can these nuggets of gold ore be melted or waste of time

pureflow

Newbie
Mar 18, 2013
3
0
a refinery opened here in san diego ca recently open to the public they charge a small fee to have scrap silver and gold melted while you watch.iam going to call them tomorrow and ask myself if they can melt these down? and if there's enough gold in them to do it? what do you guys think? is there enough gold in them to have melted down to sell? the rocks in pic total 55 grams I have a total of I think around 100 grams of this ore rock.it was found md in northern calif.
 

Attachments

  • 2013-03-25-02-04-23.jpg
    2013-03-25-02-04-23.jpg
    23.8 KB · Views: 627
  • 2013-03-25-02-04-47.jpg
    2013-03-25-02-04-47.jpg
    25.1 KB · Views: 631
Upvote 0

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,421
30,102
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
First, it looks like pyrite, not gold. Second, if it is gold - DO NOT crush it to be melted, sell it as a "specimen" so that it can be cabbed. It is worth more as a specimen than the weight.
 

Goldwasher

Gold Member
May 26, 2009
6,077
13,225
Sailor Flat, Ca.
🥇 Banner finds
1
Detector(s) used
SDC2300, Gold Bug 2 Burlap, fish oil, .35 gallons of water per minute.
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
oh no here we go again.......:icon_thumright:
 

nuggetshooter323

Hero Member
Jul 22, 2005
963
870
Colorado Springs
Detector(s) used
The Legend, Anfibio Equinox 900, Gold Kruzer, XP Deus, ORX, Tesoro Tejon, Whites GMT, Falcon MD20, XP MI-6, Fisher F-Pulse, Pulse Dive, Vibra Probe, UniProbe.
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
That looks a lot like the Pyrite specimens I have in the rock garden in my front yard.
 

goldentruth

Hero Member
Nov 3, 2011
523
38
French Gulch, North Calif.
Detector(s) used
"WHITES" GOLDMASTER "GMT" & "TESORO GOLDEN SABRE II" with silent search.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
First, it looks like pyrite, not gold. Second, if it is gold - DO NOT crush it to be melted, sell it as a "specimen" so that it can be cabbed. It is worth more as a specimen than the weight.
Hey Terry my friend, Question: Does Pyrite pick up with a Metal Detector as a metal? Thanks for reply, Goldentruth.
 

Terry Soloman

Gold Member
May 28, 2010
19,421
30,102
White Plains, New York
🥇 Banner finds
1
🏆 Honorable Mentions:
1
Detector(s) used
Nokta Makro Legend// Pulsedive// Minelab GPZ 7000// Vanquish 540// Minelab Pro Find 35// Dune Kraken Sandscoop// Grave Digger Tools Tombstone shovel & Sidekick digger// Bunk's Hermit Pick
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Hey Terry my friend, Question: Does Pyrite pick up with a Metal Detector as a metal? Thanks for reply, Goldentruth.

The short answer is no. It is a VERY low conductor.
 

Ausgoldhunter

Full Member
Mar 2, 2013
217
116
Batemans Bay
Detector(s) used
Currently: White's GMT, Fisher Gold Bug 2. Fisher Gold Bug Pro, Fisher Gold Bug SE, Fisher F70, Garrett AT Gold, Minelab X-Terra 705, Minelab Eureka Gold, Whites GMZ, Minelab GP Extreme, GP 3000, Mine
Primary Interest:
Prospecting
If you zoom in on the pix, it looks more goldish than pyrite ish... and ya.. if its gold don't mess with it..
 

TerryC

Gold Member
Jun 26, 2008
7,735
10,996
Yarnell, AZ
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 (2), Ace 300, Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Cortes, Garrett Sea Hunter, Whites TDI SL SE, Fisher Impulse 8, Minelab Monster 1000, Minelab CTX3030, Falcon MD20, Garrett Pro-pointer, Calvin Bunker digger.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Golden. A detector (at least my Gold Bug 2) will pick up pyrite... iron pyrite. It will not on a small sample but I put together about 50 grams of crystals and got a response. All the crystals were solid, cubic, with no other host rock. TTC
 

TerryC

Gold Member
Jun 26, 2008
7,735
10,996
Yarnell, AZ
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 (2), Ace 300, Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Cortes, Garrett Sea Hunter, Whites TDI SL SE, Fisher Impulse 8, Minelab Monster 1000, Minelab CTX3030, Falcon MD20, Garrett Pro-pointer, Calvin Bunker digger.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Those picks are pyrite. Last I heard, they are worth $80,000..... for one. Nuggets with a high gold content, that size, would weigh much more than 55 grams. TTC
 

Steve Herschbach

Hero Member
Apr 1, 2005
659
1,016
Nevada
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
Get a piece of unglazed porcelain tile. Give you sample a good scrape. Black or dark greenish streak, you have a sulphide ore, like pyrite or chalcopyrite. Very light golden streak = gold.
 

TerryC

Gold Member
Jun 26, 2008
7,735
10,996
Yarnell, AZ
Detector(s) used
Ace 250 (2), Ace 300, Gold Bug 2, Tesoro Cortes, Garrett Sea Hunter, Whites TDI SL SE, Fisher Impulse 8, Minelab Monster 1000, Minelab CTX3030, Falcon MD20, Garrett Pro-pointer, Calvin Bunker digger.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
oh no here we go again.......:icon_thumright:
Ha! That's what I thought, P. Incidently, our good friend r4real signed up on Tnet on 2-8-13. Started his infamous string of posts (he made 22 on that thread) that night but never posted in any other forums.... before or since. But he has been perusing the Net last night (at about 4 am yesterday). Ouch! I can't help it.... my eyes just rolled backwards now! Take care, my friend. TTC
 

TheHarleyMan2

Bronze Member
Feb 27, 2008
1,594
464
Never Know I May Live Next To You!
Detector(s) used
GTI 2500/Bounty Hunter
Minelab Equinox 800
Primary Interest:
All Treasure Hunting
One thing you could do is look in your tool box for a pick tool, or get a stick pin and see if you can pick a piece of it off. If it picks off easily or seperates from itself into pieces or flakes when trying to pick it, it is pyrite. That would be a good indicator in my opinion.
 

goldentruth

Hero Member
Nov 3, 2011
523
38
French Gulch, North Calif.
Detector(s) used
"WHITES" GOLDMASTER "GMT" & "TESORO GOLDEN SABRE II" with silent search.
Primary Interest:
Metal Detecting
One thing you could do is look in your tool box for a pick tool, or get a stick pin and see if you can pick a piece of it off. If it picks off easily or seperates from itself into pieces or flakes when trying to pick it, it is pyrite. That would be a good indicator in my opinion.
I dig your bottom line quote brother!
 

Top Member Reactions

Users who are viewing this thread

Top