Have you tried gold panning in the states of Georgia or North Carolina? Did you know that Gold was mined in both of these States before the gold rush of 1849? That there was even a branch of the US Mint in Dahlonega Georgia?
The area is known as the Dahlonega Gold belt, it extends from west of Dahlonega Georgia and continues northeast up through North Carolina.
The gold that is found through out the area is mostly fine and in gravel beds. There were Hard rock mines but only a few.
During the 1800s miners worked the area using hydraulic mining. That is they used large water cannons and washed the sides of the hills down into a sluice that continued down hill. At the bottom of the sluice was normally a stamp mill that crushed the rock so they got as much gold as possible out of the stone. Also while looking for gold in the tailing piles, check for gems. This area in noted for them. And a vary little known fact is diamonds have been found in some locations.
The old miners knew the gems were there but had no inexpensive way to get them cut. They did keep a few as souvenirs and gave some of them to family members but left the majority in the tailing piles or where they naturally appeared.
When the old miners left the area for the gold rush in California, they basically just walked off the job and left the mine owners to fend on their own. The mines were forced to close in a vary short time. When the miners departed, they left stuff just where it laid. I was lucky enough to find one such area and in what was left of an old sluice running down a hill I recovered several nice gems and a goodly amount of gold. I also found and old pickax that was still sticking out of the hillside just where its user left it when he walked away.
Now that the background has been covered. Gold panning the streams and old washes can be fun and rewarding. Dredging the streams takes a special permit from the State. But Panning can be done just about anyplace that you can get permission to use the area.
I now have in my online store the GOLD MAGIC®, Spiral Gold Recovery System, the first MAJOR CHANGE in Gold Panning and Gem recovery in 4000 years.
This is a complete system, not just a cleanup unit as most of the others are. You just scoop in the dirt on the right side of the unit while its running and it walks your gold and gems right into the center cup. A little splash onto the cup and the black sand is gone. Just pick your gems out as they appear. If you have float gold, It can be easily sucked into a recovery bottle. The float gold will walk to the right side of the wheel while the Gold Magic is running. Just place a bottle under the float gold and suck it in with a little water.
This unit is unbelievable. No more need to bring back all those little bottles, bags, or Buckets of black sand and try to recover the gold after your back home. The fine along with the coarse gold is captured in the easy to remove center cup. Oh! By the way it’s considered a gold pan so no dredge permit should be required in Ga. It's lightweight, ranging from the hand operated model 4 Lbs. to the full unit with Solar panel option of 10 Lbs. All units can be made into the next larger one with simple optional add ON's.
What I like best is you can set it up wet or dry. Run your dirt through the Gold Magic while your sitting on a rock or bucket (I also have buckets and bucket seats available). The units come with a complete set of instructions and videotape. It’s so easy my natural blond wife was able to get the first unit we received out of the box and into operation, recovering gold and gems in less than 20 minutes.
The 17-inch Gold Magic® pan is computer designed for maximum gold recovery. Gold starts to separate from other material and move into the removable center cup in 30 to 45 seconds. The pan is set at an approximate 45° angle. When prospecting wet, the water line needs to be set at the center of the pan. As the pan rotates, you shovel sand and gravel material into the pan at the 3 to 4 o'clock position of the pan. The larger, low-density materials will be expelled from the pan while the heavier, smaller materials (black sand, gold, platinum, and gemstones) will be carried up the spiral riffle into the removable concentration cup.
Pictured is the primary classification area of the GOLD MAGIC®, Spiral Gold Recovery System - all materials, sand, gravel, etc. (wet or dry) is shoveled into this area. Large size and most low specific gravity materials roll out of the pan as it rotates. Heavy weight materials (gold) sink to the lowest point at the joining of riffle and the pan (1-C) and commence rotating toward areas (2,3,4). This is the riffle transition and large nugget recovery area. Nuggets too large to spiral up the riffle in area (3) into concentrate cup (4) will remain in area (2) until visually sighted and removed.
In the secondary classification area. The heavy material, (high specific gravity) like gold, platinum, flour gold and black sand, will continue to travel at the low point where the riffle joins the pan (1-C), to area (4). Most light (low specific gravity) material falls from the riffle in area (3) and is ultimately ejected from the pan.
In the final classification area. Here you immediately see the results. The gold settles in the removable cup (4). As it continues to tumble wet, it is "cleaned up" with a gentle splash of water and is ready for removal. Dry gold concentrate is removed from here for final wet cleanup.
There are 69 agitator knobs in the primary processing area of the Gold Magic pan. These agitator knobs move through the material in rapid succession causing it to mix and tumble, all designed to quickly get the gold into area (1-C).
As the pan rotates, sand and fine gold will be carried to approximately the two o'clock position. At which time gravity takes over and the materials fall from area (6), across the agitators (1-B) into area (1-C).
Designed to keep the flour gold below the riffles and rotating to the concentration cup.
The locking system allows the third leg to be locked in at any angle.
Side view in water shown.
It will take about 2 to 3 minutes before you start to see the gemstones moving up into your center cup. Do not rinse the center cup, as you do to recover gold, this will wash the stones out of the cup.
When your cup is full, stop the machine and remove the center cup.
Have a dark colored plate or tray available.
Pour the contents of the center cup into the tray. Your gemstones will sparkle and you can pick them up with your fingers or with tweezers.
Pour your concentrates from your tray into a small container. Continue working your material. When you are all finished run your concentrates again.
Be sure you watch your center cup. Usually when you are working material for gemstones you will also find a little gold.
If you see gold, rinse your center cup and recover your gold.
The old adage that "Gold is where you find it" is not necessarily true. Prospecting in the better-known gold bearing regions will immediately improve your chances of finding gold. Gold is where others have found it and you have come up with a better method of recovering gold. That better method is your Gold Magic®.
Your Gold Magic® spiral recovery system is lightweight and folds to a small size for easy storage.
Always keep your Gold Magic® with you while traveling in your car, RV, boat or airplane, for opportunities come when you least expect them.
Rivers and Streams become natural collectors of gold, making it a little easier for the average prospector. Gold moves and collects primarily during flood stage. The high fast waters cut away at the banks of the river and carry the gold into the mainstream. Gold being seven times heavier than most other materials will tumble along the bottom of the river and easily come to rest when the current slows along the inside bend of the river or hits a major obstacle such as a boulder.
During the summer months the water in many lakes recedes making the lakeshores easily accessible. While exploring the shoreline, look for streams that may still be flowing and dry washes that may only flow during heavier rains or spring run off.
Prospect thoroughly where the stream enters the lake. If you find any color at the mouth of a stream or dry wash, chances are there is more gold further up the stream. Here is where the wet and dry capabilities of your Gold Magic® shows its value. You can work wet in the lake or streams and in a few minutes work dry without changing equipment.
With your Gold Magic® working dry, you likely have your first opportunity to effectively prospect in the totally dry desert regions.
Even though these areas are dry most of the time they do quite often receive torrents of rain, which cause flash floods, developing into rapid rivers, which easily erodes the soil along the riverbanks. When these rivers recede, the dry riverbed is commonly referred to as a "dry wash".
Looking for gold in a dry wash is a lot like looking for gold in a river except you have better access to all areas of the dry wash.
Look for bedrock and crevices in the bedrock. Remember gold only moves during flood stages and tumbles along the bottom because of its weight. In doing so the gold will lodge on or in cracks of the bedrock.
Also look for large boulders that may be firmly anchored in the wash. When the flow of water is disrupted around the boulder, the gold will settle at this spot. A common practice is to place a cargo strap around a boulder and roll it over with the use of a come-along or winch on a 4X4 vehicle. Once the boulder has been moved you can process the material that was around and under the rock. If you can't move a particular rock, be sure to get at the material around its edges. A dry wash may have 10'-20' high sidewalls. Explore these walls for veins of black sand and crevices where gold may have lodged.
Culverts under roadways are a natural trap for gold. The corrugation of the galvanized sheet metal causes a slight turbulence, which causes the gold to settle. Process the material collected in the first 3-4 feet of the culvert opening. A plastic gutter scoop, which will contour to the shape of the corrugation, works well for removing material. Also check the area to the right, left and below the entry of the culvert. A wide flow will strike the culvert abutments and cause the gold to drop at the mouth.
Ground hogs, in search of food and establishing habitat, dig large caverns as deep as six feet below the surface. The materials they dig up will appear as large mounds on the surface, often with a ground hog perched on his hind legs nearby.
These ground hogs are little gold miners; process what they have piled up. If you find some gold, keep processing until you're done then cave in the hole. The next time you are by, there will likely be an entirely new mound to process.
It is common knowledge that the largest strike ever discovered was the Comstock Lode and it was a result of ground hogs digging.
Our early prospectors and miners did not do a very thorough job of recovering gold. In addition when a big strike was made, the general belief was that there was no end to the amount of gold available. These factors contributed to a great amount of gold remaining in mine tailings.
You probably already know where there is an abandoned mine. You can recognize them by the tailings lying on the hillside. You can check with the Bureau of Land Management or Bureau of Mines for more information regarding mines.
These tailings can be processed wet or dry just as you find them. If you find a good producer you may want to reestablish the claim.
Please Visit my online store to view and purchase one of these lovely units.
You can do a lot with the gems. You can make rings, earrings, a necklace, pendant, broaches, bracelets.
Where do I get my stone cut into the fancy gems that jewelry is made out of? You can do it or if you would like I cut gems in both Facet and Cabochon styles. I can add your gold to a ring or if you have a nugget or two, make a custom item from it. If you do not find enough gold to have your stone mounted I carry a full line of settings or can make something special ( One of a kind ). I also carry a full line of gems so if you did not get all that you needed I can supply some for you.
Please Visit my online store to view and purchase a gem kit.
atgem@aol.com
Four Points Gem
Illuminations
Kissimmee, Florida
United States