The world's rarest and most sought-after gold
Welsh gold mining has a history stretching back at least 2,000 years. Prized for its scarcity and origin, it has become one of the most sought-after golds in the world. Within every item of Clogau is aguaranteed measured amount of Welsh gold.
The tradition of the British Royal Family using Welsh gold wedding rings was carried into its 95thyear during the most recent royal wedding of Harry and Meghan, Duke and duch*ess of Sussex, in May 2018.
Introduction
Wales, with its dramatic scenery, is steeped in mystery and romance. Its majestic heather-clad hills cut by cascading waterfalls, and mountain streams rushing through gladed valleys, are the places of legends and of history running back into the mists of time. Yet, beneath the quartzite surface of this jewelled landscape, there is another treasure as valuable as it is beautiful – Welsh gold. The ancient songs of Celtic bards, and archaeological records, affirm that Welsh gold has had a long and fascinating existence. Not only is Welsh gold one of the rarest precious metals in the world, but its reputation has taken on an almost magical dimension through time.
The tradition is presumed to have started by panning gold from alluvial deposits in river beds, or near old rivers. By 75AD, however, large-scale mining was already underway at Dolaucothi, and from 1862 until 1911, in what was known as the “gold rush” period, the Clogau St David's Gold Mine near Dolgellau had produced 165,031 tonnes of gold ore resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold.
Today, Welsh gold is scarcer than it has ever been. When mining took place at the Clogau St David’s Gold Mine in the late 1990s it used to cost over £1000 per ounce to extract.
With no gold mining happening in Wales today, Welsh gold supplies may eventually run out, making it possibly the rarest gold in the world. Due to the scarcity of Welsh gold, only a small amount is included within each piece of Clogau jewellery. This ensures the longevity of Welsh gold supplies, and Clogau's affordability.
Below is an image of Afon Mawddach near where the Clogau mine is situated and a piece of rock from the Clogau mine containing traces of Welsh gold
At present, Welsh gold can be valued up to 30 times more than standard world gold
On 28th November 2017, 10 lots of Clogau gold, mined under government lease between 1979 and 1981, were expected to fetch about £9,000 at auction. But after going under the hammer in Colwyn Bay, the lots sold for £44,000. The auctioneer had been told by experts that Welsh gold was "visibly discernible" from other types and the "Clogau factor" could increase the selling amount.
The smallest nugget weighed 3g (0.1oz) and had a guide price of £600-£700 but went for £4,000.
The 16.26g (0.5oz) of gold flakes and dust was expected to fetch between £1,600 and £2,000 but achieved a final price of £10,500.
The precious metal was mined from Clogau St David's after a farmer in the area, Jack Williams, approached Kerry John Thackwell and his father Ray.
The pair came to Wales to mine in Gwynfynydd after working in Western Australia. Mr Williams told them he was the last miner to work in St David's in 1939 and could show the men the location of gold-bearing veins.
The men obtained a mining lease and extracted the gold over three years.
Where does Welsh gold come from?
Welsh gold occurs naturally in two distinct areas of Wales.One area is in North Wales in a band stretching from Barmouth, past Dolgellau and up towards Snowdonia. Several mines operated in this area, the largest of which were the Gwynfynydd Gold Mine near Ganllwyd and the Clogau Gold Mine near Bontddu.
In South Wales, gold is found in a small area in the valley of the River Cothi at Dolaucothi where it is known to have been mined by the Romans.
Welsh gold was used to craft jewellery such as torcs – ceremonial bands worn around the neck by early Welsh princes and nobility.
Our Welsh Gold Promise
Our heritage evolved in the hills of Snowdonia when gold was found in the Clogau St David’s gold mine 150 years ago.
This mine was the largest and richest of its kind. The first major link between Welsh gold and the British Royal Family began on 13th July, 1911 when Prince Edward I was officially invested as Prince of Wales in a special ceremony at Caernarfon Castle on the fringes of Snowdonia, North Wales. Prince Edward’s regalia contained pure Welsh gold.
A gift of rare Welsh gold dating from the closure of the Clogau St David’s gold mine in 1911 has been used to create wedding rings for some members of the British Royal Family, a tradition that began in 1923 with Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, followed by Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret, Princess Anne, and Princess Diana.
Other members of the Royal Family to have Welsh gold wedding rings include King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort; Catherine, Princess of Wales; and most recently, Meghan, duch*ess of Sussex.
The Clogau brand was founded in 1989 with just five pieces of jewellery. Now, 30 years later, we continue to celebrate our heritage with customers across the globe through over 500 pieces of iconic jewellery all containing rare Welsh gold – identifiable by the Welsh dragon and “Clogau” stamp.
Clogau jewellery is an heirloom with both a personal and cultural meaning – we hope your jewellery brings you many years of joy.
We certify that your piece of Clogau jewellery contains rare Welsh gold.
Statement from the Edinburgh Assay Office on the content of Welsh gold in Clogau jewellery
The Clogau St. David's Gold Mine
The Clogau Gold Mine (sometimes known as the Clogau St David's Mine) was once the largest and richest of all the gold mines in the Dolgellau gold mining area. It is situated in Bontddu, near Barmouth in Gwynedd, North Wales.
After producing copper and a little lead for a number of years, the mine developed into gold production in the 1862 "rush" and continued as a major operator until 1911, during which 165,031 tons of gold ore was mined resulting in 78,507 troy ounces (2,442 kg) of gold.
The Clogau Gold Mine worked the St David's lode of Clogau mountain alongside the co-owned Vigra Mine.
Since 1911 the mine has been re-opened several times for smaller-scale operations.
It last closed in 1998. In 1999 the mine was taken over and held by a local exploration company.
In November 2010 the mine was acquired by a new exploration company, who hope to restore the mine to production.
Within every piece of Clogau jewellery is rare Welsh gold from the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine in Bontddu (“bont-thee”). This is undoubtedly one of the rarest, most expensive and most sought-after golds in the world.
During the early 20th Century, the Clogau mine was Britain’s largest and richest gold mine — producing nearly 2.5 tonnes of gold between 1862 and 1911.
For over 150 years, the mine went through mixed fortunes with the gold veins being most inconsistent and difficult to locate.
By the late 1990s however, the last train carrying Welsh gold from the Clogau mine clanked to a halt. One of the miners at the Clogau mine once said:
Finding gold in most mines around the world is like finding the cream in a sponge cake.Finding Welsh gold on the other hand is like finding the sixpence in the biggest Christmas cake you could imagine.
There’s no pattern, no logic, and you never know when you’re just inches away.
Below shows the workers at the Clogau mine and the entrance to the Clogau mine today
Did you know that Welsh gold has a royal heritage?
Welsh gold has been used by royalty since 1911 when, at the investiture of Edward as Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle, the regalia used (which comprised a coronet, a rod, a ring, a sword, and a robe with a doublet and sash) incorporated pure Welsh gold, identified by the Welsh dragon stamp. The regalia were used again in 1969 at Caernarfon for the investiture of Prince Charles.
Select members of the Royal Family have used pure Welsh gold to create their wedding rings for a century. The tradition was founded in 1923 by Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon, later Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, on her marriage to the Duke of York, later King George VI.
Other members of the Royal Family to have Welsh gold wedding rings include Princess Anne (1973), Princess Diana (1981), King Charles III (1981 and 2005), Camilla, Queen Consort (2005) and Catherine, Princess of Wales (2011). When Princess Elizabeth, later Queen Elizabeth II, married Philip Mountbatten in 1947, her wedding ring was crafted from a nugget of pure Welsh gold from the Clogau St David's mine.
The tradition of the British Royal Family using Welsh gold wedding rings was carried into its 95th year during the most recent royal wedding of Harry and Meghan, Duke and duch*ess of Sussex, in May 2018.
With rare Welsh gold contained within each piece of Clogau jewellery, it is some of the most exclusive jewellery in the world. The content of Welsh gold can be identified by the Welsh dragon stamp, and other unique marks that denote a genuine piece of Clogau jewellery.
The Gwynfynydd Gold Mine
The Gwynfynydd Gold Mine in Dolgellau closed in January 1999. In January 2007, the BBC and other news organisations reported that the final traces of "economically extractable" gold had been removed from the mines and surrounding spoil. Even the local road surface had been filtered for traces, marking the end of the current mining operation.
Gwynfynydd was discovered in 1860. It was active until 1998 and has produced over 45,000 troy ounces of Welsh gold since 1884.
Queen Elizabeth II was presented with a kilogram ingot of Welsh gold on her 60th birthday, in April 1986, from this mine.
In the 1990s the mine was opened to the public and provided guided tours which included the opportunity to pan for gold.
The below image reads: "The Gwyn Gold Mine and Rhaiadr Mawddach Falls, Nr. Dolgelley"
How we discovered Welsh gold and how we use it
The Clogau Gold Mine (sometimes known as the Clogau St David's Mine) was once the largest and richest of all the gold mines in the Dolgellau gold mining area. It is situated in Bontddu, near Barmouth in Gwynedd, North Wales.
In 1989, the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine was discovered by William Roberts. William wanted to re-open the mine as a tourist attraction, an idea that was overturned by the Snowdonia National Park Authority.
As a result, William decided to gamble on the idea that there would be more gold within the mine. Luckily, there was, and a few years worth of small-scale mining began in 1992 when precious rose-coloured gold began to be extracted.
To make the best use of this magnificent gold, William decided to use it to produce jewellery of the utmost quality, using the natural beauty and history of Wales as his design inspirations.
The miners who worked the mine were the direct descendants of the original workers who once struck gold at the Clogau Mine in 1854 and mined deep in the 12 miles of caverns inside the Snowdonia hillside.
To begin with, just five lines of jewellery were created. And so in 1992 Clogau Gold was born.
The precious yellow metal extracted from the Clogau St. David’s Gold Mine is one of the rarest golds in the world. It is included within every piece of Clogau jewellery. Environmentally mined, Clogau separated out the gold using water from the adjacent crystalline streams.
Today, Clogau is more beautiful than ever. William and his wife, Margaret, spent many hours carefully designing these beautiful and collectable pieces, along with their full-time designers and craftsmen.
With no gold mining taking place in Wales today, Welsh gold supplies will eventually run out, making it possibly the rarest gold in the world. Due to the scarcity of Welsh gold, only a small amount is included within each piece of Clogau jewellery. This ensures the longevity of Welsh gold supplies, and Clogau's affordability.
