Can gold have a copper tint? Pics enclosed

[baggerman]

I am new to gold mining and have been learning a ton. I went to a claim yesterday that belongs to a club I joined and brough home 3 five gallon buckets that I dug from the banks (hardpan and tough digging) to pan at home because this time of year there is no water in the creek. I have found coor in every pan and even a few small pieces I was able to pick up with tweezers and then I found this piece. To me it looks like it has a cpper tint to it and not the bright glittery gold I have been seeing. Is this gold with maybe some other stuff mixed in?

 

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[tertiaryjim]

I cant be certain what you have from the picture,Could be gold or part of a bullet jacket. Ma nature blends lots of metals and copper is one often found alloyed with gold. You could put it in a 15% solution of NITRIC ACID . The copper will dissolve into the acid and the gold will be left. This creates fumes and must be done outdoors. The best thing you might do is ask one of the club members . They will know what gold from that area looks like. Jim

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HI: It most certainly can, in fact most gold coins do have some copper in them for many reasons. Native gold can alloy with many other metals. Pure gold is too soft to use by itself.

As for your speciman, I would have to see it personally to have a reasonable idea.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[baggerman]

I scratched it with a pocket knife and looked at it with a magnifying glass (old eyes don't ya know) and I am about 90% sure it is gold. I really appreciate the input, lots to learn.

 

[strickman]

could be bullet jacket,but gold can be other colors as well.i even found some black gold ,not much but it is out there.

 

[Goldwasher]

by the color in the pic it looks like a piece of copper bullet jacket. if it was a piece and was in the ground even a year it should at least appear dull if not greenish with patina. if its a bullet jacket i would expect to find more pieces close by but you never know what the bullet hit when it tore apart to make such small pieces. if you scratched it and it looked gold it most likely is just be careful not to convince yourself that it" looks " like gold otherwise as far as color goes since i dredge a spot that has new placer and stuff missed by equipment before me i find gold from black wich is covered in dirty mercury silver with new mercury orange when it comes from rusty harpack and bright shiny yellow all in the same clean up. when we cook it off it all turns gold.after we run a blue bowl then a magnet we almost always find small black sand that you can see gold attached to which is do to the slate on the eastern side of the motherlode main vein. my advice is to study your final clean up pan very well and study your local geology and lots of stuff will come together and your success will increase. and as far as a test for sure hit your piece with a torch if its gold it wont melt(use a small torch not oxy/acytl)and you will burn off anything confusing you.

 

[baggerman]

by the color in the pic it looks like a piece of copper bullet jacket. if it was a piece and was in the ground even a year it should at least appear dull if not greenish with patina. if its a bullet jacket i would expect to find more pieces close by but you never know what the bullet hit when it tore apart to make such small pieces. if you scratched it and it looked gold it most likely is just be careful not to convince yourself that it" looks " like gold otherwise as far as color goes since i dredge a spot that has new placer and stuff missed by equipment before me i find gold from black wich is covered in dirty mercury silver with new mercury orange when it comes from rusty harpack and bright shiny yellow all in the same clean up. when we cook it off it all turns gold.after we run a blue bowl then a magnet we almost always find small black sand that you can see gold attached to which is do to the slate on the eastern side of the motherlode main vein. my advice is to study your final clean up pan very well and study your local geology and lots of stuff will come together and your success will increase. and as far as a test for sure hit your piece with a torch if its gold it wont melt(use a small torch not oxy/acytl)and you will burn off anything confusing you.

Thanks, I'll hit it with a torch this afternoon.

 

[baggerman]

Well I tried a propane torch and alas I think you guys are right that it is a bullet fragment. Turned gray on one side and really brought out the copper color on the other. I panned the rest of the bucket that it came out of and found a couple smaller pieces and a couple of very small pieces of lead. I'm disappointed but at the same time I am learning so it's OK. I really appreciate all the input as it never even crossed my mind that it could be a bullet fragment. I'm pretty sharp with a metal detctor but have alot to learn about gold prospecting. Got 2 more buckets to pan out before I go back for some more. Thanks again for the input.

 

[Seamuss]

You could find gold that has some copper mix or some copper that has a little gold mixed with it. That's why some of us prospectors get an assay occasionally.

 

[Tank69]

looks like a chunk of copper jacket off a bullet to me , but I've been known to be wrong once maybe even twice.