Gold and Crystals

[NuggetN8]

Yesterday I was out prospecting/exploring a new place and found a spot with some good color. I was digging in a huge mass of roots and moss. I'll attach a pic of what i found in 4 pans out of it. Didn't pan for too long because I was mostly there to detect. I walked downstream a ways swinging my detector as I went when something caught my eye. There was a big fat quartz vein coming down the side of the hill with visible pockets in it. I normally don't dig for crystals but it just looked too good to pass up. The first pocket I dug out had some smaller crystals in it like all the other ones I've found before. After cleaning the first pocket I moved up the vein to a bigger pocket. I could see quite a few crystals in this one so I dug as many as I could but when I was done I saw some much larger flat shapes near the sides of the pocket. After a lot of smashing and bashing with my pick I got it out! Biggest crystal I've ever found. I haven't found very many though.. Lol. Anyone know what works best for cleaning up crystals? The clay that's stuck to them is like glue! I've tried a wire brush and several other stiff brushes and they don't work all that great. Here's some pics.. The gold is 0.2 gram

 

[NuggetN8]

And u visually see these in the veins.. And then break em out? Where I go, there's not too many exposed veins..

Yeah it's one huge solid quartz vein probaby 1.5-2ft wide and it has big pockets in it. The crystals are sticking out of the sides in the pocket. I think the pockets are called vugs. There's one slab of quartz laying there that I'm going to try to flip. Not sure if it's still attached or not but the bottom of it is covered with them. Can't get them unless I detach and flip it somehow because it's so deep. Need a jackhammer lol. My pick broke last time so not sure what I'm going to use...

 

[johnnysau]

Just a little correction " Vug " - Open cavity in rocks, often lined with druses of crystals.

johnnysau

 

[NuggetN8]

Went out and spent a day digging up crystals at the same spot.. Didn't find any more big ones but got some that are on small slabs of quartz. Can't tell how good they are because there's so much iron junk on them.. Also has clusters of those little cubes on some of them. I'll try scrubbing. Here's a few pics.

 

[mellowyellow]

Went out and spent a day digging up crystals at the same spot.. Didn't find any more big ones but got some that are on small slabs of quartz. Can't tell how good they are because there's so much iron junk on them.. Also has clusters of those little cubes on some of them. I'll try scrubbing. Here's a few pics. <img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=934584"/>

Very cool! Thanks for sharing!

 

[Hoser John]

Go to any grocery/hardware store and look for CLR used to be in a green bottle,does the trick great. Bleach is good for iron and TSP great for mercury treatments also in amalgamation. John

 

[kuger]

Go to any grocery/hardware store and look for CLR used to be in a green bottle,does the trick great. Bleach is good for iron and TSP great for mercury treatments also in amalgamation. John

^^^^^^ This is exactly what I was going to advise ^^^^^^

 

[Oakview2]

Hey stranger

 

[mu50stang]

I found this crystal last year when dredging in Indiana. The spot where I found this crystal I had found my best gold to date. There was more of it there but this was the only piece I took as I found it on the front of my dredge hose. Are these worth anything?

 

[NuggetN8]

I found this crystal last year when dredging in Indiana. The spot where I found this crystal I had found my best gold to date. There was more of it there but this was the only piece I took as I found it on the front of my dredge hose. Are these worth anything?

Depends on if somebody wants them. Their value is whatever a collector is willing to pay. Some people collect them but may be picky about what they look like. How clear the crystals are, the size, type of crystal, etc.

 

[Fullpan]

Went out and spent a day digging up crystals at the same spot.. Didn't find any more big ones but got some that are on small slabs of quartz. Can't tell how good they are because there's so much iron junk on them.. Also has clusters of those little cubes on some of them. I'll try scrubbing. Here's a few pics.


View attachment 934584

Looks like you've got the beginning of a rock shop there ! The 1st pic - did you make that clean window in the center-left piece ? Is it transparent inside ? If so, and there are no major dings on the tips, that cluster could be worth from 20 to 50 dollars, depending. Its time now to see the many utube vids on quartz crystal digging and cleaning. Start with quartz in Arkansas.

 

[NuggetN8]

Looks like you've got the beginning of a rock shop there ! The 1st pic - did you make that clean window in the center-left piece ? Is it transparent inside ? If so, and there are no major dings on the tips, that cluster could be worth from 20 to 50 dollars, depending. Its time now to see the many utube vids on quartz crystal digging and cleaning. Start with quartz in Arkansas. YouTube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zz4E-_hmrlk

Yeah most of those on that one are transparent inside. They have round white fluffy looking things in some of them though. Not sure what those are. That cluster is soaking in acid right now. Hopefully it will be clean soon. Here's one I found yesterday that I really like. It's soaking too.

 

[Fullpan]

Watch out - you're heading down the path to dual-addiction

 

[NuggetN8]

Watch out - you're heading down the path to dual-addiction

Lol yeah!!! I'm already hooked... All it took was that one little pocket I dug out down there now I'm climbing all over the hillside searching for more.. Found another cluster that has long underdeveloped crystals on it that make it look like coral. And I think it's still going to turn out really clear. Just dropped it in the acid with the others.

 

[Fullpan]

Again , if you use a box-cutter type razor blade to prick/flick some of the rust deposits off, it cuts the acid bath time down - very little chance of scratching the crystal.

 

[NuggetN8]

Here's some of the better crystals that I found cleaned up. They aren't perfectly clean but good enough for me. I know that one big one that's split in the middle and a rusty point needs an acid soak. The pic was taken before cleanup. Soaking now. The top is pitted so scrubbing and picking at it didn't help. This is the end of my crystal digging for a while. The spot seems to have run out and I think I'd rather find nuggets lol.

 

[Fullpan]

Thanks for posting pics - while I don't see any "Smithsonian" specimens, its always fun to explore the possibilities. There is a mountain-top claim 35 miles
north of Reno that is noted for quartz crystal. The most desired types are Smokey quartz scepters and Amethyst there. The claim was recently sold for over $40,000.

 

[Fullpan]

Peterson Mountain Commercial Dig 2006, Page 1

 

[mu50stang]

What the easiest way to remove all the clay and rock stuck to the crystals.

 

[NuggetN8]

What the easiest way to remove all the clay and rock stuck to the crystals.

I used a knife from the kitchen and a wire brush. Then soaked them in acid after I removed what I could.

 

[mu50stang]

Thanks. Ill post some pics when done.