What have I found???

[Morganfreya]

So today myself and my partner was gold panning at hill end we took a good bucket from inbetween the bedrock we found quite a few small specks but nothing major until this! It was in my pan and wouldn't budge then I see a shimmer come through the black!

We have just rubbed it slightly and it's shining through a little.

I would appreciate any help on how to clean this and also if anyone knew what it was that would be great... we are intrigued to know.

Pictures are attatched

Thanks morgan

 

[aussiefarmer]

The green bits scare me that it may be bronze , but the gold bits have the right look to be GOLD , dont rush into it but a bath in lemon juice or detergent or even coke would be my start point .

 

[mandrake01]

just from the pictures it looks like gold nugget encased in rock. you could try scraping the back with a knife to see if more colour shows through.

 

[Davent]

I had a similar looking piece.
An overnight soak in brickies acid revealed a nice nugget. Whack it in some vinegar or pool acid.

 

[Morganfreya]

Thankyou guys so we have scraped a little bit off and have got coke we will leave it in over night and see if it's any different!

 

[Jaros]

It looks promising, :Y:

 

[madtuna]

Definately molten and not a natural nugget.
When you melt gold using borax you'll often get a very similar looking black glass like coating that usually come off with a good whack with a hammer.

 

[Pirate pete]

Looks like gold to me ,I would go to Bunnings and buy some acid stick it in for a few days what have you got to lose if its gold you have a nice nugget .What is the weight ??? .PP

 

[user 4485]

I've seen a few bits found at Tambaroora with a similar blackish coating. To me it looked like a very dark ironstone type coating & not borax glass. The ones I had seen wouldn't have been able to smash the coating off as even though it was very dark it wasn't very thick + appeared to be more powdery if scraped etc. & then appeared more darkish red/purple hence my feeling it was an ironstone type contact coating? From memory they cleaned up nicely in brickies acid as mentioned above.
It may have been a sunbaker at some stage as I've found speccis etc. out there sitting on the surface covered in that green moss like stuff. It's everywhere in areas. None of the black coated ones I've seen had the green but they were all dug out of ground not washed into a bedrock crevice.
One of my older mates that found a few of them wasn't real happy with the look of them. He was pretty disappointed until they were cleaned up. Same bloke doesn't like quartz on the gold either - funny bugger. I offered to take them off his hands but he decided to keep them :lol:

Edit: p.s. there was a thread awhile back about similar bits of black coated gold that I had also relayed my info re: the Tambaroora bits on but I can't find it now.
I think it was on it that the general consensus was that the coating was oxidised ironstone or something like manganese oxide?
Coincidentally (or not) all of these black coated ones I've seen were found with SDC2300's.

 

[Nightjar]

The green in #1 suggests a copper content, my guess it is bronze/
Shape = penguin , flying pig or a chook....

 

[LORD]

Tough call, could go either way but second pictures looks like gold to me.
I hope it is for your sake, will clean up nice peice if it is.

If your not fussed to destroy it (assuming it turns out not to be gold) I would say chuck it in some acid like alibrite or brickies. Then if you have gold it will come out looking a million dollars :Y:

 

[Whisp]

Surely an SG test would be indicative of what it might be .... or even of what it might not be. Weight?

 

[Pirate pete]

I collect strange stuff if you dont want it you could send it to me I will pay the post LOL just kidding .PP

 

[user 4485]

Ever find out for sure what it was?

 

[user 4386]

Surely an SG test would be indicative of what it might be .... or even of what it might not be. Weight?

SG will be diagnostic (native copper 8.0 to 8.9, lower than gold which is around 19.0 - I sometimes find that with gold in alluvials, and it usually has a coating of green malachite and could have black tenorite).

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...Index=65&qpvt=native+copper+images&ajaxhist=0

https://www.bing.com/images/search?...8020869989994453&selectedIndex=125&ajaxhist=0

https://www.weinrichmineralsinc.com/products/copper-with-malachite-1503359.php

Alternatively it could be gold with a manganese oxide coating - it looks a bit like gold.
http://forums.robsdetectors.com/topic/7146-more-black-gold-nuggets/

 

[aussiefarmer]

Looking at all the photos the green areas are ontop of the cavities and must contain dirt with high copper content , i am now covinced that is gold :Y: and beutiful nuggy at that :Y:

 

[stoyve]

I reckon it looks like a kiwi

 

[pete165]

Gold!!!! I say Gold!!!!. Good luck with finding out what it is.

 

[hAyyoUinAU]

What does it weigh?