Recognizing gold

[briwslave1]

I am a complete amateur to prospecting for gold. Could someone tell me how to recognize it in a stream or in dirt etc.

[DJR]

You should go through this site lost of pictures of it here. And there are some good movies of folks work on the claims. Just search this site.

[Bonaro]

Gold is heavy so it is not likely to be laying on top of the gravel or dirt but settled down into it or on the bottom.
Gold is is almost always bright and shiny, compare the color to a ring on your finger, it will be close.
Fools gold (pyrite) will be brassy or reddish yellow and is also brittle, it will shatter if you smash it

Gold (Small).jpg (43.05 KiB) Viewed 3642 times

[Hoser John]

All you need is a magnet and a knife. If the magnet won't pick it up and when pressed with the a knife blade it doesn't go crack,crunch or crumble your GOLDEN and it was gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooood-tons a au 2 u 2 -John

[golden optimist]

Hey Dan!

Say a little something about your internet store. It's allowed. I didn't know you had one. http://www.zazzle.com/blue_sky_mining_co You have some neat stuff in it.
Leonard

[Geo-George]

Gold, in the raw, is not "shiny" as you may think.
I equate it to the glow of a full moon, not brite like the sun but will stand out even in the shade.
Very rarely you will see it in the dirt, you need to sluice it and/or pan it out of the dirt to make it visible.

[Reno badboy]

You'l know it's gold when you start sweating like a pig, shaking like a leaf, and get all fuzzy eyed! (Oh yea, thats AFTER you find your first gold! Stupid me!)

[briwslave1]

Folks, I appreciate the help and I did check out a couple of the videos from the site that Leonard recommended.
The deal is that I have a small piece of land that has been in my mothers family for over 200 years. Before the notorious
trail of tears, one of the Cherokee who ( as the family legend goes) was a friend to my G,G Grandfather showed him some gold some where on this particular parcel. LIke most folks ,I've been too busy makin a living to look for gold :>) Now the kids are all growd-up and I'm retired it may really be there. Thanks again for the advice.
"Butch"

[Reno badboy]

Time for a metal detector!!!! Get to walking bud!!! Resurch helps alot also. Good luck!

[Hoser John]

GO FOR THE GOLD AS YOUR NEVER TO OLD,JUST NEED TO BE A MIGHT BOLD--most a the folks here are all old farts(censored) like me soo have a ball AND detecting is the way to go as a cubic foot of material checked a SECOND is righteous production and cheap on craigslist-tons a au 2 u 2-John PS- I had a few relatives who got to participate in that government sponsored hike and truly feel your pain and hope every lousy bureauratz who contributed is rotting in hell!!