Hi Folks
I wondered whether to contribute to this thread because it seems to generate an amazing amount of ill temper in some folks about other peoples harmless beliefs and activities. Anyway I've decided to do so!
I dig two surface claims in Rubyvale near Lefty's old family diggings. In this area people do not doubt the effectiveness of wires in detecting runs of wash which are likely to contain sapphires. Several locals are 'expert' in the technique and will survey claims for other people to indicate probable runs of wash. My own claims were surveyed with wires a few years ago and I have been happy with the results. I have dug the lines of wash indicated by the wires and have a satisfactory number of sapphires. Would I have found a similar number if I had dug elsewhere? - perhaps!
One explanation proposed for the apparent the success of the wires is that slight differences in magnetism are being detected due to the presence or absence of ironstone - and where there is ironstone there are likely to be sapphires.
A more improbable use of the wires is the detection of individual sapphires or groups of sapphires. With this 'technique' a sapphire is held in the hand in contact with one of the wires. This tells the wires what they are looking for. Proponents of this technique will also claim to be able to tell the depth and size of the sapphire. For example for depth 'assessment' the ground is stamped and the question asked - "is the sapphire 10cm deep?'. When the appropriate depth is mentioned then the wires cross. Improbable magic? - well perhaps,but I know of one couple who only process those buckets of wash that the wires indicate contain sapphires. The other buckets are discarded unprocessed. I guess that it must work for them!
It is, of course, very tempting to make some wires and try detecting with them oneself. So, I bent a couple of coat hanger wires and wandered about with them. In two places, on old spoil heaps the wires indicated, by crossing firmly, the presence of sapphire. I dug where the wires indicated and found two very nice sapphires. I then proceeded to process much of the rest of the spoil heaps in the hope of finding more sapphires. There were no more. At other times, however the wires have indicated the presence of sapphires and I have dug and found nothing. It seems the wires are a bit 'tricksy'.
So, do the wires work? - well perhaps! I have two nice sapphires which I would certainly not have found if I did not use the wires. Also it is pleasant to wander about in the cool of the morning, before the digging starts, holding a pair of bent coathangers It makes a peaceful, and harmless, start to the day and - with luck - it may even be productive. In this area it is accepted as a perfectly normal occupation!