Three Gifts

What would you do with the three gifts of the nativity?

Without delving into the labyrinthine theological complexities of the Nativity, what would one do if they received a delivery of gold, frankincense and myrrh?

Gold

You would probably want to get it assayed and valued.

Gold purity is measured as the karat which is a measure of the purity of the substance. Precious metals are often alloyed with other metals to give them different properties such as increasing the durability of the metal.

For example Sterling Silver consists of 92.5% silver and 7.5%, by mass, of other metals, usually copper.

The measure of the karat is used for gold, and is an indication of percentage of gold. It is out of 24, with the highest being 24/24, or 24 karat gold.

If you are lucky, the gold will be in a convenient format, like bullion coin or gold bar.

These are known formats, issued by countries with known weights and purity values.

For example in order to be called a gold bullion, the coin must be stamped and of regulated weight and at one point must have been legal tender. For example a gold United Kingdom Sovereign weights exactly 7.3224g.

Gold bars, known as Good Delivery bars are less regulated due to their shape. Without certificates of authenticity would likely need to be assayed to work out its exact composition and certificates issued.

Regardless, in one of these formats you could then genuinely walk into a suitable bank and sell said gold. It is currently worth about $33,000/kg.

However if it is not in one of the aforementioned formats, then you would need to go a lot further to refine or convince someone of its worth.

Frankincense

Frankincense also known as olibanum is an incense which has particular significance in Jewish tradition, used at the time as an offering, incense and in perfume.

The word 'frankincense' comes from the Frankish Crusaders which introduced it to Europe. However it was known to ancient civilisations like the Greeks and Chinese, being primarily an export from South Arabia.

The actual material is a dried aromatic resin which comes from the Boswellia tree. The resin is collected much the same way as rubber by carving grooves in the trunk and collecting the resin.

The flowers of the Boswellia tree

If you received some now you might use it as an incense (common in Eastern Orthodox Christian churches). It has uses in the perfume industry as well as medical research where it is being investigated for potential use in cancer research.

Myrrh

If you received myrrh, you would want to make sure you weren't getting muddled up with frankincense as they both look very similar, and are used in very similar ways. Traditionally used as a perfume, incense and medicine. Particularly as a medicine myrrh would have been useful for its antiseptic properties. In modern research it is again of interest for its potential anti-cancer effects.

The resin is harvested from another arabian tree, the Commiphora myrrha tree.

Conclusion

In conclusion, if someone gave you the three gifts of the Nativity, you might wonder what was going on. One of them requires extensive paperwork and the other two literally grow on trees.

Eddie Izzard describing the Christmas Nativity - contains swearing Video