Gold

The discovery of gold in the 1850s has had more impact than any other event in the development of Australia. Ophir, northeast of the city of Orange, is the locality of the first discovery in NSW and lead to the Australian gold rushes.
The city of Melbourne owes it's grand architecture to wealth resulting from being the major port and service provider at this time. Other gorgeous Victorian gold-boom towns to visit are Castlemaine, Ballarat, Bendigo and Ararat.
9ct Yellow Gold is an alloy of fine gold and copper that allows the gold to be yellow but also strong and durable.
Chemical element symbol Au
Australian Standard mark for 9ct gold - 375

Silver

1883 discoveries in Broken Hill, New South Wales gave rise to the title 'The Silver City'.
The protruding tip of the ore deposit stood out as a jagged ridge and was known as the broken hill. It is Australia's longest-lived mining city and the ore is still being extracted.
The rich lead-silver lodes discovered in 1923 at Mt Isa, Queensland, remain in production after over 80 years of mining. Transforming from a network of miners' camps to a thriving and diverse community, Mt Isa evolved through a story of struggle and adversity, spirit, camaraderie and success against the odds.
Sterling silver is an alloy of fine silver and copper which retains the bright, white colouring whilst increasing durability and strength.
Chemical element symbol - Ag
Australian Standards mark for sterling silver - 925
Gold and silver are part of a group of metals referred to as precious or noble metals, along with Platinum, Palladium and Rhodium, because of their resistance to chemical and environmental elements.
No other group of metals can equal these properties.
Other favourable properties of precious metals for jewellery are their high lustre, maleability and great tensile strength.