HUGE SCORE!!! (or so I thought)

SeaninNH · Apr 21, 2011

The other night I hit the tot lot behind my house for my nightly hunt from 9pm-1am.

After about 15 minutes of finding pennies I get a solid low tone 8" so I start moving the wood chips aside. 2-4" down the chips are packed and dark so I break out the shovel and start digging.

I see what looks like a rope so I start pulling.... It feels like metal... Hmmmm...

I pull out 2+ feet of this heavy..... NECKLACE! It's really tarnished so I'm thinking that it's been in the ground for a long time.

I look at the end where the clasp would be and see that it is quality... It looks like it would be silver. I look at the other end and I see 14K :headbang:

ARE YOU KIDDING ME

WOW!

When I get home I put it on the scale and was shocked to see that I just scored 42.4G of 14k gold!
That is $1200+ worth of gold... I can't believe it... It's tarnished as can be, but I can clean it up.

I took a few minutes and cleaned it up a little. Considering the condition that it was in I think it turned out pretty nice.

The next day I bring it to someone that was going to buy it and he tests it.... FAKE! He does the acid test... FAKE! It's not magnetic, but the tester said it's not gold and the 14k acid dissolved it instantly... >:(

I filed one of the links and it's solid. The metal does not change as the grove gets deeper.

I'm bummed. I thought I had the score of a life time and I end up with a paper weight...

Oh well... What can you do?

DiggerDave in Pa. · Apr 21, 2011

SeaninNH said:
The other night I hit the tot lot behind my house for my nightly hunt from 9pm-1am.

After about 15 minutes of finding pennies I get a solid low tone 8" so I start moving the wood chips aside. 2-4" down the chips are packed and dark so I break out the shovel and start digging.

I see what looks like a rope so I start pulling.... It feels like metal... Hmmmm...

I pull out 2+ feet of this heavy..... NECKLACE! It's really tarnished so I'm thinking that it's been in the ground for a long time.

I look at the end where the clasp would be and see that it is quality... It looks like it would be silver. I look at the other end and I see 14K

ARE YOU KIDDING ME WOW!

When I get home I put it on the scale and was shocked to see that I just scored 42.4G of 14k gold!
That is $1200+ worth of gold... I can't believe it... It's tarnished as can be, but I can clean it up.

I took a few minutes and cleaned it up a little. Considering the condition that it was in I think it turned out pretty nice.

The next day I bring it to someone that was going to buy it and he tests it.... FAKE! He does the acid test... FAKE! It's not magnetic, but the tester said it's not gold and the 14k acid dissolved it instantly...

I filed one of the links and it's solid. The metal does not change as the grove gets deeper.

I'm bummed. I thought I had the score of a life time and I end up with a paper weight...

Oh well... What can you do?

Give it away or scrap it! DD

Baldingboy · Apr 21, 2011

Bummer man...probably a wallet chain. :dontknow:

Darn knockoffs.

Baldingboy

terpfan · Apr 21, 2011

Sorry for your disappointment. That would have been one heck of a score if it were gold! Maybe next time. I was a bit suspicious looking at your first picture. I don't remember seeing any dug gold with that tarnished look. It usually looks terrific even after centuries in the ground.

artemis moon · Apr 21, 2011

Well, at least you had the thrill of discovery :dontknow:

Keep swinging and you're bound to have better luck next time

creeper71 · Apr 21, 2011

I would get a 2nd opinion this just happened to me first person was a "scrapper" he told me it was fake.. so I mention this to a friend his parents own a jewlery store.. he tested it 3 different ways.. I do not remember what he did.. I wasn't there... but he told me that my braclet was 14k an that the scrapper was tryin to pull a fast one

West Jersey Detecting · Apr 21, 2011

creeper71 said:
I would get a 2nd opinion this just happened to me first person was a "scrapper" he told me it was fake.. so I mention this to a friend his parents own a jewlery store.. he tested it 3 different ways.. I do not remember what he did.. I wasn't there... but he told me that my braclet was 14k an that the scrapper was tryin to pull a fast one

It is fake. Don't bother. Gold does not tarnish. Even the gold pulled from the bottom of the ocean is not tarnished.

billn1956 · Apr 21, 2011

Gold does tarnish just depends on what K value and what other metal it is alloyed with.And what is in the ground close to it and how long its been in the ground.And a lot of other things.

cgull · Apr 21, 2011

Great find, real or fake! Makes me want to get out.

Killer Angel · Apr 21, 2011

Some of the gold rings being pulled out of the surf in AC are rust colored. Lot's of crud on them.

Buried Crap NJ · Apr 21, 2011

Gold that's been in the ocean a long time will have the other metals leached from the piece. This can be seeen by the redish hue that apears on the gold.Many peices of gold will crumble in this condition. Gold found in the dirt will almost all the time not tarnish or loose color. I say almost all the time because. Gold coins found in metal containers or near iron will have rust particals attached to them.This has been my own findings

mastereagle22 · Apr 21, 2011

Believe me when I say i know EXACTLY how you feel. I had the same exact thing happen to me two summers ago. I was so stoked to find the chain. Mine wasn't tarnished like yours but it just looked off to me. Took it to the local jeweler and the only part that was actually gold was the clasp.............. :'(

Oh well it was fun while it lasted.

NOLA_Ken · Apr 21, 2011

I've found a couple chains like that, they're almost always brass with a very thin plate. Strangely enough they all seem to have the exact same 14k stamp.......

allen · Apr 21, 2011

maybe the next time it will be the real deal ! :thumbsup:

lookindown · Apr 21, 2011

I found a 7 gram bracelet with the same mark. It was tarnished just like yours and made of brass. >:(

ANTIQUARIAN · Apr 21, 2011

I think it was still a very interesting find Sean! :icon_thumright:

If I were you I'd turn the chain into men's bracelets and
sell them on Craigslist for $10 each . . . I'd buy one! :laughing7:

Dave

steelheadwill · Apr 22, 2011

Wow!
what a letdown.
only hi karat gold is impervious.
standard 10-18K can be discolored or pitted by environmentals.
Better finds will come your way !! :icon_sunny:

Cool Hand Fluke · Apr 24, 2011

This just makes you wonder who is producing all this fake jewelry? Thousands of pieces are found by detectorist every year. Whoever is doing this needs to be hanged! Many of the examples found are produced in Mexico. I've probably found over 50 pieces of fake silver and gold jewelry over the years, it make me mad!

calisdad · Apr 24, 2011

I've often wondered if you couldn't calculate the volume and cross check with the weight to find out what it is.

To find the volume I'd put in in a glass of water and fill to the brim. Remove the item and using a syringe see how much water it takes to refill the glass.

X grams divided by Y cc's = Z grams per cc
There must be a table that says what weighs Z grams per cc.

just a wandering thought on a lazy Sunday morning. :icon_sunny: