Yeah, I knew that...gold would have been prettier...I forgot.
OTH, you might be right in one sense. Just a few generations into the Promised Land and some ISraelites were making little snake statues to worship for empowerment. The King over them and the Prophet had to do some serious house cleaning over that idol worship thing. Doubtless there were little gold ones being made then, what with all the increase the Israelites got from taking the lands away from the Nephilim and Raphaem.
There we have it folks; someone ALWAYS wants to improve on what GOD has said.