The human being does not stop rummaging on earth to discover new treasures that adapt to their needs, such as coltan for the manufacture of technological devices, or lithium, to make the definitive leap to the electrification of vehicles. But gold was, is and will continue to be the most precious metal, and now more than ever. Gold, a safe value for citizens and investors, has experienced the greatest sudden rise in its history: its price has doubled in just a decade, from 34 to 75 euros the 18 carat gold gram, the one that most It circulates in Spain. And this new situation has a derivative that can be received in the streets of Barcelona: there are more and more gold -sale businesses. According to the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan capital has 161 registered establishments of the more than 600 in Catalonia, of which 7% do not comply with the Organic Law on Citizen Security Protection. It was from 2008 when 2008 when The phenomenon of «Buy Gold» began to spread with the accelerated opening of stores whose only activity was to buy the metal to melt it. Between 2010 and 2011, in Barcelona two establishments were opened a week. Already exceeded the financial crisis, the businesses were closing, until the pandemic gave way to the imperative need of the society to acquire liquidity and the gold market again entered into boil. The appearance of so many businesses and the high rate of multi -reality in The Catalan capital has put the Mossos alert. Scams and the circulation of stolen gold pieces that end in the black market are frequent. This is what happened to Josep Martínez, a retired jeweler who ran two purchase establishments: “The police usually appeared to carry out control of what he sold, but sometimes they could strain stolen material. When they seize it, you lose a lot of money. The Mossos requisitioned several jewels that I bought from a worker of a residence for the elderly who was dedicated to stealing gold to the elderly, ”he says. Gold purchase establishments are not the only ones who dedicate to it. There are jewelry, antiquaries and pawns that have, or not, licensed to carry out this activity. That is why it is estimated that the volume of business is much greater than that censored by the administration. It is increasingly common than jewelry stores diversify their activity with the entrance to the gold purchase market because, according to Joan Ignasi Moreu, president of the Catalonia Jewelers College (JORGC), it is an exit point for stolen merchandise. “The jewelers are not satisfied with the gold situation. Being the price for the clouds, the sale of jewels has dropped dramatically and that is why we try to compensate it with the manufacture of smaller and smaller parts, ”says Moreu. The confidence between buyer and customer is the basis of any transaction with gold . Once the piece is sold, the buyer opens a registration sheet in which he scores, apart from the weight, any mark, symbol or distinction: recorded dates, names or initials. Then photography and parties sign a sale contract. However, police sources confirm that on many occasions buyers inflate the price and hide part of the business to avoid declaring it to the Treasury. An employee of a small jewelry in Barcelona, who did not want to give his name, tells that a client scammed thousands of euros in a transaction. «Before the purchase I took photos of all the golden plates, and when I came to pay I realized that I had cut the bullion to pay less than the agreed,» he explains. «Urges buy gold and silver. We pay more than anyone, ”reads a sign on the facade of an establishment in the center of Barcelona. Voraz competition has led many businesses to make deceptive advertising. «This is a round trip because many entrepreneurs do not intend to take care of their clientele or create a enduring business over time,» says Martínez. From the guild they perceive that intrusion in the gold market is worrisome, since with the boom of this metal the entrepreneurs who are not experts in the field increase and see in gold easy money. The practice of acquiring gold as a value “refuge ”To have liquidity, it goes down because the purchasing power of young people is less. «80% of the middle class no longer has gold in their homes, and that is why the price has been shot,» says Moreu. Helena Jansana, owner of the Fundition Company, also regrets that the habit of buying gold has been lost. “The Spaniards have never had liquidity. People invest thousands of euros in mobile phones, but not in buying gold as insurance. ”Banks feed their reservations are part of the gold that circulates in Spain goes abroad, mainly to Belgium, Switzerland, Italy or China. «The golden metal has found in the Asian giant a place to settle, and in Europe we are losing pull,» says Jansana. «While it is true that the gold that reaches countries such as Belgium comes from conflict zones, such as Congo, and here we have an exhaustive control to determine its origin,» he adds. The brutal ascent of gold coincides with the launch in China of a program that would allow 10 insurers to invest 1% of its linges assets. This makes gold the first basic product in which the insurers of the Asian giant can invest. Gold buy it both particular and central banks, which in 2024 increased their reserves by 1,045 tons in the global computing, according to Jorgc data . Poland is the European country that has acquired more gold with 90 tons. India or Türkiye also stand out, which have bought around 75 tons. Spain has not increased its reserves, as it is subject to the regulation of the euro zone.