Gold is a highly sought-after precious metal which, for many centuries, has been used as money, a store of value and in jewelry. The metal occurs as nuggets or grains in rocks, underground "veins" and in alluvial deposits.

Gold forms the basis for a monetary standard used by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS). Modern industrial uses include dentistry and electronics, where gold has traditionally found use because of its good resistance to oxidative corrosion. Native gold contains usually eight to ten percent silver, but often much more - alloys with a silver content over 20% are called electrum. As the amount of silver increases, the color becomes whiter and the specific gravity becomes lower.

In 2005, domestic mine production of gold fell to 256,000 kilograms (kg), slightly down compared with that of 2004. The reduction was a result of closure of one mine in Washington and lower output from older mines. The recent price increases have spurred exploration and development of new gold projects. However, since new mines take years to open, there was a lag in new mines to open to replace older mines.

Stronger global gold prices offset the reduction in gold production, resulting in an increase in gold value for 2005 by eight percent compared with that of 2004. The United States remained the world's third ranked gold producer, behind South Africa and Australia. Nevada accounted for almost 83% of domestic production in 2005. The remaining output came from Utah, Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Washington, South Dakota, California, New Mexico, Arizona, and Idaho, in descending order.

Aruvian's R'search's Report – Focusing on Gold and the US Gold Industry takes a look at the global gold industry, focusing primarily on the basic characteristics of the metal itself. The first part of the report deals with understanding gold, technologies involved in gold production, exploration, mining, and the uses of gold, as well as the global industry structure, impact of gold on the environment, the various markets of gold – including a futures trading market and an options trading market.

The second part of the report focuses on the Gold Industry in the United States. In-depth profiles are given of market players, state profiles, along with global regional profiles. The report further focuses on the price trends of gold in the US, market performance, import/export scenario, the regulatory framework affecting the US gold market, and of course, a market forecast.

The Focusing on Gold and the US Gold Industry is a comprehensive and resourceful research guide to not only the Gold Industry Worldwide, but also the US Gold Market.