Low VDI numbers on gold.

Detecto

Jr. Member
Mar 25, 2016
94
80
Detector(s) used
White's MXT ALL PRO 13" Detech and Eclipse 950 Coils
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
I didn't realize how low they are!

I have a 10k solid gold men's band sitting on my desk, 5.4g in weight. Wide top band. Almost looks like a class ring.

VDI rings in at 14.

I have a ladies ring, 14k gold, not tiny, about 3.5g.

It rings in at 0!

I always thought most men's rings scale in at about 25 or higher!

I guess people are not kidding, when they say you have to dig all the trash to find gold.
 

Electricfrontporch

Full Member
Dec 28, 2016
184
223
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Yessir. The gold hides in the trash.
Takes a massive 14k class ring to hit past zinc on my tesoros.
Most earrings and little charms disc out in foil.

Noah
 

MrMikeJackie

Bronze Member
Nov 3, 2013
1,751
2,258
Long Island
🥇 Banner finds
2
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
CTX 3030,
Xp Deus,
That's it, I'm done.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
There is no set VDI # for gold just as no two pieces of gold are exactly alike. If you want gold, VDI#'s are pointless.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
There is no set VDI # for gold just as no two pieces of gold are exactly alike. If you want gold, VDI#'s are pointless.

well, yes and no. Yes it's true that if you play with karots (10k, 14k, 18k, 22k, 24k etc...) and play with sizes and shapes, then yes: You can ultimately have a gold object read ANYWHERE on the scale. An example of this is an aluminum can: If you snip out a fingernail sized portion of the can, (or simply wave the beaver tail or the tab), it will read low. Right ? Yet if you wave an entire can, it reads up high like dime or quarter, right ? Yet in each case , the composition never changed: Aluminum !

HOWEVER, where VDI's *can* come in handy, is to reject commonly recurring junk items. To play the Las Vegas odds. Like if you're in a park where round tabs abound, that are tending to always read in the same range, you can reject *just* those #'s. Yes you'll loose rings that fell into that exact range. But you up-your-odds of time spent. This was known in the old days as "ring enhancement programs". And yes, they go "out the door" if you get into a park where can slaw abounds. Or where BBQs (people throwing cans into fires) created can nuggets. But in certain other places: persons have actually upped their ring take with notching.
 

against the wind

Gold Member
Jul 27, 2015
24,797
24,977
Port Allegheny, Pennsylvania
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
E-trac, Excalibur, XP Deus, & CTX 3030.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Every machine is different when it comes to reading gold.

When hunting in Salt Water, with my Excalibur, I will go after any signal that sounds like foil. (No VDI).
With my CTX or Etrac, most of my gold finds have been the bi-product of going after nickels. With the XP DEUS, again,, the VDI signals closest to a nickle VDI, is the number that has produced gold.
Having used an AT PRO, I know that the VDI numbers, for gold, on that machine can range from 40 to 65. With the PRO, I recovered an 18 kt man's ring with a 51 VDI. (the same as a nickle). However, I recovered a Yellow and White 14kt ladies wedding band on a 65 VDI, from a fresh water lake. I also pulled a 14kt yellow gold, man's wedding band from that same lake, which registered 63.
Of course, different manufacturers, assign a different scale of VDI numbers for different targets. That being said, all VDI gold numbers, regardless of the manufacturer, have a huge spread when it comes to yellow metal.
 

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Seabees

Full Member
Jan 3, 2014
239
312
The Golden State
Detector(s) used
-Whites & Minelab-
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Some years ago I was lake hunting with my mxt I hit a solid 10 on the vdi. I thought it was part of an old beaver tail but I dug anyway. Out pops a little gold ring (don't remember the karat? Maybe 10k). Moral of the story is if you want more of the good stuff you have to dig more of the trash.
 

Kurios1

Silver Member
Feb 25, 2017
3,766
7,383
FEMA REGION 5 North Central Illinois
Detector(s) used
Nokta Impact Whites DFX 300 & M6 Matrix, Minelab Explorer II (2), Makro Red Racer & Racer 2, Garrett AT Pro.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
You should see my collection of recovered "FOIL" !!! LOL ! Yes, I don't find much gold but, NOT because I discriminate the signal out of my machines. I dig lots of low VDI trash signals in hopes of gold but, rarely ever get it. I'll keep after it knowing I am cleaning up the planet of this BLASTED FOIL ! :BangHead:
 

jadocs

Bronze Member
Jun 8, 2016
1,133
905
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Different frequencies will also produce different VDI. You never mentioned what frequency your detector was OP.
 

bigscoop

Gold Member
Jun 4, 2010
13,373
8,689
Wherever there be treasure!
Detector(s) used
Older blue Excal with full mods, Equinox 800.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
Size, shape, K value, amount of other alloys and type of other alloys, "gold" can show up just about anywhere in the entire spectrum beyond the safe exclusion of iron. And remember, gold isn't just found in rings, it's also found in other common items like crosses, chains, earrings, etc., etc., etc. I recently found a 14k flat/stamped cross with the Excal that sounded just like a paper thin piece of foil. I've found gold with this same machine that sounded like bottle caps, zinc pennies, copper pennies, silver dimes, quarters, etc., etc., etc. When in doubt dig it out.
 

Tom_in_CA

Gold Member
Mar 23, 2007
13,837
10,360
Salinas, CA
🥇 Banner finds
2
Detector(s) used
Explorer II, Compass 77b, Tesoro shadow X2
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Uh .... and this has *what* to do with metal detecting ?

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