Gold: A Nova Scotia Treasure
UPDATE: Last chance to see the Gold Exhibit, now on display at the Moncton Museum (Sept. 15, 2014 – Jan. 4, 2015)
Gold is the promise of luxury, riches and prosperity. It represents great achievements, is the top prize and the undisputed first place. Throughout the world, this soft, shiny metal has inspired artistic traditions, influenced popular culture and helped to shape history.
On November 19, Nova Scotians will get the chance to discover what gold means to this province when Gold: A Nova Scotia Treasure opens at the Museum of Industry in Stellarton.
Featuring contributions from the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia Museum geology and history collections, the Nova Scotia Archives, the Department of Natural Resources, the Museum of Industry and private collectors, this brand new, bilingual exhibit has dug up a wealth of information about a wide range of “golden” topics.
To preview some of the exhibit highlights, the Museum of Industry’s Director, Debra McNabb, took the time to answer a quick Q&A.
What makes gold “a Nova Scotia treasure”?
There are several interesting stories about Nova Scotia that can be told through gold. The most obvious is, of course, the literal association of the value of gold and the fact that Nova Scotia was one of the places in the world that has gold deposits. Nova Scotia’s gold is 99% pure, meaning that it isn’t combined with other minerals when it is found in nature. Between 1862 and 1976 at least 1.1 million ounces of gold was mined in this province.
Gold often brings to mind “panning for gold” and the American gold rush. Did Nova Scotia ever have a gold rush?
Nova Scotia had three gold rushes between the 1860s and the early 1940s. The first was most like what we think of as a gold “rush”, where people dropped what they were doing and raced to the Nova Scotia goldfields to get rich quick. With the exception of British Columbia, the mines created here were among the earliest hard rock mines in Canada, and many Canadian gold mining techniques were pioneered in Nova Scotia.
Gold and luxurious jewellery have always gone hand in hand. Is this represented in the exhibit?
The exhibit includes some exquisite pieces of jewellery from the Nova Scotia Museum collection made with great skill in the 1870s and 1880s. Julius Cornelius, a Halifax goldsmith who favoured Nova Scotia gold created incredibly detailed and beautiful jewellery. Each historical piece has its own story and they are complemented by some modern pieces and a video of a Nova Scotia goldsmith explaining how to make a gold ring.
Society recognizes “gold” as a reward for the ultimate achievement. Is this represented in the exhibit?
Within our exploration of the prominence of gold in popular culture, we are pleased to profile a small sampling of Nova Scotians who have won gold for their achievements in science, music, cuisine, and sports. We could have filled an entire exhibit with Nova Scotians who have won gold!
Which gold pieces in the exhibit are your favourites?
There is nothing like the sight of gold itself. The exhibit has some beautiful specimens from the Nova Scotia Museum that we contrast against gold nuggets and fool’s gold. Nova Scotia gold is a rich golden colour and the way it appears in quartz is beautiful.
