in piglin culture gold has a strong religious meaning. piglins believe that the gods blood is liquid gold (they believe liquid gold dripping from the nether ceiling eventually formed the first goddess of their pantheon), and therefore gold is holy; symbolic of the gods themselves

because gold is so closely tied to the gods, its seen as having highly protective qualities. generally speaking, the more gold you wear the more protected you are. this is why brutes, who are tasked with fighting and protecting the sounder, are seen with golden armbands

if a piglin gifts you gold, it means they care for you and want you to be protected. this is reflected in piglin language, as sayings such as "may your gold/gods blood shine" (+other gold based sayings) are directly wishing another luck/happiness in their ventures

gold is not a common currency within piglin society because of this, most preferring to trade other supplies and materials. it is very much seen as taboo in some areas to trade gold, as you are giving away a gift given by a loved one and potentially rejecting your religion

different gems/stones (both from the nether and the overworld) represent specific gods within their pantheon. as an example, emeralds are most commonly associated with the first goddess in their pantheon: the goddess of life/creation (aka, the sounder mother).

so, if a piglin gifts you emeralds, they are wishing you a long, happy life by their side

specific types of jewelry have different meanings as well, nose/ear rings usually symbolize strength in combat and rings/necklaces that hold stones symbolize loyalty to your sounder/god

small statuettes depicting gods carved from warped wood, different stones, and (in rare occasions) gold or netherite, are also commonly carried. these are often found in both personal and communal shrines alongside offerings of materials associated with that specific god

most sounders tend to focus on one particular god to worship within the pantheon, in turn causing territorial/religious disputes between groups. although it is not common for there to be all out war, tension/discrimination between religious groups is

some noteable gods within their pantheon are:
-the goddess of life/creation. the first divine being, created all other gods. often referred to as "the sounder mother"
-god of fire/heat
-god of blood/death/war
-goddess of harvest/hunt
-god of language/knowledge

etc.