Not gold enough Susan E. Degginger / Alamy Stock Photo

All that glitters is not gold – but sometimes it really, really is. Researchers have made a new kind of gold crystal that is even more gold-like than regular gold.

Gold is a precious metal, which means that as well as being attractively shiny it is almost entirely chemically inert. Unlike other metals, it does not corrode when exposed to air, and retains its lustre indefinitely.

It’s said this property is why wedding rings are traditionally made of gold: it represents an eternity of love. Silver is another such “noble metal”, …