I am tired of not being able to detect Diamond Studs.........HELP!

signal

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Apr 30, 2011
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So let me get to the point. Diamond studs, are VERY DIFFICULT to detect. Do not assume your equipment will detect them.

I just took a High quality diamond stud earring and tried to detect it with my CTX-3030, in multiple modes, perfectly ground balanced, and it can’t. My AT Pro Can’t. My Excal can’t. My Garret Carrot, you have to literally put it on highest sensitivity and TOUCH it to the stud, you can’t even be 1mm away, you have to physically touch it for it to go off.

Obviously to slay the gold (in this case it was white gold) diamond stud issue, I need a GOLD machine. I don’t want to spend more than I need, as you can spend ALOT on a gold machine, but I want quality and something that is going to put this to bed! Help me!

I am considering:

Equinox 800 - I hear it has two gold modes which are very impressive, and it has some things much better than the CTX3030, which I already own, and is about 3x the price.

XP Deus - I have heard good things about this detector too when it comes to gold.

Goldbug/Goldbug2 - I don’t know much about these, but I have seen them recommended.

Garrett AT Gold - I have come to love the AT Pro, its solid. I have hard the AT Gold has higher frequency to deal with gold and could possibly detect diamond stud earrings.


And as a pinpointer:
Whites TRX - I use only Garrett Carrots, but I have heard the TRX does better on small gold.

Please give me your advice. I am really only interested in advice from those who have used these machines on SMALL gold. You can’t assume. I would never have thought that buying so many thousands of dollars of top of the line machines (Excal, CTX3030, AT Pro) that I would not be able to detect a diamond stud, but it just can’t. I have many coils too, on the CTX and the AT Pro I have sharpshooter small coils and result is still the same, I can air test, turn sensitivity WAY up, go all metal, it doesn’t matter, the high quality white gold diamond stud is completely transparent to these detectors.

What is your experience?
 

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smokeythecat

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I have found numerous with the Deus. The only place I look for them is a salt water beach. I use an extremely high frequency. Mine loves small gold. I'm not sure about the other machines. I'm sure someone will chip in. I noticed small foil on the salt beaches is distinguishable from the gold, FYI.
 

ColonelDan

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My EQX 800 is very sensitive in detecting small objects like you mention...much more so than either my CTX3030 or Excal II.
 

Richard Guy

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The Simplex barks at them, no worries
 

ARC

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I am glad to hear you are going after those... so when and if we detect together I will go in front of you.

And...

IF its smaller than a dime... you can have it. :P

:)
 

Ammoman

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I have found lots of studs with my Nokta Impact and Deus. Just use a detector that can run at 19Khz or higher
 

OP
OP
signal

signal

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Apr 30, 2011
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I have found lots of studs with my Nokta Impact and Deus. Just use a detector that can run at 19Khz or higher

Is higher better? Many detectors can do say 20khz or 40khz some even 75khz. For a diamond stud earring I am wondering if all of those are equally good.
 

OP
OP
signal

signal

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I have found numerous with the Deus. The only place I look for them is a salt water beach. I use an extremely high frequency. Mine loves small gold. I'm not sure about the other machines. I'm sure someone will chip in. I noticed small foil on the salt beaches is distinguishable from the gold, FYI.

CTX and AT Pro have no trouble detecting foil, thats for sure, even the tiniest pieces......and yes readings wise I noticed they come up similar to gold, but with small gold the low frequencies just don’t cut it.
 

smokeythecat

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On my machine I can tell the small foil. The tiny gold sings out at 74khz. That's only available on a Deus and with the HF coil.
 

OP
OP
signal

signal

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On my machine I can tell the small foil. The tiny gold sings out at 74khz. That's only available on a Deus and with the HF coil.

@smokeythecat thanks for the info. So say you are swinging the Deus with HF coil @ 74khz. Are you still able to use discrimination? Or does that setup pickup a lot of trash? Do you have to turn the sensitivity way up (because its a small stud) and thus pick up lots of trash and deep targets? Or can you say turn sensitivity down to just get surface targets that are gold?
 

OP
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signal

signal

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Last edited:

cudamark

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My EQX 800 is very sensitive in detecting small objects like you mention...much more so than either my CTX3030 or Excal II.

I've found more stud earrings and small linked chains with my Equinox 600 than any other discriminating machine I've used. If you're in an area where the Gold modes are stable, those work the best. In more unstable areas, I find Field 2 the next best, with Park 2 a distant 4th.
 

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signal

signal

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I was hoping an Equinox 800 would do well for diamond stud’s but this post here:
https://theringfinders.com/blog/tag/how-to-find-lost-gold-stud-diamond-earring/

Has me concerned. he says the 800 couldn’t do it. But then I have another post where they say it could do it:
https://www.detectorprospector.com/...g-diamond-stud-earrings-most-of-you-cant-yet/

For sure the XP Deus can do it with the HF Coil, but its a single frequency machine so it won’t be replacing my CTX3030, but could totally replace the AT Pro and add in additional small gold capability, but at a hefty price (machine + HF coil is $$$$).

Can anyone with a Equinox 800 try a diamond stud and report back how well it can detect it? Perhaps using a smaller coil is needed. Air test is good but better even in normal soil.
 

smokeythecat

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Most multi frequency machines run TWO FREQUENCIES and harmonics to make up the others. Recovery time I believe is much more desirable than splitting power between two frequencies and the harmonics to go with them. Check out the posts by vferrari here, who i dig with and understands the ifs ands or buts on this type of discussion much better than I could. The discriminator is excellent, and depending on how many tones you use, you can use the VDI and the tonal capabilities to make a quick dig/non dig decision. With the elliptical loop, you get excellent target location, unlike what you can get with a larger coil.
 

CASPER-2

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I find stud earrings in water ...fresh and salt - I wear a mask and many times i can see multiple scoop marks around them which tells me
they are falling thru scoop holes - i will drop down and lightly fan and they are right there
- I hunt all metal and probably swing slower than most
 

OP
OP
signal

signal

Hero Member
Apr 30, 2011
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Minelab CTX-3030, Minelab Exalibur II, Garrett AT Pro
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I find stud earrings in water ...fresh and salt - I wear a mask and many times i can see multiple scoop marks around them which tells me
they are falling thru scoop holes - i will drop down and lightly fan and they are right there
- I hunt all metal and probably swing slower than most

With what machine though? A Diamond Stud earring is dead silent on my Xcal II, CTX3030 and ATPro......its basically dead to a Garrett Carrot unless you actually touch the carrot to the stud. Higher Frequency machines (gold machines or gold mode) seem to be able to hit on these though.
 

cudamark

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I guess a more complete answer to your original question would be: IMO, the Gold Bug would be the best for the stud earring, with the Deus #2, Equinox #3, and AT Gold #4, but, all 4 should do the job if you use the correct settings and small coil. As I mentioned, I've found stud earrings with the Equinox that my Excal, Explorers, Etrac, CTX, Several White's all purpose detectors, Fisher F75, Garrett AT Pro, etc. won't hear. A Gold Bug will hear them as well as my White's GM3 Vsat and my PI machines, but, some are not suitable for some search venues. The Equinox does most things well in all sorts of environments.
 

OP
OP
signal

signal

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I guess a more complete answer to your original question would be: IMO, the Gold Bug would be the best for the stud earring, with the Deus #2, Equinox #3, and AT Gold #4, but, all 4 should do the job if you use the correct settings and small coil. As I mentioned, I've found stud earrings with the Equinox that my Excal, Explorers, Etrac, CTX, Several White's all purpose detectors, Fisher F75, Garrett AT Pro, etc. won't hear. A Gold Bug will hear them as well as my White's GM3 Vsat and my PI machines, but, some are not suitable for some search venues. The Equinox does most things well in all sorts of environments.

I wonder if the posts I have seen with those not able to find with Equinox are not using the 6" coil? I just can't understand why a machine set on Single Freq 40khz and a 6" coil wouldn't be able to pull out small gold. I am calling Minelab on Monday and pick their brain a bit, because I would really like the Equinox to work. I have already set aside 3-4 gold studs and 3 very fine small chains to test with. These are invisible to my equipment, and its very important to me that the new machine I get can hit on them. Not at any great depth, just an inch or two and I would be happy. I would be testing with the 6" coil.
 

Hddeuce03

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I find a lot of studs and even smaller...just stud backings with my Nox 800 at the beach in beach 2, using the stock 11" coil. I'm not sure why others would have issues finding them, unless they've tweaked their settings somehow.
 

pulltabfelix

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So let me get to the point. Diamond studs, are VERY DIFFICULT to detect. Do not assume your equipment will detect them.

I just took a High quality diamond stud earring and tried to detect it with my CTX-3030, in multiple modes, perfectly ground balanced, and it can’t. My AT Pro Can’t. My Excal can’t. My Garret Carrot, you have to literally put it on highest sensitivity and TOUCH it to the stud, you can’t even be 1mm away, you have to physically touch it for it to go off.

Obviously to slay the gold (in this case it was white gold) diamond stud issue, I need a GOLD machine. I don’t want to spend more than I need, as you can spend ALOT on a gold machine, but I want quality and something that is going to put this to bed! Help me!

I am considering:

Equinox 800 - I hear it has two gold modes which are very impressive, and it has some things much better than the CTX3030, which I already own, and is about 3x the price.

XP Deus - I have heard good things about this detector too when it comes to gold.

Goldbug/Goldbug2 - I don’t know much about these, but I have seen them recommended.

Garrett AT Gold - I have come to love the AT Pro, its solid. I have hard the AT Gold has higher frequency to deal with gold and could possibly detect diamond stud earrings.


And as a pinpointer:
Whites TRX - I use only Garrett Carrots, but I have heard the TRX does better on small gold.

Please give me your advice. I am really only interested in advice from those who have used these machines on SMALL gold. You can’t assume. I would never have thought that buying so many thousands of dollars of top of the line machines (Excal, CTX3030, AT Pro) that I would not be able to detect a diamond stud, but it just can’t. I have many coils too, on the CTX and the AT Pro I have sharpshooter small coils and result is still the same, I can air test, turn sensitivity WAY up, go all metal, it doesn’t matter, the high quality white gold diamond stud is completely transparent to these detectors.

What is your experience?
I found 3 earring studs in two vollyball sand court hunts. two were fake diamonds and one is black diamond (don't know it is fake or real). But they all were on studs. Used the Coiltek 10 x 5" coil for the nox on those hunts. The studs gave off solid signals.

But keep in mind volleyball courts that I hunt are the easiest hunting you can do with the 800. Courts are kept clean by me so almost every signal is jewelry or a hot wheels car.
 

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