Is this gold? And what is in the other pics?

[Aranda]

Hi. I have always been curious about what I found 20 years ago. I have kept them this long because I think they are amazing and I love looking at them. I have about 40 different ones that I found. They aren't giant, some are the size of a golf ball where others are the size of a tennis ball. I also have lots and lots of small ones, about the size of a marble or smaller. I have always wanted to know what they were so here I am. Any kind of information you can give me will be helpful. The first couple of pics look like gold to me, but whether its real or not I don't know. A few look like they have gold veins in them but again I don't know. The other pics look like crystals, I just want to know if they are anything special. I think they are awesome to look at. Some look pink, others look purple in the middle and some look clear.

 

[AU Seeker]

It's possible that it could be gold, but more likely it's pyrite or chalcopyrite, it's very hard to tell for sure from just photos.

First test you can try is too take the specimens outside in the sun, look at the "gold" with the sun shining on it and then use your hand to shaded the "gold", if you notice a considerabke difference in the way it looks, e.g. gold color in the sun but loses that distinct gold color in the shade and looks more gray to silver it's pyrite or chalcopyrite, if it looks much the same the chances are getting better it's gold, gold has a glow all on it's own and doesn't need to have light shining on it to be the golden color it is.

Second test, use a sharp knife point carefully and see if you can push it into or scratch the "gold" be careful not to slip and cut yourself, if the gold indents/scratches and is soft similar to how lead would be the chances are even better that it's gold and now would be the time to take it to a reputable jeweler to have them do further testing, if the knife point chips/shatters out little pieces of the "gold" or does nothing even not stratching the "gold" you can rule out it being gold and it's most likely pyrite or chalcopyrite which even though they're brittle is harder than a knife blade.

Links to photos of pyrite and chalcopyrite

https://www.google.com/search?q=pyr...2&ved=0ahUKEwj-776ikJ7OAhWGJCYKHT9OBZEQsAQIVg

https://www.google.com/search?q=cha...v&ved=0ahUKEwi36bDBj57OAhXGbSYKHZOyBaUQsAQIKA