Electrum is a native
alloy of
gold and
silver in which the latter metal may be present in quantities of up to 40%. Electrum from the
Ural mountains carries 20%
copper. The color of electrum is pale yellow or yellowish-white and the name is derived from the
Greek word mentioned in the
Odyssey meaning a metallic substance consisting of gold alloyed with silver. The same word was also used for the substance
amber, probably because of the pale yellow color of certain varieties.