Today I thought I would take a break from the silver wish list to share another nugget I picked up in the desert. I've always loved prospecting for gold, sometimes silver and even copper, but gold is definitely the most fun. The easiest way to get started is gold panning. It's not a hard skill to learn but it does take some practice. I'll talk more about panning here is just a minute.
Now the nugget I'm sharing today I did not get through gold panning, but using a metal detector in some dry washes (essentially dry rivers that only have water after thunderstorms) in Arizona. Some of my gold prospecting friends shared a really nice location where you find small nuggets and usually doesn't require much panning. I don't recall the exact spot or even the trip I found this particular nugget, but it's nice sized and weighs 1.75 grams.
There's nothing like the feeling you get when you find gold, people often call it gold fever. Once you find some gold you want to keep on searching. Generally in the area we would search I would find several nuggets usually close together that had been deposited by an ancient river and been in the ground for eons. You'll notice how the surface is relatively smooth, that comes from being eroded in a river for a long time.
The best spots I have usually found are areas that are pretty close to the bedrock, because that's where the gold is deposited. At times if I find a few small nuggets I shovel out some of the surrounded clay, rocks, and sand to pan through later at home. Sometimes you can find some smaller gold that the detector would have missed, since mine only detects down to about 0.1 grams. And many times when they're that small you end up panning to find them anyway because they're tough to find unless they're sizable nuggets.
So now some more about panning for gold. First you need the basics to get started:
picture from amazon.com
This is a gold pan starter kit you can pick up on Amazon for $15 US. It's very basic and comes with the most important part, the pan, also a bottle to suck up your gold out of the pan, a vial to place your gold in, and they give you a magnifier and tweezers. Personally I've never used a magnifier except back at home, but the tweezers can come in handy.
The way I first learned to pan was with experienced prospectors who knew where to look to maximize the likelihood of finding some gold. You can learn on your own at home by buying pay dirt with some gold in it off eBay. Some come with a guaranteed small nugget. That way you can learn what you're doing before going out into the wilderness.
Here's a great video on YouTube to explain how to start panning at home:
To really get started it's wise to find a group of gold prospectors that live locally. They can let you tag along and practice your new found panning skills. They will also know the best spots to be looking, because there's no point to search someplace where there isn't any gold. All around the world there is lots of gold in rivers and even deserts just waiting to be found. It's a lot of fun searching for it even if you don't find much on some days, there will others that you find a lot!
If you are going out make sure you bring along enough fresh water and food to last you for the trip. Going out with other prospectors with experience can help you avoid potential dangers and to avoid searching where it's against the law or on someone else's claim. Never be a claim jumper, it's really bad etiquette....
Hopefully this information will help you one your way to finding some gold of your own. If you have any questions feel free to ask. I'm also open to suggestions to improve my post. Feel free to comment below. Thanks for stopping by and I appreciate your support!
And my disclaimer:
Gold prospecting is a very fun hobby, but it can be expensive. It's very possible that if you invest too much into equipment it may take a long to to get a return on your investment, and some people never do. Also please remember that not all detectors are the same, always research carefully before buying them.
The video links I am sharing are not mine, I am only sharing the link to the copyright owner's video. No copyright infringement is intended.
Used under fair-use section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976.
All photos are mine unless otherwise stated.
Re-blog lottery
Now for the winner of the re-blog lottery! Today we had 38 people re-blog my post, thank you so much! The people who re-blogged were:
Voluntary daily reminder list for those who request to be on it:
If you want to be added to the list as well just feel free to ask!
Thank you everyone! I have been working to improve my engagement and all of you have really helped out! If you have any recommendations or suggestions please feel free to let me know. I'm always looking to improve my posts.
Good luck to everyone!
And the Wheel of Names results:
Congratulations 
You will each receive 3 HSBI units!
Now for today's re-blog lottery! You just need to re-blog my post you will be placed on the Wheel of Names for a spin to possibly win 3 HSBI units! Just one prize for the lucky winner. An upvote is not required but is always greatly appreciated. Bots aren't allowed to win the prize. Contest ends at 14:00 (2 PM) California Pacific time tomorrow. If I somehow missed your re-blog please let me know and I'll add you to the next draw.
What are HSBI units? They are units that you can purchase to sponsor someone and you in turn receive a unit as well. This way we both benefit! They give you occasional upvotes on your posts for a lifetime, and the more you accumulate the more often you receive upvotes and the bigger they can be. You can read some more here:
If you have more questions feel free to ask.
