Then, the abrogation of the Bretton Woods monetary system in 1971 created an artificial demand for gold as an inflation hedge.

FORBES: What Is Gold Really Worth?

This induced artificial variability in the real price of gold, especially during the periodic financial panics that attend fractional reserve banking.

FORBES: What Is Gold Really Worth?

But in 1969, as the strains between America's budget deficit and the dollar's gold peg emerged, an artificial reserve asset was created: the Special Drawing Right (SDR), run by the IMF.

ECONOMIST: Is there a better way to organise the world��s currencies?

Maybe the burglar thought of them as gold ornaments but later found out they were artificial.

BBC: Diary of a Pakistani schoolgirl (v)

This artificial peg was made possible in the short run because U.S. citizens were forbidden to own physical gold except for small amounts related to gold coins, jewelry, art and dental needs.

FORBES: The Alchemy Of Gold