No freaking way!!!

[Steve1236]

So the tributary below where I dig for fire agates has a lot of very fine flour gold and I see areas where people vacuumed the bedrock just a little down the way and I've always wondered what the source is, I'm starting to think the Chalcedony/Fire Agate is the source.

 

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[A2coins]

That would be awesome better get all you can as soon as you can. I always wanted to prospect. Hopefully someday, hope you found a good source. Tommy

 

[Steve1236]

The gold is to small and not worth crushing, especially crushing a fire agate, I just think it adds rarity and value to the specimens with fine gold especially if you could make a cabochon with it.

 

[DDancer]

Sharp eye. It's likely that the fire agate is associated with the mineral seam that the gold originates in not so much the agate it's self. Heavily mineralized seams generally have a lot of quartz and quartz variants associated with them and the gold will get mixed in. Finding gold in gem grade quartz variants, especially if its very visual, take such finished material from a by the gram price to by the carat price. So keep an eye out for it.
Reminds me of my experience in while prospecting in Australia a few years back. I'd found one nugget that day and came across an area with a lot of quartz. I seldom find crystals in such areas there but I came across a small plate of some nice crystals. I took it back to camp and the next morning examined it. To my suprise in one of them was a small crystal of gold, real small, but neat and that many of the crystals had phantom crystals as well. I reckon that made the day before a two nugget day

The gold, not real clear but there.

 

[smokeythecat]

Nice find. It is the basic quartz element that bring the gold in from solution at depth. I found two pieces on quartz from a mine in NC once upon a time ago. Leave it as is, it's worth a lot more that way. GREAT eye!

 

[Steve1236]

Var electrum is listed as a valid mineral also said to be found in the area I'm digging up these on mindat.
I used clear hand sanitizer gel for the photos to peer into the stone better..

 

[fuss]

without destroying the specimen, is there a way to test that it is in fact gold?

 

[Steve1236]

In the quartz crystals I'm not sure, looks like it but I'm sure on everything else, I crushed a small one and it had some fine gold in it.

 

[fuss]

Very interesting and exciting.

 

[DDancer]

Only way to know for sure is to crush and pan it fuss, but just based on what I can see I'm not doubting its gold even though Steve did crush one with positive results.

 

[Megalodon]

Beautiful specimens! Thanks for sharing those nice pics of them.

 

[mwanyu]

Sharp eye. It's likely that the fire agate is associated with the mineral seam that the gold originates in not so much the agate it's self. Heavily mineralized seams generally have a lot of quartz and quartz variants associated with them and the gold will get mixed in. Finding gold in gem grade quartz variants, especially if its very visual, take such finished material from a by the gram price to by the carat price. So keep an eye out for it.
Reminds me of my experience in while prospecting in Australia a few years back. I'd found one nugget that day and came across an area with a lot of quartz. I seldom find crystals in such areas there but I came across a small plate of some nice crystals. I took it back to camp and the next morning examined it. To my suprise in one of them was a small crystal of gold, real small, but neat and that many of the crystals had phantom crystals as well. I reckon that made the day before a two nugget day
View attachment 1802899 View attachment 1802900 View attachment 1802901
The gold, not real clear but there. View attachment 1802902

Good find, there is gold in quartz no doubt

 

[Steve1236]

I didn't want to smash another one but I took the dirt left in the tub after hot water and bleach and there's a lot of micro gold in what fell out the cracks and creases and I'm thinking the druzy quartz acts like a sluice trap over a long period of time, the tiny almost invisible to the naked eye micro gold filled in the crevices of the druzy. Here's some close up shots, it's the best my phone can do, I am looking into a digital microscope that shoots pictures.

 

[Steve1236]

So cool..

 

[Steve1236]

Does anyone on here know how to remove fine micron gold from dirt, I'm thinking that dirt is loaded with it from my spot, any help would be much appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve.

 

[DDancer]

Easiest way is to get yourself some classifiers to screen down the material before panning. There are quite a few manufacture's out there with varying mesh sizes.

 

[Steve1236]

Thanks DD, I was hoping someone had a nifty trick, those screens bring back big shattered dreams I once had lol, when I first started gold prospecting I went to a place called lynx creek and I must have screened 20 or more buckets in a day and had hundreds of little specs, almost killed myself and I thought it was a great day, then I weighed it and it wasn't even a gram lol. I'll grab some dry clay I noticed about a foot deep next time I'm out there and check to see if it's worth it. Thanks again DDancer. Here's another one, it's in the bottom of the agate in the chalcedony quartz, I wish the phone's cameras pictures would look how I see them but here's another one, sorry about the lighting its evening dusk time here.

 

[DDancer]

Sorry there's no such thing as a gold magnet Steve Spent time on Lynx creek myself, got some nice pickers, so dont feel bad. Only other way is to work with mercury or haul your pay out and run it on a sluice. Some dry blowers may work but stuff that small really needs water. All hard work, easier to pick up what you have in hand.

 

[Steve1236]

Wouldn't that be awesome though, a gold magnet make gold prospecting a whole lot easier lol.
I'm actually kind of worried now, I want to keep my spot my spot ya know and the second you involve gold even little gold it's not likely to stay that way very long, most people who gold prospect dont care about fire agates but even a little gold and I'm afraid it won't stay that way ya know. Thanks on the advice DDancer, have yourself a great day and take care.
Steve.

 

[billdean06]

Steve….Have you run a gold detector over it. I can bring one up to your site and check it! I won't tell anyone