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Gold And Gem Prospecting Literature For The Layman Amateur Prospector


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Hay,

Soon to retire for the second time I planned a trip west.  Initially planning to just keep it simple and go where others found gold I got to looking at the Geology thread and realized I don't really know much at all about actually finding gold. So maybe it wouldn't kill me to do some reading which might increase my changes of finding something.  I had also thought to go to some of the pay to play gem mines along the way and I still may but I got to thinking there are probably good places I can go on public land and find gems etc if I better know what I'm doing.  

So what I'm looking for anyone who cares to share literature you found helpful in your search for Gold and gems.  I'm talking literature the average person can understand.  

I found a pocket guide to Rocks, Minerals and Fossils that might be handy and was cheap: http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Geology-A-Folding-Pocket-Guide-to-Familiar-Rocks-Minerals-Gemstones-Fos-/361023605665?hash=item540eaf0ba1:g:BVgAAOSwbdpWbk-O  I'm not a total novice as I've done some prospecting but I don't mind getting away from the crowd and I don't mind walking.  

So if any know of any of you know of good books or guides I can pick up that might aid someone like me it would be much appreciated.  I'm also interested in any prospecting clubs in the NW US or public lands I can access in the same area (NW) as I am starting my season in July around Sumpter Oregon and thinking it best to stay a little north to avoid the worst of the heat that time of year.  I hope to maybe get out to Arizona and Nevada in the winter or spring but not concerned with that area for the time being. I am thinking to join the GPAA again so I can access their claims if for nothing else to be able to camp on.  

Terry

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Thanks a bunch Steve, I just ordered it thru Amazon.  

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Roughwater, Stopping and hunting gems can be lots of fun!.  Last summer, we stopped at several locations in Idaho and Montana after a gold sluicing trip to N. Calif. on the Klamath.  Remember however, that most are tourist attractions.  The odds of finding anything very valuable are very low.  Mostly specimen pieces and smaller stones that would probably cost more than they are worth to have cut by someone.  Unless you have the eqpt and can do it yourself, which I can.  At one location in Montana I found an over 7 ct. sapphire.  Pretty large for a Montana stone.  I cut stones as a hobby myself, but decided this one might be nice enough for a professional.  When it was finished it was 3 cts.  It had a small flaw along the side and the color wasn't the most desirable.  But I did dig this one up out of the ground myself, so its special to me.  I hope the pictures show.  I don't know if the forum rules allow for naming the commercial operation, but you can message me if you like.  A lot of people complain they didn't find anything here, but this was the only one I found in the 5 gal bucket I dug out in the field myself.  Have fun on your trip.

SpokaneBarSapphire.jpg

8.jpg

MontanaSapphire.jpg

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nice stone, ETC, your own find is much more desirable than someone else's...

Rough, if you are travelling through southern Arkansas give the Crater of Diamonds a day or two...if you find one you can be sure it is the real deal, not planted.

fred

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12 hours ago, fredmason said:

Rough, if you are travelling through southern Arkansas give the Crater of Diamonds a day or two...if you find one you can be sure it is the real deal, not planted.

Fred, you read my mind.  Actually, my Daughter lives in Arkansas and I actually had read up on it and was one of my definite planned stops along the way.    

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23 hours ago, EastTexasChris said:

At one location in Montana I found an over 7 ct. sapphire.  Pretty large for a Montana stone.  I cut stones as a hobby myself, but decided this one might be nice enough for a professional.

Man, that stone looks beautiful to me!  Nice job finishing it!  Yea Please Tell me about the place you stopped at where you found the stone.  I don't think there is a rule preventing you from doing that.  Also tell me/us about the Klamath and your dredging experience if you don't mind? 

Terry

 

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Roughwater, the commercial operation was Spokane Bar Sapphire Mine. They have lots of bucket already filled at the store and the usual salted bags. Or you can go (like I did) about 1/2 mile back behind the store where you can did your own. It's just a little rise in a pasture that was a gravel bar long ago.  They a shaker frame & screen there for you to use and you save $2 a bucket if you do it yourself. Lots of online reviews complain about not finding anything here and I did only find one in that bucket.  There is another operation over Philipsburg and we went there also. You can't dig for yourself.  We did find lots more at this location, but they were small. The rough is mostly less than 2 cts, by the time the good ones were cut would be even smaller.

The Klamath was a nice destination.  We stayed at a local RV park at Happy Camp. The New 49er headquarters is located here.  My neighbor in the park invited me to go along to their claims as a guest.  We stayed there for a month. There is no dredging there though because of the Calif. moratorium still.  While my friend used his highbanker, I went crevicing along the higher ledges of bedrock.  I set up a small recirulating sluice to run my screened material.  Wouldn't run more than a bucket or two each day. The material was good, just hard to scratch out.  No nuggets, but lots of small flat oval pieces the locals refer to as 'surfboards'. I had hoped to get 1/4 oz for my time, but ended with just over 1/8th oz for about 2 wks of fun.  I did get a good buy on highbanker my last 2 days and my friend let me use his pump. 

Arkansas Diamond Mine at Murfreesboro Arkansas.  A really nice RV park close to the mine(field) entrance.  Remodeled just a few years ago.  Not too far from me and we have been several times.(Haven't found any, but have seen one found.  They the best times to go are after a large rain and just walk around and look on top of the rows of plowed material.  Many, many acres to look over, with washing troughs set up at different locations.  You can rent eqpt there or bring your own. Nothing motorized though! If you don't find anything, there are several stores in Murfreesboro that sell real Arkansas diamonds (Not like Herkimer diamonds, which are really quartz).

Hope this helps on all accounts.  Happy to help.  Please ask if you need more info on any of the locations.

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Here's some of the Klamath river gold!  A pretty good haul this day.  This was from crevicing.  It kept getting better the deeper I got down in the crevices. This was in August 2015 and pretty hot.  We would leave at daybreak and return to camp about 1 PM.  Usually got up over 100 dgs, most days.  Happy Camp is a really nice little place.  Will definitely return soon and get a New 49ers membership if they ever change the rules back in CA.  Seems they have tried to implement more restrictions now that prohibits even highbanking along the river.

ChrisHighbanker_02.jpg

HighBankerGold_Jul21.JPG

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Is that county still dry? The first time I went to the crater I went to the local store to get a beer...after circling several times the nervous clerk asked me what I was doing...I said, where the hell is the beer? He laughed and said about 50 miles thataway...I had no idea the south was still stuck in that mire.

fred

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