OXIDIZED GOLD QUARTZ SPECIMEN 31.9 GRAMS NATURAL CALIFORNIA GOLD IN QUARTZ

Description

OXIDIZED
GOLD QUARTZ w/MARIPOSITE  SPECIMEN
from
CALIFORNIA
R
uler is
1/4"
wide (6 mm). U.S. 10 cent coin is 17 mm in diameter.
S
pecimen weight:
31.9
G
ram -
493
G
rains
S
ize:
57.6X24.8X22.9
mm
C
onsidering how much quartz there is on the planet, who would think gold sometimes forms inside of it. Here's a prime example. At one of the interfaces between quartz and oxidized iron, a sizable seam of gold crystals can be seen in a zone measuring roughly 16 mm long. No human hand put it there. My source says it's from California's Mother Lode which, admittedly, is a vast area. Y
our collection of micromounts will welcome this splendid addition of this ounce plus rock. It also shows inclusions of a green, coppery mineral which looks suspiciously like Mariposite.
For those who've kept track of my store these past several years, you'll know I don't sell low-grade specimens. If it shows gold, it can't be low grade ore.
I deal in naturally-occurring gold ores with visible gold. These high-grade beauties are hard to find and expensive to obtain. My prices aren't based upon the amount of gold contained, but on the fact that it's there.
U.S. SHIPPING - .00
(includes USPS tracking and insurance to all U.S. destinations)
INTERNATIONAL CUSTOMERS S&H
.00
FAST REFUND OFFERED
(If, for any reason, you're not happy with this item)
I poured through old mining dumps for years looking at orange-yellow-rusty rock through a loupe, but I never found a piece with visible gold.
Hydrothermal solutions carrying gold and silica crystallized into veins of gold quartz. This specimen comes from one of the many gold-bearing vein systems of California, The Golden State.
Weight Conversions:
15.43 GRAINS = 1 GRAM
31.103 GRAMS = 1 TROY OUNCE
24 GRAINS = 1 PENNYWEIGHT (DWT)
20 DWT = 1 TROY OUNCE
480 GRAINS = 1 TROY OUNCE
S & H
Discounted for combined shipments.
U.S. BUYERS & INTNL.
PAYMENTS
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REFUNDS
We leave no stones unturned insuring our customers get what they bargained for.
If you're not satisfied with this item, contact me. Then, if the problem can't be fixed, return product within 30 days in  'as purchased' condition for a full refund
MINERS, CLAIMS, AND THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH
This specimen is representative of the highest grades of gold quartz
mined during the
California Gold Rush. Rock this rich, containing
a good deal of visible gold, i
sn't what they would have
considered
‘run-of-the-mill’
ore such as was being
extracted
from the many hard rock
mines active during
that period
.
The
lion’s
share
of ore mined and
processed was
much
lower
in
tenor
and would have assayed less
than an ounce
of gold per
ton. Many districts
in the
Mother Lode would have produced
high
grade
ore
as
placer float,
chunks of
gold-
bearing
quartz which broke off
from richer sections of a
vein. I suspect this is a piece of float discovered by a detectorist in recent times. Of a similar
nature was
pocket
gold
dug from
close-to-the-surface
vein outcroppings. These epithermal deposits were characterized by the presence of 'caprock' or oxidized iron with gold mixed in. Featured rock certainly fits this description. It’s a
well-
known
secret that during the Gold Rush’s first years, when
opportunities
presented themselves, hard rock miners
high-graded i.e. stole
richer specimens
from mines and the mine owners who
employed
them
.
Some
miners, once they found gold
in quartz,
whether
‘high-graded’
or mined legally, undoubtedly
milled it up.
In that
manner, they
extracted
gold from the rock
themselves leaving few clues of where the gold came from.
Afterwards
, once separated from the worthless gangue material
(useful as evidence, maybe), the gold c
ould
be assayed, melted, weighed,
and sold.
Other
miners, and one
can only
speculate
at the
particulars involved in
such
transactions, probably
brought in
high
grade
rocks they had found
to
assayers who, in addition to
determining
the purity of gold and overall richness of the vein filling
discovered
inside ore bodies,
may also have
been in
the
business
of
processing
and/or
buying high
grade ore
(rock like
this). One may
surmise
that likely as not every
merchant
in these
flourishing Mother
Lode towns
would,
by this time,
have learned plenty
about
the ins and outs of gold
mining.
Chances
are, they knew the
miners,
what
diggings
were
being
worked by
whom,
and
how
well
different mines
were faring
.
It stands
to reason
the
majority
of
local
towns-folk
and
business-
owners would be
acquainted
with
mine
and
claim
owners
thereabouts
. One
might
think that as
stake-holders,
any and all
interested
adults
in the
community
would be well-
informed about
claims and mine status, mine ownership, mining technologies,
about
buying
and selling
gold,
processing
ores,
refining gold,
assaying gold, et al.
Thanks for checking out our digs.
G
old of
E
ldorado
1-14-13