Welsh gold has a great history attached to it. It is assumed that the gold was first mined by the Romans. The intriguing aspects of Welsh gold include the fact that unlike other metals, it is mined by hand and the authorities do not permit anyone on site at the only active gold mine in Wales today – Colgau. The latter is also one of the reasons why Welsh gold is also called Colgau gold. The panning is done from the band stretching from Barmouth and passing through Dolgellau towards Snowdonia, in Wales. Welsh gold or Clogau gold was mined very easily by early man. This gold did not come naturally embedded and fragmented in rock, like South African gold to which Welsh gold is most compared. Welsh gold or clogau gold could be easily extracted. The value of Welsh gold or Clogau gold is more than other gold variants because of the fact that while most others yield quarter of an ounce for every ton mined, making the whole process expensive, Welsh gold or Clogau gold is pure and the gold forms in seams, pretty much like coal, yielding up to 30 ounces per ton! Also Welsh gold or Clogau gold is associated with the royals.
Gold jewelry was flaunted by the Welsh princes. The gold was designed into torcs and badges that flaunted their ranks. The tradition, and tradition is something that Wales is known for, is still echoed today. The Welsh gold or Clogau gold jewelry, especially the wedding rings have been worn by a number of Royal brides, including The Queen, The Queen Mother, Princess Margaret, The Prince of Wales, Princess Diana and the The Dutchess of Cornwall. Wales has three gold mines that are still extracting the royal metal.
The Dolaucothi gold mine is located near Pumpsaint in Dyfed, Wales. This gold mine is owned and managed by the National Trust. It is thrown open for visitors to be a part of the panning process and is visited in large numbers. The Dolaucothi gold mine used to be operated by the Romans. However, with the decline of their empire and the subsequent Roman departure, the Dolaucothi gold mine was abandoned for centuries, till the 19th century. The revival was short lived and the Dolaucothi gold mine finally closed down in 1938.
The Gwynfynydd Gold Mine is located in Dolgellau, Wales. This gold mine was first started in 1860 and went on to being recognized as one of the richest gold mines in Britain for the revenue it fetched. The Gwynfynydd Gold Mine has been restored. It is active today and is handling full production of Welsh gold. The Gwynfynydd Gold Mine has gone on record with extractions crossing more than 2,000 oz of fine gold since 1884! Like the Dolaucothi gold mine, the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine is also open to visitors and visitors can even avail of the unique opportunity to work within, pan for gold and be a part of the modern gold rush.
The most popular Welsh gold is found at the Clogau Gold Mine, located at Bontddu, near Barmouth, Wales. The Clogau Gold Mine is a working gold mine. However, the authorities have not permitted visitors to the Clogau Gold Mine to be a part of the panning and refining processes. This has not in any way reduced the popularity of the Clogau Gold Mine or the gold mined here; in fact, it is interesting to note that because of this decision of the authorities and the purity of gold mined at the Clogau Gold Mine, the metal is priced higher than other gold variants.
This article was translated into English by twigg’s translations (Englisch übersetzung)
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