Somebody watching lava flows, slag, and wondering if they can recreate that heat.
Metal work also started with softer easier to melt metals from much purer near surface veins and worked outwards toward harder less pure more deeply buried metals.
Metal work also started with softer easier to melt metals from much purer near surface veins and worked outwards toward harder less pure more deeply buried metals.
Ready to work gold nuggets are what they are and are rarer to find.
Metal work evolved with mining, chasing surface veins back, and this started in a significant way for first lead|copper, then tin, then other metals.
There's a recognised pre Bronze "Copper Age", then Bronze, then Iron.
Gold is shiny, beyond that it has a limited utility until the age of electronics; it's a bit soft for weapons or armour, a bit rare for sealing pipes, a bit non reactive for easy chemisty^H Alchemy, etc.
Lot's of fun for decorations.