How can I increase my chances of finding a gold ring?

[7up2000]

I've been using a Garrett At-Pro for 11 years. It's great at finding coins but sucks at finding gold rings(2). I'm really tired of digging pull tabs and scrap metal flakes. Any advice on how I can better the chances of finding a gold ring? I usually look in the 50 - 70 VDI range(which the detector recommends). The one good gold ring I did find I believe was registering a 61 VDI. I look for gold rings everywhere: parks, schools, desert areas, curbs, old neighborhoods, business complexes, vacant trailer land, etc. So far, no luck. How can I increase my odds? Or would it just be wiser to buy another detector? This is desert soil so it is highly mineralized--I usually only get about 2-1/2 to 3" detection. I normally use a large coil but also have a smaller coil I can use. Thanks for the input!

 

[Chizzy]

I've been fortunate to find 15 gold rings in 10 years along with gold earrings and pendants. I estimate that my ratio is around 1000 pull tabs for each piece of lost gold jewelry found. My last ring (August 16th at a local park with soccer fields) was a small (1.54gram) 18k white gold ring that crackled like foil and I almost didn't dig it. Started to walk away when my curiosity got the better of me. Fortunately, my penchant for getting a good nights' sleep kicked in.

 

[Terry Soloman]

Gold is a hard mistress to please. I found more gold rings and earrings, with my Tesoro Compadre in parks, playgrounds, schools, baseball and football/soccer fields, and sand volleyball courts, than I ever have with the Equinox, Legend, or AT Pro at the beach. The key to finding gold is hunting in ALL METAL. Dig it ALL for the first hour, then discriminate at Nickel, for the next hour and compare notes. If you can hear a nickel, you can hear gold!

 

[pepperj]

I've been fortunate to find 15 gold rings in 10 years along with gold earrings and pendants. I estimate that my ratio is around 1000 pull tabs for each piece of lost gold jewelry found. My last ring (August 16th at a local park with soccer fields) was a small (1.54gram) 18k white gold ring that crackled like foil and I almost didn't dig it. Started to walk away when my curiosity got the better of me. Fortunately, my penchant for getting a good nights' sleep kicked in.

Back in the mid 80's I was told the ratio was 250-300 tabs for a piece of gold. That wasn't my cup of tea digging that many plugs for gold.
Had a White's Golden Eagle back then, turn the coil 90° if it cut out, carry on. This was for coin shooting basically. I dug my fair share of gold just going after coinage.
Anna Marie Island my best day was 2 men's rings, 1 woman's whites gold.

 

[Chizzy]

Back in the mid 80's I was told the ratio was 250-300 tabs for a piece of gold. That wasn't my cup of tea digging that many plugs for gold.
Had a White's Golden Eagle back then, turn the coil 90° if it cut out, carry on. This was for coin shooting basically. I dug my fair share of gold just going after coinage.
Anna Marie Island my best day was 2 men's rings, 1 woman's whites gold.

Like Terry Soloman, I use a Tesoro Compadre and Vaquero and set the discrimination accordingly. If I'm in an area that may be a high percentage area for gold, I'll keep digging everything but, generally I have a 25 pull tab limit.

 

[pepperj]

Like Terry Soloman, I use a Tesoro Compadre and Vaquero and set the discrimination accordingly. If I'm in an area that may be a high percentage area for gold, I'll keep digging everything but, generally I have a 25 pull tab limit.

I started hitting a couple of parks to take a break from fields this past year. I seem to be a 2 dozen tab type guy also.
But hit the place enough times and I might get something shiny.

 

[Prairie Prowler]

Great posts guys ..I would have to say the type of spot is a main factor..also believe learning the tones of the targets is a plus..This one fresh off the bottom 10 k white gold..

 

[The Beep Goes On]

I've had luck with sports fields. It's easier to figure out what you shouldn't dig than what you should, which includes pull tabs ;-( Curiosity and desire for certainty are fundamental to the mindset of having an unhesitating willingness to dig, at least after querying the target and finding it within the ballpark.

 

[7up2000]

Remember to do research, locate a place where there were once alot of rich people coupled with horseplay or neglegence - a bar, a swimming hole, a fairground.

I once researched where Phoenix, AZ had their state fairground back in the early 1900s. I drove the 2 hours to get up there and located it downtown next to a big wash(the wash was too deep to detect). The entire area was obliterated. It had been graded many many times through the years and consisted of a layer of rock and gravel.
Your point is a valid one. My point is those areas are very hard if not impossible to find--especially if you live in an area that has seen extensive growth and development since the 1970s(my area is Tucson).
I definitely see the correlation between the number of people occupying an area over time and the number of goodies you will find; few people, few coins.
It should also be noted other detectorists have been looking for these areas through the years(and are capable of doing research) and by the time I get there, there may have already been 10-100 detectorists to hit the area. I've definitely seen this in my sojourns.

 

[UnderMiner]

I once researched where Phoenix, AZ had their state fairground back in the early 1900s. I drove the 2 hours to get up there and located it downtown next to a big wash(the wash was too deep to detect). The entire area was obliterated. It had been graded many many times through the years and consisted of a layer of rock and gravel.
Your point is a valid one. My point is those areas are very hard if not impossible to find--especially if you live in an area that has seen extensive growth and development since the 1970s(my area is Tucson).
I definitely see the correlation between the number of people occupying an area over time and the number of goodies you will find; few people, few coins.
It should also be noted other detectorists have been looking for these areas through the years(and are capable of doing research) and by the time I get there, there may have already been 10-100 detectorists to hit the area. I've definitely seen this in my sojourns.

Yep, I often find myself in direct competition with people from the distant past. I think to myself, this place should be full of finds, but it's not, some treasure hunter from 30 years ago beat me to it, then I'll see freshly fallen tree, roots upturned, and realise, the people from 30 years ago couldn't hunt under that tree, but I can, and there I will find something they couldn't.

 

[Sandog]

I've been using a Garrett At-Pro for 11 years. It's great at finding coins but sucks at finding gold rings(2). I'm really tired of digging pull tabs and scrap metal flakes. Any advice on how I can better the chances of finding a gold ring? I usually look in the 50 - 70 VDI range(which the detector recommends). The one good gold ring I did find I believe was registering a 61 VDI. I look for gold rings everywhere: parks, schools, desert areas, curbs, old neighborhoods, business complexes, vacant trailer land, etc. So far, no luck. How can I increase my odds? Or would it just be wiser to buy another detector? This is desert soil so it is highly mineralized--I usually only get about 2-1/2 to 3" detection. I normally use a large coil but also have a smaller coil I can use. Thanks for the input!

The best formula I can think of for finding more gold, and other jewelry, is Sunscreen + Alcohol . Then multiply X Sandbar party if possible. I think Black Bart could confirm that. Next would be high end resort beaches. Good luck wherever you go.

 

[scaupus]

I've been using a Garrett At-Pro for 11 years. It's great at finding coins but sucks at finding gold rings(2). I'm really tired of digging pull tabs and scrap metal flakes. Any advice on how I can better the chances of finding a gold ring? I usually look in the 50 - 70 VDI range(which the detector recommends). The one good gold ring I did find I believe was registering a 61 VDI. I look for gold rings everywhere: parks, schools, desert areas, curbs, old neighborhoods, business complexes, vacant trailer land, etc. So far, no luck. How can I increase my odds? Or would it just be wiser to buy another detector? This is desert soil so it is highly mineralized--I usually only get about 2-1/2 to 3" detection. I normally use a large coil but also have a smaller coil I can use. Thanks for the input!

yeah, i think so. Arizona...hunt for nuggets. you'll need a gold machine.

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