The title of this post is probably the most famous, oft-repeated phrase about gold in history. It comes from William Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice and, hang on to your leggings and pantaloons, the actual phrase is slightly different:
“All that glisters is not gold;
Often have you heard that told:
Many a man his life hath sold
But my outside to behold:
Gilded tombs do worms enfold.”
Glisters, by the way, is the 17th-century version of glitters. And even before then, this was an expression in use, in various forms, as far back as the 12th century. Of course in those days, they could have been talking about panning for gold. When you dip a shallow pan of gold into a bit of rocks and shake out the sediment, you’re every bit as likely (if not more probable) to get pyrite, also known as false or fool’s gold, because the false gold usually reflects more light than authentic gold ore does.
“All that glitters is not gold” is more regularly spoken in terms of what is authentic and what is sham in terms of people. When you look for good business deals and true friends, you often find the “real gold” of best friends and high profit ventures among those that aren’t as flashy, or false gold.
That’s why we don’t offer advice on speculating in precious metals. We think the only sure way to make a profit, or real gold in any business is to stick to what you know. Instead of trying for the tantalizing but elusive pot of gold by attempting to ride the market (which is very unpredictable), we find the best way to benefit your business is to recycle your scrap and waste precious metals in order to put the money back to work in your business.
And of course if everything that glittered really was gold, there’d be no need to refine gold, since it wouldn’t be as rare and precious any longer.
