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This subject came up on another thread recently and, coincidentally, member King of Bling told me of this YouTube video which just posted today: Pirate Mike finds a gold dental crown at 19:54 and acid tests it at 22:45.

Here is one of many interesting articles about cremation metals: https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/crematoriums-recovering-precious-metals-dead-bodies-1.4623039 Before 1970 less than 10% of Americans opted for cremation. Since about 2016 that percentage rose to over 50% and now several states are in the 70% - 80% range. Metal recovery after cremation has become a big business and it is surprising that any dental gold makes its way to cremation urns and to beaches where it is found with metal detectors. I believe that many of the gold crowns that I have found may have been from earlier cremations when the price of gold was much lower. Even though cremations are on the rise it may be more difficult to find the resulting dental gold in the future.

Gold fillings can definitely survive a cremation. It depends on the cremation temperature (1400 to 2000 degrees F) and the alloy makeup of the gold. 10K gold melts at 1665 degrees F and 24K gold melts at 1945 degrees F. I have found many gold dental crowns over the years and most show some signs of charring or partial melting. I found 3 on one hunt and often find cremation tags nearby.

In January the storms that tore up our So. Cal. beaches left huge fields of thick, jet-black, sand during the low tides. A handful of us hunters enjoyed some of the best hunting we've ever experienced for about a month. The most popular detectors I saw during this time were the White's PI machines. I saw PI Pros, Dual Fields and a TDI Beachhunter(mine). It was impressive to see how relevant these older detectors still were with so many newer detectors available today.

True, the TDI Beachhunter's coil is hardwired in. I, generally, don't hunt in more than a foot of surf but the surf spray would probably ruin a TDI SL pretty quickly. I also hunt in the rain so the waterproof BH is perfect for that. I don't know anything about the MX Sport but the TDI SL and BH work very well in black sand conditions. Perhaps the number one reason that I love these detectors is their ability to separate high and low conductors using the "Ground Balance" switch. Last year I started utilizing this feature in target-rich conditions and felt that it was the right approach for me. It certainly gives me more options depending on the situation.

Congrats!!! I've got the love bracelet (avatar) but the ring is on my bucket list. Found many fake ones though!

I'm pretty sure that the TDI BeachHunter and TDI SL are, essentially, the same detectors but the TDIBH is the waterproof version. I believe that the main control boards are identical. You are right about the TDI and TDI Pro being hard to find and I think it is partly because they are more powerful detectors.

You beat me to it! Pretty cool story and very nice reward for somebody.

Great recovery and kudos for making a real impact in someone's life! She will never forget this.

Having found several gold crowns over the years, I think that most, if not all, were from cremation urns. I became convinced of this when I found 3 on one hunt and all looked similar. I'm pretty sure that the melting point of most gold crown alloys is higher than the typical cremation temperature. My local beaches have also produced a few cremation tags so it must be a popular place to spread cremation ashes.

Beautiful! Congrats on a find that is a bucket-lister for many (most) of us! 😮

I agree. Also, a couple of years ago I found half of a Carrier Love Bracelet in the wet sand at low tide. I went back to the same spot maybe 10-12 times looking for the other half before finding it 2 months later. It was always there but maybe too deep most of the time? It is the bracelet pictured in my avatar.

Based on my conversation with the gentleman and the fact that the ring didn't show signs of wear after being in the intertidal zone for 14 years I would think that the ring didn't move much from where it was lost. My guess is that it sank down deep into the wet sand pretty quickly because of its weight and was only findable when the sand above it was stripped away. However, I must say that I and others have hunted the area where the ring was found many times within the past 14 years and often after major sand movement.

Thanks SwiftSword, The reason I said that is because I read somewhere that Aggies have recognized other Aggies around the world because of their rings. However, I think I know what you mean and have often wondered about us (Americans) claiming to be world champions in baseball or basketball or anything when the rest of the world is not considered.

Wow Joe, that is awesome to hear and I am honored to be part of this very exclusive club! Thanks for sharing and kudos to you as well. George.

A couple of weeks ago I posted about finding a large college class ring. Now that the ring is on its way back to the owner I can share a few more details about it. The ring is from Texas A&M University and the gentleman lost it in the southern California surf in 2009. He returned the next day with a metal detector but was unable to locate it. 14 years later, on a cold, dark, wet and windy morning I was holding the ring in my hand admiring its golden sheen in the glow of my headlamp. The owner was very surprised and grateful to hear that I would be returning his ring. After speaking with the ring's owner I found out more about the rich tradition of the "Aggie ring". The Aggie class ring just might be one of the most cherished, celebrated and recognizable college class rings in the world. The rings are made by the well known Balfour company and, I believe that, Texas A&M is one of their biggest, if not their biggest, clients. The Association of Former Students oversees a lost and found program and maintains a registry to help reunite rings with their owners. Their website states that there are about 60 Aggie rings reported lost or missing each month! That should give you an idea of how many thousands of Aggie rings are out there. There is even a large bronze statue of an Aggie ring on campus! Now that I understand more about the history and significance of the Aggie ring I am really glad that I am able to return this one. https://www.tamu.edu/traditions/aggie-culture/aggie-ring/index.html https://www.aggienetwork.com/news/tagged/?tag=294

Finding gold in the dirt seems so much harder than in the sand. Well done!

Great finds! Liberty nickels and IH pennies only 3" deep sounds like my kind of hunting. When I hunt the dirt the older stuff is usually much much deeper.

Congrats on the silver and nice bit of research on the the cool key fob!

Certainly a very unique beach find. Nice job on the restoration!

Finding gold never gets old - congrats!!!

Awesome gold chain - congrats! That's like finding 33 one gram gold rings. If that 1 piece of gold ring weighs 3 grams it must have been a pretty hefty ring.

Thanks KOB, The ring is from a well-known college and has the graduate's full name and year on it. We have already identified him on Facebook and Linked-in so it's just a matter of time now. My wife did all the research so it makes it a fun adventure for her too. I had to clean the ring in order to read the name and I was pretty nervous but after a couple of 30 minute soaks in white vinegar, all the verdigris loosened up.

Thanks Strick, Yes, 10k.

Thanks Seeker, I'm very happy with the big ring but that 250 gram, 14K, gold chain that Felix found is insane.