Mark (unit) Mark (unit) The Mark (from Middle High German: Marc, march, brand) is originally a medieval weight or mass unit, which supplanted the pound weight as a precious metals and coinage weight from the 11th century. The Mark is traditionally a half pound weight and was usually divided into 8 ounces or 16 Lot. The significance of the "Cologne Mark" (Kölner Mark) in the German-speaking areas corresponded to about 234 gram. Like the German systems, the French poids de marc weight system considered one "Marc" equal to half-a-pound (8 ounces). Like the pound of 12 troy ounces (373 g), the mark
Hierarchy of precious substances Hierarchy of precious substances In popular culture, sets of precious substances may form hierarchies which express conventional perceived relative value or merit. Precious metals appear prominently in such hierarchies, but as they grow, gems and semi-precious materials may be introduced as part of the system. The sequences can provide interesting examples of the arbitrariness of semiotic signs. Jubilees have a hierarchy of years: silver (25 years), ruby (40 years), golden (50 years), diamond (60 years), and platinum (70 years). Wedding anniversaries extend the jubilee hierarchy with various sequences of substances filling in many of the gaps between the same major