The term "Gilded Age," coined by Mark Twain and Charles Dudley Warner in their 1873 book, The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today, was an ironic comment on the difference between a true golden age and their present time, a period of booming prosperity in the United States that created a class of the super-rich. This new social elite bought gold luxury items that declared its wealth and status in society. Whether furnishing the home or accessorizing the person, gold objects signaled the owner's high social status as well as his high income.
