I might also add here that I do consider myself pretty lucky in the fact that I have found 16 gold targets in a relatively short time in this hobby of only about 3 years.
However, luck isn't the only thing that can take the credit...the way I hunt has some bearing, also.
Even though I don't do this on absolutely every hunt, for the most part I consider myself a dig it all kind of hunter.
I didn't start out this way, but as I dug each and every great target that were not what they seemed to be I slowly changed over time.
The fact is that out of all the gold targets I have dug plus the many silver chains I have found every one was a complete surprise including one large thick silver bracelet that was a dead-on zinc penny signal, and every other target of these types were trash signals.
I have dug silver chains from iron on up into zinc and gold rings from small to large from foil to zinc.
The smaller gold rings that came in at foil were not foil, the the larger gold rings that came in at nickel and even the even larger gold rings that were lower zinc were all in reality trash signals that mimicked so much of the trash that I dig more often then not like different sizes of can slaw.
The tab signals that were actually gold rings are the main reason I don't ever mind digging every one I come across at a trashy, tab infested site.
Since we don't have X-Ray vision, (try as I might to gain this super power), if you want the best shot at finding silver chains and gold you just have to resign yourself to the fact that these type of targets will usually be disguised as trash and act accordingly.