Gold in Ribbon Quartz find - but what are the other metals?

[NeoTokyo]

Heya everyone;

We were back in our spot today doing some more underwater sniping when I found a large quartz vein that had been broken up a bit.
It looks like it is Ribbon Quartz because of all the pockets and being able to be broken easily.

I can see the gold but I think there might be silver too and a very light and bright silver patch that is almost powder like.

So I wanted to ask you guys, aside from the gold, what other minerals are in this specimen?

Also, should I treat this (and any other finds) with acid to get that neat gold webbing and how much is this specimen worth, is it worth less after being treated with acid?


Thanks guys, your helping my n00b brain to become less n00b.

 

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[placertogo]

Nice specimen. Clearly worth more as an excellent specimen of native gold in matrix than for the metal value itself. I would not treat it with acid but leave it as is.

 

[Sharp Rock Jerry]

I can see the gold but I think there might be silver too and a very light and bright silver patch that is almost powder like.

Nice piece. I'm thinking the silvery stuff is galena (lead ore). Common in some gold bearing areas.

Go dig it up! Chop-Chop!

 

[NeoTokyo]

Thanks guys.

As a specimen how do I find its value?

Also would it be ok to use mineral oil on it so it looks its best?
Its very pale when dry and I have used mineral oil on river stones before to bring out different qualities about them like quartz stripes.

 

[bug]

That looks a lot like mica. Too pale and shiny. Crush it and pan it out and you will know what you have.

 

[NeoTokyo]

Nope, not mica, I already tried scratching it, its pretty solid stuff but does scratch.
I have scratched mica before and it just flakes apart.
Thanks for the guess though.

It kinda looks like Chalcocite in the very dark metalic section.

 

[bug]

Yes definitely some mineralization but doesnt look like the gold kind to me. I would still crush it down and pan it out to verify what you have. Or at least chip some off if you want to keep the rock intact. If its real gold it wont turn to powder.
You dont have any exotic gold crystallization showing, so I wouldn't worry about loosing value.
just some ideas, and I hope there is some gold there for you.