Los Metales Technologicos

Techno-metals the Greatest yet Discovered

The laptop, on which I am writing this essay, is made of aluminum. That beautiful “Mark XIX Desert Eagle” I held, when my father taught me target shooting on weekends, is made of Iron. That gorgeous ring my mother left me as a memento on my prom night, is made of white gold. All these items have been part of many important moments through out my life, and could not have been possible if metals were never found.

Humanity realized that the discovery and application of metals have made a big impact on the ways people live, how they have shaped societies throughout history, and the advancement of civilization. The use of metals have been recorded since pre-historic times, ending the “Stone Age” and starting the “Metal Age”, such discovery was one of the greatest and more influential in human development. During metal age, prehistoric men used six main metals like gold, silver, copper, tin, lead and iron. Three significant ages developed from the metal age, Copper, Bronze and Iron ages.

Robert Raymond, Out Of The Fiery Furnace, The Impact of Metals on The History of Mankind (The Pennsylvania State University Press, 1984):4 suggests that the appearance of metals in everyday life coincided with the change from the nomadic existence of hunting and food gathering to settlement in communities, the development of agriculture, and the domestication of animals. Also, the trade of metals specially, obsidian, in the ancient world established channels for the spread of metal working technology.1

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This book emphasizes on the influence metals have had on the growth of civilization and how metals play an important role in modern life.

Primitive men used bronze, bronzed weapons and fur, rare hard stones as jade, gold and other beautiful ornamental materials. As a form of trade in exchange of another products or services, primitive men also based exchange on personal satisfactions or necessities in their society. While commercialization was expanding, trade showed to be less practical, and it was very difficult to determine the real value of the products. To solve this problem, men searched for a reference product; all the commercial values were based and established on that product. Currency appears making the exchange of the products easier and perfecting throughout the years, creating other systems, such as coins made of gold and silver, consolidating money as a symbol of economy. This currency is still used nowadays.

In the CNBC article “Urgent Precious Metals Alert!” Tekoa Da Silva of Bull Market Thinking, “Hedge Funds Loading Up on Gold, Silver, and Mining Shares”, February 20, 2013, she states: “While the mainstream media continues to spew out bearish news and headlines on precious metals and (especially) mining shares, SAC Capital Partners LP, a $20 billion dollar group of hedge funds founded by Stephen A. Cohen, quietly positioned itself in over $240 million dollars worth of gold, silver, and mining share investments during Q4 2012”. Metals such as gold and silver are falling right now, and it has significant support that attract buyers, and this is a big time where profits are made2. Currently showing the importance of metals, Rick Rule of Sprott, Asset Management emphasizes: “Remember, in order to sell high, you have to buy low and that’s the part no one wants to do.” 3 Metals are abundant in nature, and it was not until the first years of the 20th Century that “minor metals” where discovered.

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To mention a few, nickel, stainless steel and tungsten became high volume produced incorporating them to General Electricity development, used in filaments in incandescent light bulbs, military armor and piercing projectiles. All these minor metals pushed the development of technology and increased considerably, making a remarkable

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