Looking for silver, but I keep finding . . . :detecting:

[Cal_Cobra]

[size=x-large]GOLD!![/size]

The sun decided to make a rare appearance for a few minutes a couple of days ago so decided to get out for a short hunt at a park behind my house and test out my F75 LTD jewelery program, and I found this chunky 2 gram 14K gold earring (I've found gold rings that weighed less):

This morning I met up with Jim at a SF park. I was working my way around a big old tree, and got a good solid sounding, repeatable zinc penny signal (also came in as a zinc on Jim's E-Trac). Usually on my machine if a zinc has been in the ground for any amount of time, it's bouncy, especially the more corroded it gets, so I thought it had a good chance at being a wheat or even an injun, so I decided to dig it up, but instead of a penny out pops this beauty

It's not marked, but it looked to have a high karat content and with the Chinese or Japanese signet, I figured it had a good chance at being 18K, 22K or 24K. When I got it home, I first tested it with the 18K acid test and it passed with flying colors, then hit it with the 22K test and again passed with flying colors Unfortunately I don't have a 24K test, but I suspect there's a good chance it is. It weights in a just slightly under 7 grams.

So seateds were not in the cards this weekend but if I have to suffer with gold instead, I think I can live with that Jim found a nice 1906(?) Barber dime, which was a great find at a hard to hunt park (clad was turning up at 8-10"

Thanks for looking and H.H.,
Brian

 

[tab-nabit]

That's so sad - but if you keep digging the gold out of the way, you should eventually find the silver. Don't give up - persistence will pay off.
Oh, and WTG!

 

[Alimo88]

Is there a link to these ACID tests or could you explain further?

JJ

 

[Cal_Cobra]

That's so sad - but if you keep digging the gold out of the way, you should eventually find the silver. Don't give up - persistence will pay off.
Oh, and WTG!

You mean actually dig the zinc pennies

 

[Cal_Cobra]

Is there a link to these ACID tests or could you explain further?

JJ

JJ an acid based gold test kit contains bottles of acid which will dissolve metals less then their prescribed values, and a "test stone". You rub a small line of "gold" on the test stone, and place a drop of acid on it to test. Here's a cut-n-paste of how to use the acid test kit:

Gold Testing Procedures

Scratch your piece over the surface of the black stone as provided, pressing well enough to leave a visible deposit. A line of one to one-half inches long is suitable. Leave a drop of the 10K solution on the scratch made. Should the solution dissolves your scratch on the stone this indicates that the object is less than 10K gold or not even gold at all. Should the solution leave your scratch intact, your object then will be 10K or greater than 10K.

You can repeat as above using the 14K solution. If the solution dissolves the scratch on the stone you will have less than 14K gold (if the scratch dissolves slowly and leaves rusty color particles, it is likely 12k gold.) If the solution does not affect the scratch, your object is 14K or greater than 14K.

You can repeat as above using 18K solution and 22K solution (when available) to find the exact karat of your object.

Keep in mind that when the solution used dissolves the scratch slowly and leaves rusty color particles it is likely two karats lower than the solution being used.

 

[osgood]

Brian, way to go! I know its rare you ever come home empty handed.

 

[jim tn]

Brian, I feel for you as well. Hang in there, though, silver will come. Great job on the gold! HH jim tn

 

[Mike Hillis]

Glad you got out. I've been stuck in.
HH
Mike