Nj gold

loco oro

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hey, i am located in pa and i have researched the northeast for gold occurences , and i have not found any in nj that was placer from nj deposits, but there has been( by product)gold produced in the general region ,mainly iron deposits . but having said that , there is the possiblility of gold due to glaciation, but also the (appalacian gold belt does extend through nj ,so the possibility is there , this eastern gold in this belt has been associated with pyrite ,and slate among others,but i mention those because there have been world class slate quarys in that region , and lots of pyrite . i would focus on eastern slopes of appalacian ridges around these areas of slate and pyrite deposits ,you may find small gold weathering from these if you can find exsposures in or around streams. but i would like to also share some info i have on some gemy goodys that have been found in the area of franklin nj,from franklin southward to ogdenburg ,you can find curundum of facet quality , even the ruby varity,but mostly saphire . if your inclined to look for gems, nj does have its goodys. these are mostly found in contact zones with limestone . hope this helps a little, if you want more info on specific countys/areas on gemy material,hit me back
 

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NJnuggetpirate

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So besides quartz is there any highly sought after gems in NJ to look for
 

loco oro

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yes, as i said before, nj has curundum of facet quality , this is highly sought after, also agate,amber,amethyst,spinel,opal,sunstone,epidote,garnet,and there are others but the most notable are the curundum,which is rubys and saphires,blue and pink, but facet grade rubys are hard to beat any where in the world.check around the sparta area for ruby, and franklin area for ruby and saphire,newton area also , these areas have limestone quarries that have produced curundum in the contact zones of limestone and enclosing rock. good hunting.
 

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NJnuggetpirate

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yes, as i said before, nj has curundum of facet quality , this is highly sought after, also agate,amber,amethyst,spinel,opal,sunstone,epidote,garnet,and there are others but the most notable are the curundum,which is rubys and saphires,blue and pink, but facet grade rubys are hard to beat any where in the world.check around the sparta area for ruby, and franklin area for ruby and saphire,newton area also , these areas have limestone quarries that have produced curundum in the contact zones of limestone and enclosing rock. good hunting.

Are there any streams you would suggest I look at to find placer gems
 

loco oro

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i will tell you of a prospecting tool that i find to be fantastic,being that i prospect, and i am from central pa, i have to travel to find the goodys,so i find myself almost always in unfamiliar territory, and i love it, but google earth is tremendous asset,you can see whats around the (bend) ,or see where bedrock crosses streams or rivers, you can see natural traps and so forth so if you have access to G earth look for the areas i gave you,you can see the old quarrys ,then follow whatever streams are nearby, you will see traps ,bedrock, pools and bends that will trap the heavys,also you could plan most likely access points to the waters.but just as important you can see county lines, townships and the like which is very helpful ,especially here in the east where most property is private,this helps if you go to local courthouse to locate land owners ,names and property lines , i find it helpful most times to have names when i go doorknock n for premission. i hope this helps some .
 

loco oro

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also i recommend to look for the outcrops in the stream , then look just downstream of these to find a trap or bend , i would start there, these have produced quality gems , but you may have to do a little rock cracking if you find a contact zone. hope you find something cool. hit me back an let me know how you make out .
 

smokeythecat

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Franklin NJ has TINY gold in some of the ores. I have two specimens in my collection. One I bought and it's in matrix of the zinc ores. The other one I FOUND about 4 years ago. I picked up the rock due to something else in it, and there was a tiny smidgen of gold in it. the Franklin rarities sometimes still come out of the dumps. They are worth more than a lot of US rubies, sapphires or emeralds. Read up on it on the net. I haven't been able to get back lately due to me generally falling apart! I do love my Franklin collection, however.
 

loco oro

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i am curious ,about the one in zinc matrix. is that from that area? and is it of the honey brown sphalerite, i have a lead zinc depoist in my area ,14 mi from my home that i have been picking at for a few years , now and then when i am home,and i have buckets of the honeybrown sphalerite, in masses,stratifyed with calcite,white and smokey grey inclusions. we have a masssive hydrothermal sulfide, with known outcrops ,sporadic throughout a 50 sq mi area , and everything tells me there should be something cool around. and i have done considerable digging, following my gut iguess, but never seen any visible gold in what i have, but hearing you say about having a specimen , gets my blood pumping ,very cool would love to see a pic if you got one.
 

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NJnuggetpirate

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Has anyone ever heard of the town horse neck in Monmouth county Nj the Nj GPAA chapter has a claim somewhere over there I also am wondering for hunting for gems in the water do I look for the same thing you look for to find gold
 

loco oro

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when i am in areas where there is a possiblity for gemy material, i classify everything down to 1/4 in , anything smaller isnt worth keeping really, gemys would be in your screen then i pan everything else, but yes gem material is heavier than most, gems are often found in associated with gold , in placers
 

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NJnuggetpirate

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when i am in areas where there is a possiblity for gemy material, i classify everything down to 1/4 in , anything smaller isnt worth keeping really, gemys would be in your screen then i pan everything else, but yes gem material is heavier than most, gems are often found in associated with gold , in placers

I thought so now what do gems look like as raw rock
 

loco oro

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wow, i dont know where to begin , there are so many variables, i will keep it as simple as possible,first you must understand that gemy material is MUCH harder than ordinary sedimentry rock, dont hit with hammer to find out how hard it is,lol ,being as hard as they are they weather much much ,slower than sedimentry rock, or igneious for that matter,as a result they will retain there crystal shape for the most part,i will suggest getting a mineral guide and learning the crystal habits of the various mins,but you should look for glassy, or greasy appearing rocks, most may still retain a natural facet ,or two that will make it easy to recognize and identify. some may have a chalky appearence due to being tossed around in streams. if you are begining at this ,what i did was when i came across a stone of an extra ordinary color ,like blues or reds ,yellows , i would set those aside and continue classifying material, and then at my leisure further identify,with books,, experts and so forth but all the while panning the cons for other goodys, i have found small gems in my pan that slipped thourgh the screens,this looked like a bubble in the pan because of them refracting the light,unmistakable.but like i said most retain theircrystal shape with a slight rounding to the edges of there facets, like the curundum family tend to be tabular in form,beryl will tend to have blunt ends and at glance appear to be cylindrical ,only when looking closer you will see their facets but mainly color is what makes you seperate and keep to identify. also as i said a min guide will help greatly , i still carry several in my truck,some minerals will fluresce under black light / uv light .a guide will tell you what to look for . when i am in a gemy area i stay until dark and take a black light and walk as much of area ,gravel bars as i can you would be surprised at the amount of mins you walk right past,having said that , doing this prior to an outing for a day may alsohelp in finding a good location ,because there may be tiny gemy material that will fluresce and giveaway their big brothers.
 

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NJnuggetpirate

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loco oro is it easy to recognize gems that are found in the water then in the coursey rock crust
 

loco oro

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easy to recognize them from rock, what can be a little tricky is identifying them.
 

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