Gold"
beside being a noun that refers to the metal gold, it is an adjective as well that refers to the bright shiny yellow color :
"She wears a gold shirt" *Here 'gold' is an adjective*.
"Golden" is only an adjective and no noun.
It is almost synonyms with gold ,when it refers to something being bright yellow in color :
"an endless golden beach"
It refers also to something made of Gold:
" She wears a golden chain. "
**However it has a different meaning ,where "gold" can't be interchanged with it, when referring to something that is favorable ,wonderful and advantageous :
" This job is a golden opportunity for you, you should take it. "
So "golden" will always indicate that something is booming , wonderful or successful as in :
"golden age" is a period of time marked by high achievement specially in art and literature .
** There is another remarkable difference between "gold" and "golden", when both are adjectives:
- 'Gold' means made of gold or having the color gold exactly ,while 'golden' could also mean having the appearance of 'gold' as in :
"golden beach" , the color of the sand is similar to the color of gold.
You are not likely to hear ' gold beach' .
Where a 'gold chain' refers to it being made of gold or having the exact color of gold .