Krastsvetmet, located beside the beautiful Yensei river in the metropolis of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, is a refinery of all types of precious metals on an industrial scale.

Volunteer rescuers prepare to drag a beached humpback calf to sea at Surfers Paradise Beach on August 8, 2011 on the Gold Coast, Australia. The humpback calf was stranded on the beach yesterday for hours before volunteer rescuers were able to drag it back to the sea. SeaWorld Australia says a mother and calf humpback were sighted near where the calf was released and are hoping to get photos to verify it is the same calf and that it has been reunited with it's mother. (Photo by 2011 SeaWorld Australia via Getty Images)

“Dubai is sometimes called the “City of Gold” because of its stunning growth from a sleepy Gulf port to a world-famous business crossroads in the space of a single generation. Its nickname has a literal meaning for traders in the precious metal. The city is building itself up as a center for the gold trade, between sources in Africa and consumers in the rising economies of China and India”. – Kamran Jebreili via Associated Press

Photo: A gold press operator collects 10 gram gold blanks to press them with the logo of the Emirates Gold company in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Gold prices remained relatively steady in 2012, close to $1,700 an ounce. (Photo by Kamran Jebreili/AP Photo)

The first Australian Kangaroo gold coin issued by The Perth Mint in 1989 featured an iconic bounding Red Kangaroo. Designed by Dr Stuart Devlin AO CMG, goldsmith and jeweller to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, this classic creation has since been featured on the kilo release each year in the highly sought-after bullion series.

“I have seen batches of banknotes worth more than $2.6 million, but beyond all doubt, gold bars look much more attractive!”. – Shamil Zhumatov. Photo: Cooling-down gold ingot. March 14, 2013; Tien Shan mountains, Kyrgyzstan. (Photo by Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters)

Nestled among the cocoa plantations of western Ivory Coast is a gold mine that does not feature on any official maps. It is not run by an industrial mining company, nor does it pay taxes to the central government. The unlicensed mine is a key part of a lucrative business empire headed by the deputy commander of the West African nation's elite Republican Guard, United Nations investigators allege. Here: A gold prospector sits and eats close to a soldier at a gold mine near the village of Gamina, in western Ivory Coast, March 18, 2015. (Photo by Luc Gnago/Reuters)

Planned improvements to Rio’s favelas have meant increases in rent, forcing the poorest families into squatting in unoccupied buildings. Photographer Tariq Zaidi visits the Mangueira community favela, less than 1km from the showpiece Maracanã stadium, to see what life is like for the women living there. Here: Victoria, 12, at her home in Mangueira. (Photo by Tariq Zaidi/The Guardian)

A marine rescue worker from Sea World works in a joint attempt with his colleagues to help a juvenile humpback whale stranded at Palm Beach on the Gold Coast, in Queensland July 9, 2014. (Photo by Jason O'Brien/Reuters)