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I am looking to clean some of my specimens that I have found over the years with hydroflouric acid. Done enough research to know not to mess with this nasty acid. I have been able to locate two mineral preparation labs, one in Colorado Collectors Edge and Voelter Minerals...Texas. I am not comfortable sending them via air mail . If anyone knows of anyone in California who does this type of stuff I think a few of us would use this service if its available.

Looking for any information on who provides lab services to clean mineral specimens in California. I am sure I am can't be the only one interested in such a service. i won't mess with this wicked and nasty chemical, but some Quartz with gold specimens would look a lot better with an acid treatment.

The Minelab PRO-ALLOY Gold Tester. Could be a good tool for the jewelry hunters like me, not so sure about nugget hunting but probably will work on nuggets with clean surfaces. At $375 though going to be a tough sell. Part # 3011-0307 Features: Instant gold karat reading Fast and accurate Non-destructive Protective case included Batteries included (1xAA) What's included: PRO‑ALLOY meter Test probe set 1 x AA battery Protective meter cover Soft carry case Multi-language instructions Official Minelab Product Page

The scale I currently have is no longer working correctly, I wish I could say its broken from all the really heavy nuggets I weigh but the reality of it is, most of the gold I find is in the sub gram category. Taking a look at the scales for sale on line I don't see any that stand out, so what are you using for your nuggets?

Hello all, I have been having a little luck on the southern calif beaches lately, Managed to find this silver standing liberty half dollar along with a merc dime and a buffalo nickel. They are all in about the same condition being in the ocean and sand for who knows how long. Any ideas on how to clean them?

I was thinking it would be interesting to hear your (other members) thoughts on cleaning your gold. One guy I used to hunt with felt very strongly that you should just rinse it with water, no further cleaning, and absolutely no chemicals. What I do, is scrub using a tooth brush (the same one I use daily ) and citrus cleaner. I then soak the gold in Whink for a day then scrub again with citrus cleaner. If it has a calcite/ caleche coating like much of the Rye Patch Chevron gold, I soak it in CLR. I like the gold to be free of any visible iron oxide, manganese, calcite, etc. But I don't like the gold to start getting polished edges and high spots, like what happens from handling it often. I like that natural dull finish it acquires from the Earths fine grit, sand, rocks, natural movement etc... I noticed this crystalline gold for sale on Ebay. It appears to me that the host rock was dissolved with a chemical that also began to soften the gold itself and polish it? Maybe Aqua regia (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), but when the host rock was gone the specimen was then neutralized? It does look beautiful, but to me, unnatural. But who am I to decide what should be considered natural or not? Therefore, it is just my personal preference. But what are the majority of collectors looking for? To me, one of the most enjoyable nugget discovering experiences is when all you have left in your scoop is a hard dirt clod that ends up hosting a nice gold nugget. The next time that happens, I plan on gently removing the edges of dirt until there is proof of gold and then just save it in that condition (until some day I just get bored and decide to break it open ). Thanks all...

I need some ideas on getting a fair price for gold jewelry. My sister and I inherited gold and diamond jewelry that appraises between 30 and 40k. The local jeweler who actually crafted many of the pieces is offering sub-wholesale 11k, according to him most of the gold will be scraped, diamonds reset in new jewelry or used for repairs. Many of the gold chains are in pristine shape so I doubt he'll actually scrap them. I'm not keen on screwing around with a bunch of "tire kickers" and scammers on Ebay. What kind of options are out there?

I need my fellow prospectors advice on gold scales? Is there a scale that measures in grains and fractions of a grain plus pennyweights,Troy ounces, and grams and is reliable and under say $40? The scale at work measured to only 1/10 of a gram and my home scale only does pennyweights and ounces. Scales on Ebay are saying they round off to the nearest whole number on grains and no fractions...needless to say I am confused...be nice to have one that reads in decimals to tenths of a grain for like a 1.3 grain flake...or 2.45 grams ,etc... Thanks -Tom

The recent sale of a 75 ounce nugget for around $400,000 equates to over $5000 per ounce, even more considering the nugget is not pure gold. This illustrates something I have told people in my classes in the past. It is only half about how much gold you find. The other half is how much do you get for the gold you find? A person finding an ounce of gold and selling it for $3000 is more successful than a person who finds two ounces of gold and sells it for $2000 total. The first person may have a nice specimen piece and sells it to a collector. The second person has some small gold sold to a refiner. Just something to think about. We all want to find a lot of gold. But think also about the quality of the gold you are finding, and ways to sell your gold to obtain the best price possible. Currently I never sell gold for less than $2000 per ounce, and sell it steadily for that or more. Most of it is in the form of gold I package up and sell as panning gold though my old shop in Alaska. In fact, they are sold out and I need to ship them some more as soon as I make the time. Just one of many ways to maximize the value obtained for gold you sell. Mine I sell simply because gold itself holds no real value for me. It just sits in the safe deposit box doing nothing. I can't even show it off except for photos, and those are good even after the gold is gone. So my goal is to just get a price for it that I consider acceptable so I can use it to fund my prospecting activities, buy equipment, etc. I prospect as a for profit business and I have to maintain a positive cash flow to stay in the black. That being the case, getting top dollar is the name of the game. There is always the other strategy. Never sell it, until you die, then let the wife or kids sell it for you! Chances are they will not get a good price for it though, so best you do it for them.

I was going thru my junk and found a gold bracelet that I had always thought was gold plate cause it was mostly brown with some yellow underneath? On closer examination, the clasp is clearly marked 14 K underneath by where the chain attaches and it does feel heavy. I got this ages ago with my Tesoro Lobo, before I had a metered machine.Just tested it with my MXT and 6 x 9 coil and it reads VDI 26-30, Pulltab/Ring on Coin mode and in Prospect mode,it reads 10% iron id which sure sounds like nonferrous to me...Does 14 K gold really corrode like this? How do I clean it up? Maybe I better take it to my coin dealer and see what he will give me ? It is about 8 inches long, 1/4 inch wide and 1/16 inch thick. Photos attached,taken with my new used Canon SX 50. -Tom

I know I can look it up on the internet but I trust you fellas more then looking up random stuff. You guys are the pros so how do I do it? strick

Seeking some wisdom from the pros.... Those of you that hunt gold for a living, when you turn your gold into cash, how do you report the income? What is the best tax strategy to follow. Is it better to report it as individual income, or is it better to run it through a business? HH Mike

Would like to hear some methods you guys may be using forgetting that bright luster. some of my rock I have to use h.f.acid to remove rock, sometimes not always the gold seems to have gotten dulled by this h.f.and its harder to get luster back. I have tried vinegar and salt seems to help some, is there something better maybe? I haven't tried the fabric cleaning tool, l heard that works well some of the specimen pieces are pretty delicate, don't know if gun pressure is to much for these maybe. Any advice is much appreciated thanks. Rick.