There remained, then, only two possible solutions of the question, which created two distinct parties: on one side, those who were for a monster of colossal strength; on the other, those who were for a submarine vessel of enormous motive power.
Gold is the most malleable of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, and an avoirdupois ounce into 300 square feet. Gold leaf can be beaten thin enough to become semi-transparent.
Pure 24k gold is normally too soft for use in jewelry, so jewelers mix gold with another metal like nickel or silver to harden it, creating gold alloys of various purities: 10 karat gold is 41.7% pure gold; 12 karat gold is 50% pure gold; 14 karat gold is 58.3% pure gold and is ideal for jewelry because of its durability and affordability; 18 karat gold is 75% pure gold and is preferred in jewelry for its beauty and durability; and again, 24 karat is 100% pure gold and is therefore too soft ...