, "Like I Said," on the tiny indie label Unpopular Records (Pipettes, Smoosh!, The Clientele). They have rereleased this EP themselves to accompany their second record, "Whatever Happens, Happens" EP.

External links