Most of Germany's gold reserves, some 674 tons of them, are stored for safekeeping in New York, France, and London - the greatest part in New York.

Germany asked for them back. Unfortunately, New York (with one hundred billion dollars worth) and Paris, can't seem to lay their hands on them at the moment. But they hope to be able to in, oh, seven or eight years if all goes well.

It's surprising that was not a bigger item in the news.

Gold is too ostentatious, and copper is too utilitarian, so is silver the most spiritually fashionable metal?

A lady friend of mine in the jewellery business told me that silver crosses and anhks and other common religious patterns always sell better than gold versions of the same design. She believes it’s because gold is not spiritually fashionable, and never has been (my wife thinks it’s because more clothing options happen to match with silver than gold). It could also be that silver is much cheaper than gold…  I would like to explore the idea of a spiritually fashionable metals.

Things have changed over the years, lets look back on the dawn of man and the fashion of wearing religious iconography.