Fun on Friday: The Woman with Gold Hands

For this installment of Fun on Friday, I was planning on telling you all about a $9,000 ball of yarn. But this morning, I found something even better.

OK, since I brought it up, I have to tell you about the yarn. This runs along the same lines as the $185 paper clip I told you about over the summer. This ball of yarn is made from pure silver.

Now, this would be pretty cool if you could knit a silver quilt or a pair of silver socks out of it. But you can’t. It just sits on your table. You do get the pleasure of saying, “I spent 9 grand on a ball of yarn.” So there is that.

Tiffany & Co. sells the silver yarn ball as part of its “everyday objects” collection. “The Everyday Objects collection transforms utilitarian items into handcrafted works of art,” according to the company website.

I love the description they used to describe the yarn ball. Imagine an NPR reporter saying this, maybe with some jazz in the background.

Here, we’ve reimagined an everyday yarn ball in handspun strands of textured sterling silver, rendering the ordinary extraordinary. This piece is one of a limited edition of five handmade in New York in 2017.”

Yup. Only five. Better hurry.

It did occur to me this could provide some interesting entertainment opportunities if you have a cat.

But if a yarn ball isn’t your thing, there is also a sterling silver coffee can.

Yes. I said coffee can.

You know what it looks like?

Yup. A plain ol’ coffee can.

This is perfect for the “everyday object” bargain hunter. You can pick up this lovely silver coffee can for a mere $1,500.

I personally can’t imagine buying this stuff, but it does demonstrate the value of precious metals. Imagine trying to sell a tin coffee can for $1,500. You’d be laughed out of the showroom – even with the Tiffany & Co. label. But make it out of silver – no doubt people will buy it.

OK, let’s get to the even more fascinating story.

A woman in South Korea has golden hands.

For real. No joke. Doctors did an x-ray and saw golden filaments glowing in her hands.

No. She’s not an alien or some kind of freak of nature. As it turns out, the woman had been using an acupuncture technique that utilized gold threads. The acupuncturist inserts sterile pieces of gold when the needle pierces the skin.

Most of the Sun article was dedicated to scolding the woman for utilizing the treatment because “there is no scientific evidence to suggest it works” – although her doctor did concede the gold probably didn’t make her pain any worse.

What is more likely is the woman’s joint problems and deformities were worsened by the fact she used alternative treatments for her arthritis rather than standard medical treatments.”

The Sun reporter goes to great pains to convince us to reject “alternative treatments,” emphasizing they aren’t rigorously tested by the government like traditional medicine. She also says natural remedies can cause “unwanted side effects.” Does she mean like “a sudden urge to gamble?”  “Suicidal thoughts?” “Death?” I hear those side-effects listed often on those horrible pharmaceutical commercials they run on TV all the time.

I don’t know about acupuncture, but I do know several people who say it’s helped them manage pain. I also know my grandmother suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, and the traditional treatments didn’t provide much relief. So, I say let’s not jump down this poor woman’s throat. People have been using acupuncture for thousands of years. I’m not so sure we should disregard that wisdom because some nerdy doctor says he doesn’t think it works.

At any rate, this woman now has what appears to be golden joints. In some weird way, I find that kinda cool.

That said, inserting gold into your skin is probably not the best way to store it. SchiffGold can help you find the best storage options for your gold and silver. Call 1-888-GOLD-160 today and talk to one of our precious metals specialists today.

Fun on Friday is a weekly SchiffGold feature. We dig up some of the off-the-wall and off-beat stories relating to precious metals and the economy, and share them with you – with tongue firmly planted in cheek. Click here to read other posts in this series.

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