Return From Caribbean With Nox & A Little Gold

[Gerry in Idaho]

It was this day a week ago I was on many planes (4 to be exact) trying to get back from Caribbean to Boise, ID.  Not only was it quite exhausting, but the beaches had been detected pretty good by others.  I could tell the 1st couple hours I was in for some hard hunting.  I checked with a lifeguard and sure enough, he said folks with detectors show up almost weekly now.  Heck I just watched a video of someone who was at the same place I was.  Oh well, at least I did quite a bit better than they.  But I still did not meet my expectations for the trip

My 1st trip to the place was approx. 10 years ago and I dug 100+ coins a day and probably 3 rings each day.  This trip was not even close and I don't think I even found 100 targets.  Now I will admit this too.  Right after the 1st day, I was so sour realizing my minimum expectation of 10 gold was not going to happen, so I kind of let off the gas a little and spent more time with the wife, slept in each morning and did the casual hunt (4 to 5 hours).  I told my wife.  "You know, I expected 20 pieces of gold with a minimum of 10".  She said I should not be so cocky.  Maybe she has a point!.  But honestly I always try to think "scoop ass and take names later".  I do it when I hunt gold nuggets, when I do Civil War and old coin hunting as well.  You know...maybe I am a bully with a detector?

Anyway, Here are my jewelry finds from approx.  20 hours of detecting.  Total of 12 rings with the photo of my hand and the index finger showing the 5 rings with gold on them. 1st is stamped 14K and is 3.5 grams, 2nd is a pretty design ring stamped 14K and is 4.2 grams, 3rd (my favorite) is 9.6 grams and stamped 18K PLAT (yes it is both), next ring is 7.2 grams and it is 925, but I can see the gold heart between the hands. Last gold ring near my fingernail is 14K weighing 3.7 grams.  Next finger has the modern Tungsten with some inlay, another plain tungsten and then 2 sterling rings.  Last finger shows 3 cheap rings.  Managed to pull a couple belly tinglers, an ear ring and a sterling star fish.

Equinox 800 with stock coil in Beach #1 Mode.  I run SENS around 17 most of the time and when I get around 20 the little "Warning" triangle appears.

Well I did not do what I had hoped and didn't even get near my low expectations...but I did add a few more to my collection, got some sun and enjoyed the rum.  Until next time....

[IdahoPeg]

Love the stylish modeling of your finds amongst the other gifts from the sea!

[Mark Gillespie]

I would be very happy with that kind of finds.

[Steve Herschbach]

I think that's fabulous for 20 hours detecting Gerry. Us old-timers all suffer from the same problem... the detecting just ain't what it used to be. They are not putting more silver coins in parks nor more gold nuggets in the nugget patches.

Jewelry does replenish but I have noted the same thing as you. When I used to first hit Hawaii I was digging a lot of jewelry that had accumulated for decades. As those old accumulations have worked out we are now entering a time where it is more the recent drops. With more hunting pressure jewelry is not accumulating much if at all. When we get storms sometimes conditions get us into an older unexploited layer, but those times also are getting fewer and farther between as detectorists now swarm beaches after storms, and even the deeper old layers are depleting. There are just way more people detecting jewelry on beaches now than there was 20 years ago and the effects are showing.

It is not helping that some people are shifting to titanium or tungsten jewelry or no jewelry at all. I do think the constant presence of detectorists is also a subtle warning to people to be more careful with their jewelry than in years gone by.

Unlike silver coins and gold nuggets there will always be new jewelry finds to be made, but my thinking about it has definitely shifted from a few years back. I thought I was going to be traveling around now and hitting beaches and paying for my trips like I used to do years ago, but the last couple times out have told me differently.

[steveg]

Maybe not what you were expecting/hoping Gerry, but NICE finds, in any case!

Steve

[Joe D.]

Gerry,

I would be happy with those for the year!! I'll gladly take the leftovers your not happy with!!??

[2Valen]

Great finds that you have and I am sorry that you are disappointed with your trip, but as so many of us have said I would have loved to have found only half of that.

Great job and better luck in the future.

[Gerry in Idaho]

Steve H.  Yes I too feel those days are over.  The gold (be it in jewelry or nuggets) is getting harder to find.  Waterproof detectors are easily under $1000 and even the ones that can handle salt water well (as you know many can't, even though they are waterproof).   Yes the TV shows YouTube (including my own videos from years past) and better pricing is allowing more people the desire to do it.

Yes the tungsten, stainless and titanium rings are now so popular many of my sites are 50/50, I get 1 gold for 1 modern metal, but the problem as you know is the market value for those modern metals is nothing.

Guess us old timers will have to learn to adapt.

I've had many 10+ gold rings trips with a few 15+ and even a monster trip where a buddy and I killed it with over 7 ounces.  I'll try to find the photos and do a post this winter when things are slow.

[midalake]

I think you did great! In Mex, I usually get 7-9 gold rings a 3 month season. Working at least 20 hours a week. I also get 1-4 gold chains too. So for that short of time period and not being able to read the beach better, again, I think you did GREAT!

PS I am easily pulling 1-3 gold ring for every "other" metal. In fact his year I will do a break down of the gold rings to others. With chains it is even worse.  

Dave