That's exactly what Argentina

 That's exactly what Argentina did recently, selling off its entire gold reserves of 124 tonnes. With the money it got from the sale - a cool $ 1.46 billion - they bought US Treasury bonds cheap links of london jewellery. (This makes a lot of sense, because an investment in 30 year US Treasury bonds in the past five years would have increased by 48 per cent, while the same investment in gold over the same period would have resulted in a net loss of 5.2 per cent.) Other governments and central banks are doing the same, and are now busy selling gold.  For the personal investor that could mean catastrophic results in the long term. (I liked the way I said that, as if I have the slightest understanding of what I'm talking about cheap links of london charm.)

 But if governments no longer consider gold to be valuable, and if the markets no longer rate gold, then that only leaves Lebanese waiters. There is still a huge demand for gold jewellery, especially among mini-cab drivers and waiters.  If that demand drops, so will the price of gold. And the same goes for silver. Only the sharks, who recently cornered 20 per cent of the silver market, should invest in precious metals. Mainly because they have no real value.  It would be like investing in the Emperor's clothing . . . which reminds me, could someone remind me what a naked female body looks like ? It's been so long now I've forgotten cheap links of london necklace.