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Detecting gold jewelry/Am i doing this right????

bob.oz

Active member
From reading the posts on the many different forms on here,it appears to me that no detector has an upper hand at finding gold jewelry better than others....in all types and models you still have to dig pieces of aluminum,pull tabs, and nickles to find gold..I understand that its knowing your machine,setting patterns and programs, hearing the tone,and experience that help.Is there a MD that has an advantage in your opinion?
What I'm getting at is if i go to a park that i and others have been hunting for years,and I'm still digging pull tabs,aluminium pieces,and nickles,from the ground, is it because others are knowingly rejecting these targets and don't want to waste time or is finding that gold ring still a good chance? HH bob.oz
 
You still have a good chance of digging up a ring or gold jewelry because the jewelry you're looking for is an alloy with variable amounts of different metals, gold only being one of them. Therefore, the jewelry can come in at a lot of different ID points. I'm afraid you still have to dig the trash because it cannot be distinguished from the jewelry by any detector on the market. So, if you're ignoring pull tabs or foil, you'll miss the jewelry as well.
 
Still a chance. When I'm looking for clad i discriminate. When I'm looking for gold or silver, i don't knock out pull tabs. my 505 doe's better now that I've learned the machine better. little compadre doe's real good on gold and silver. unfortunately gold rings up were the pull tabs are.
 
Bob, your question has many facets. For starters, here's the obvious: yes gold jewelry reads in the various TID ranges that aluminum (tabs, slaw, foil, etc...) read in. There's no getting around that, no matter how well you "know your machine". If anyone tries to tell you they can tell the difference between gold and aluminum (by sounds, or programs, or whatever), then quickly take them out to junky blighted urban parks, turn them loose. See how much gold jewelry they get, while leaving aluminum behind :rolleyes:

The next facet to you question: Yes, the parks are commonly hunted for coins/old silver only, and yes, people oftentime pass up foil, tabs, and so forth, ever since the creation of the first discriminators starting in the mid to late 1970s. So pity the poor fellow who tries to go to junky parks NOW, and hunt for gold jewelry :sadwalk: This depends on your geographic locale though, because some cities or parts of the USA might have had people who never high discriminated in their parks. But here where I'm at in CA, it's just the way it evolved.

And even though it's true, that people have "passed those gold rings", and even though it's true that if you dig enough junk in junky parks you will eventually find those gold rings, yet let's face it, it's simply not worth it. That's why people even from the beginning, chose to mine the parks for silver, and didn't bother going low disc.

Oh sure, you can try to be a "hero" if you want, but at some point, you're going to realize, it's not worth it. That's why I have to chuckle when I read on a forum where someone gives this prescription to finding gold rings: "turn down your disc, and dig all the aluminum". That is only a recipe for disaster, and no, it's not the full prescription.

The MUCH BIGGER part of the equation is WHERE you hunt. Because I can give you junky parks, where your ratio would be 1000 to 1 !! Simply not worth it. I have done and seen actual studies done in junky blighted parks, where this ratio is no joke!

For starters, junky turf simply has a low ratio of gold jewelry, to begin with. And if you start adding factors in like trying to hunt around picnic tables areas, you will only compound the problem, because think of it: Anywhere people eat, it's an automatic tabs from their soda's and foil from their sandwiches! And when you add in BBQ pits, presto, molten can slaw nuggets, and so forth! Contrast to athletic fields where there is NO picnicking/eating, and then your aluminum ratio goes down. Also the mere fact that it's athletics (especially rolicking frolicking tumble-over sports like soccer or volleyball, for instance), then the factors for jewelry loss go UP anyhow (as opposed to picnicking where all you're doing is sitting).

And better than ANY turf anywhere, is swimming beaches. Because the VERY NATURE of swimming is a natural recipe for jewelry loss: cool waters shrink fingers, people thrusting their hands in and out sand making sand castles, people putting slippery suntan lotion on, people frolicking about pitching frisbees and such, people laying in un-natural prone positions (on blankets, prone in the water and splashing water about). And my favorite: people taking off their jewelry for "safekeeping" when they've changed in to their bathing suits. Doh! Do you see why turf is such a lame 2nd behind turf?

So no: the recipe for finding gold jewelry is not to simply turn down the disc and dig junk till your arms fall off. You need to know where to go. And by "beaches" I don't mean only ocean beaches. Even beaches besides lakes with heavy beach-goer #s is going to be the same logic. And if you simply have no swim lakes in your area, then even volley-ball sand pits, sand wrestling pits, etc... are also going to be far and away superior to turf for jewelry. And think of it: sand is MUCH easier to dig in than turf anyhow. Doh!
 
You can't get around turning your disc down. If it's a regular site, oft visited, it's best to do it. Pretty soon you'll have it cleaned out fairly well. If in doubt, at least begin a progressive system. First start with just under nickel, then just at where foil crackles, then below foil. You get the idea. I have found gold rings in the unlikeliest of locations. I still think Charlie Garrett was right-"anywhere people have been". I do a little different. I start out with my detector in the notch mode at narrow width setting. I still get large pieces of foil and just a few days ago found a 10k butterfly-shaped ring that hit in the foil/nickel range. Next, since it's a likely place, I'll try my Compadre at just abover "iron".
 
Yeah, what Tom said, especially about location...you ARE doing it right because you are THINKING about it. Now, put the thinking and location together, focus up, and go. If you leave the house intent on finding a gold ring, your brain will begin to program your body where to hunt, and what to listen for. Sooner or later a signal will just jump out at you in an area of likelyhood. If you are not focused up, it will just sound like another piece of foil or pulltab. I've yet to find a mans gold ring, but got 10 womens, including 3 class rings (returned) in two years. Women tend not to go too far afield and certainly have very easy to understand travel habits, and are notorious for losing things and not knowing it..guys on the other hand, Whole different set of signals here, most pulltab and penny signals in an outfield for instance should be explored.
Mud
 
Lots of info:thanks...I do understand the people to area factor,and i do hunt soccer/athletic fields,grass parking lots,firework and event areas..and yes i do hunt the beach here in the Tampa bay area,but just the dry sand,I plan on a water detector this summer.I used a turn on and go machine (X30) for five years that more than paid for itself,(4000 quarters) and the X705 that i just purchased a month ago. Of the 61 rings i have found so far 6 have been gold.With the 705 in one month i found 4...3 silver...1junk...I really didn't expect to find more gold just because of a newer MD with more bells and whistles/but just got to thinking if there is a more productive,straight forward procedure other than dig it all...I guess your dam ed if you do,dam ed if you don't,and being smart and confident in the areas that you hunt,gives you as good a chance as others.thanks to all.......
and tom in ca it would take me all day to type such an informative and knowledgeable piece and i do appreciate it..
 
Thanks for the tips and information also, I haven't had gold this year yet but I searching hard for and tips like I read here helps a lot, thanks HHH:garrett: ace350:thumbup:
 
Haha, I will take one Bob!:cheers:
 
I'll get my brother to chime in on this one!

Mark
 
Tom is right on. The only thing I'll add is I usually hunt parks with my disc low enough for nickles and once in a while I have found a gold ring. However, if that were my main goal, it happens so seldom as to make it a really a lost cause compared to coin shooting. The main reason I have found the odd ring is because I like to recover nickles, mainly in the hope of finding the old ones. And yes, I dig a lot of aluminum junk.
BB
 
MarkCZ said:
I'll get my brother to chime in on this one!

Mark

Brother Ron here, I went through some of my gold rings around the house and made some foil samples that disc out at the same disc settings. Just thought foil sample is better to carry in the field over the actual gold. Out of the gold I had I picked 2 rings one kind of small and the other in the medium range.

Ron in WV
 
bob.oz said:
What I'm getting at is if i go to a park that i and others have been hunting for years,and I'm still digging pull tabs,aluminum pieces,and nickles,from the ground, is it because others are knowingly rejecting these targets and don't want to waste time or is finding that gold ring still a good chance? HH bob.oz

Big Brother,
How about his question about his local park, is it hunted out? or are there enough people hunting coins using high discrimination and leaving jewelry?

Mark
 
Oh sure. They're being hunted in high disc. perhaps, and sure, they're "leaving jewelry". But so too are they "leaving" thousands of foil wads, pulltabs, and can-slaw. :rolleyes: Read my response earlier in this thread. If a person wants gold jewelry, why not simply pick places that are less punishing?
 
MarkCZ said:
bob.oz said:
What I'm getting at is if i go to a park that i and others have been hunting for years,and I'm still digging pull tabs,aluminum pieces,and nickles,from the ground, is it because others are knowingly rejecting these targets and don't want to waste time or is finding that gold ring still a good chance? HH bob.oz

Big Brother,
How about his question about his local park, is it hunted out? or are there enough people hunting coins using high discrimination and leaving jewelry?

Mark

Brother Ron here again, it is my opinion that we are walking all over missed or left gold in these parks. Check out this nice man's gold wedding band a found few days back in a local park and I will be back there as soon as the weather lets up.

Ron in WV
 
WV62 said:
MarkCZ said:
bob.oz said:
What I'm getting at is if i go to a park that i and others have been hunting for years,and I'm still digging pull tabs,aluminum pieces,and nickles,from the ground, is it because others are knowingly rejecting these targets and don't want to waste time or is finding that gold ring still a good chance? HH bob.oz

Big Brother,
How about his question about his local park, is it hunted out? or are there enough people hunting coins using high discrimination and leaving jewelry?

Mark

Brother Ron here again, it is my opinion that we are walking all over missed or left gold in these parks. Check out this nice man's gold wedding band a found few days back in a local park and I will be back there as soon as the weather lets up.

Ron in WV

Also, he dug that ring, so it wasn't a surface find. But, I'm sure he pulled a lot of beaver tail pull-rings to get that ring.
Yea, some people in some locations have so many good places to detect why should they hunt a place like a city park, but for other people in other locations GOOD detecting areas are not that plentiful.
Mark
 
MarkCZ said:
WV62 said:
MarkCZ said:
bob.oz said:
What I'm getting at is if i go to a park that i and others have been hunting for years,and I'm still digging pull tabs,aluminum pieces,and nickles,from the ground, is it because others are knowingly rejecting these targets and don't want to waste time or is finding that gold ring still a good chance? HH bob.oz

Big Brother,
How about his question about his local park, is it hunted out? or are there enough people hunting coins using high discrimination and leaving jewelry?

Mark

Brother Ron here again, it is my opinion that we are walking all over missed or left gold in these parks. Check out this nice man's gold wedding band a found few days back in a local park and I will be back there as soon as the weather lets up.

Ron in WV

Also, he dug that ring, so it wasn't a surface find. But, I'm sure he pulled a lot of beaver tail pull-rings to get that ring.
Yea, some people in some locations have so many good places to detect why should they hunt a place like a city park, but for other people in other locations GOOD detecting areas are not that plentiful.
Mark

I didn't count the pull tabs but and other junk but I had to empty trash pouch 2 times for the total day. I found the ring mid day and it was down at the depth of the tabs 3" to 4". So with the ring in my pocket and a little shot of adrenaline it keep me digging the rest of the day. I was running low enough disc to get nickels which I found several along with other coins.

My guess is a lot MDers get tired of digging the trash an run the disc up and go for the coins, there are just to meny pull tabs left to think they are pulling the rings out of all that trash.


Ron in WV
 
I agree with Tom in CA. One needs to carefully choose where to look for gold jewelry. 30 yr's ago the junk wasn't too bad. Not that much aluminum. Now days, its horrible. At the end of the day, I want something besides a pouch full of trash. Must be at least 10,000 bits of aluminum to 1 piece of gold jewelry in certain areas. I won't waste my time playing those odds. I'd rather cherry-pick for silver in those kind of areas.
 
TerraDigger said:
I agree with Tom in CA. One needs to carefully choose where to look for gold jewelry. 30 yr's ago the junk wasn't too bad. Not that much aluminum. Now days, its horrible. At the end of the day, I want something besides a pouch full of trash. Must be at least 10,000 bits of aluminum to 1 piece of gold jewelry in certain areas. I won't waste my time playing those odds. I'd rather cherry-pick for silver in those kind of areas.

TerraDigger,

I for sure I wish you well with your hunt for silver. I wish I could do the same here in my area, but the days of the hand fulls of silver coins are just about over here. I can remember when I first got in to detecting in the 70's we would bring home some silver just about every hunt. I know there are locations in the area that still have silver in them but getting permission to hunt is hard to come by. I retired in 2010 and got back into detecting, my silver total for that year was one silver dime, and four silver dimes in and one silver ring 2011. My brother Greg found one silver quarter and my brother Mark (MarkCZ forum name) I can't recall him finding any silver in the past couple of years. He will read this and correct me if needed. So for me to hunt silver is just about as hard as hunting gold. The way I look at MDing around here is give it up, just be happy with picking up clad or try for the gold. My hope is 2012 will be a better year for me and if not????? for 2013.

Ron in WV
 
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