Question About Gold and Gem in GA

[BenArmstrong]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about heading down to Cleveland, GA to Gold and Gem for a couple of days and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts about how worth it it is. I've read a lot about them and have ordered gem bags from them before and they were definitely salted (although when I called them they stated that they were in no way salted and came from the same dirt piles they put out by their creek). I want to go after some gold (thinking about taking my Gold Cube and working the dirt pile, if they allow that) as well as some gems. It's the closest place to me in WI and I don't think I have the time or gas $ to go out west this summer. I really wouldn't want to go to a place that just had a big pile of salted dirt as it would then just make more sense to buy their stuff online and save the gas money. Sorry still new to all of this so hopefully these aren't dumb questions. I really appreciate the advice and experience on here! Thanks in advance!

 

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[BobM]

I have been to G&G many times over the past 10 yrs. one yr I brought my small high banker, and did good dumping buckets from the piles, had a few pickers, then next yr, barely any gold, but lots of gems, this yr I decided to dig a hole in the stream, and found some gold and many gems. I met the new owners, the place is clean and a great place to spend the day

I want to be clear I don't care about the gold, I spend crazy money to get a few grams, it's about spending the day with my wife digging, laughing, enjoying the day.
Head to lucky strike and thermal city as well,

 

[dash4cash]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about heading down to Cleveland, GA to Gold and Gem for a couple of days and was wondering if anyone has any thoughts about how worth it it is. I've read a lot about them and have ordered gem bags from them before and they were definitely salted (although when I called them they stated that they were in no way salted and came from the same dirt piles they put out by their creek). I want to go after some gold (thinking about taking my Gold Cube and working the dirt pile, if they allow that) as well as some gems. It's the closest place to me in WI and I don't think I have the time or gas $ to go out west this summer. I really wouldn't want to go to a place that just had a big pile of salted dirt as it would then just make more sense to buy their stuff online and save the gas money. Sorry still new to all of this so hopefully these aren't dumb questions. I really appreciate the advice and experience on here! Thanks in advance!

Ben, have you prospected here in Wi? It is new to me but I have been at it a few months now and enjoy all the great scenery and rivers we have, yes I have found gold.


Carl

 

[BenArmstrong]

Thanks for the info Bob. I agree that it’s about the time spent and experience rather than the total gold collected at the end of the day had (well at least for those of us who only do this as a hobby lol). That said, to me a big part of the fun is not knowing what you’re going to find, the part where chance meets skill and experience (I admittedly have very little experience so far). When I go fishing, I obviously want to catch fish and as many as possible, but I don’t want to go to someone’s pool where they threw in a bunch of hungry fish and pull them out. I want to go out on the water, and no matter how good of a fisherman I am, there’s a chance I could get skunked, I could load up, I have no idea exactly what I’ll catch, etc. Maybe not the best analogy, but to me gold prospecting is the same way. Hopefully that makes sense. I will likely go either way since it’s the closest thing I can afford, and I like the idea of paying per day and digging through as much dirt as I want, rather than by the bucket or bag. I was just hoping to hear whether anyone knew if they salted their pile or not. I recall watching a youtube video of Doc from GH, showing them digging on an old river bed to get materials for the pile they set out for people to go through and if that’s accurate and nothing gets added in between, then that’s sounds awesome! I have bought a LOT of paydirt from all over (and I appreciate when they say that they add gold), which is my primary experience so far, now I’m looking to have a slightly more authentic experience lol. Maybe it’s the gambler in me. The biggest concern I have (and what led to my original post) is that I have actually bought several of their gem bags in the past and when I called gold and gem grubbin’ to ask if they salt their bags, the lady I spoke to sounded offended and said absolutely not and that their bags come from exactly the same dirt pile by the creek that people can dig through. Unless I am absolutely mistaken, those bags are completely salted, without a doubt. So anyways, after all that, hopefully it’s worth it to head down there.

Hi Carl,
I have done some prospecting here in WI, but only a couple of times, the gold I’ve found has been pretty much microscopic, I need (and want) to do WAY more since I’ve bought just about everything but a highbanker or dredge (oh don’t worry, I’ll get those too lol, which is crazy since I can’t even use them in WI, but that’s the fever). I’m hoping to eventually find some gold that I can actually see without a loupe.

 

[BobM]

Ben,
I'm not too big into the gems as I am the gold, they are a bonus to me. That's why I decided to dig a hole in the creek. and yes I found some gold.
I 100% agree with you. I want the chance to find something rather than the salted experience. The issue is a lack of places to go.
If you are a GPAA member, they have a claim in Buchanan Ga. we found gold there.
The Statesville NC chapter has a lease in the Uwharrie forest (I haven't been yet)
Me and the wife have dug in the creaks that pass through the Uwharrie, I found some wire gold, and specks.
Everyone says Vein Mountain and Thermal city is actual unsalted paydirt, I like both of those places.

Heres a website I stumbled across, hope it helps.
https://rocktumbler.com/blog/fee-mining-and-digging-sites/

 

[dash4cash]

BobM, thanks for the site post, some great info for someone looking to travel.

Carl

 

[BenArmstrong]

Thanks for the info and the link. I'll definitely check those out!