$ My Guide To Finding Gold & Jewellery $

meggie

Elite Member
Joined
May 14, 2009
Messages
984
Location
Queensland Australia
I posted this on our Australian Forum a few years ago .. hope you find it interesting & helpful,especially the beginners to our hobby.I'm sure all the tips & conditions mentioned are universal for all of us.

$ My Guide To Finding Gold & Jewellery $

Well first off there are no secret tips that I can give to you.
In fact there is nothing to be said that can't be found on this forum.

So lets talk about what we do know...

I firmly believe that there are literally thousands of rings that have been lost over the years.
How often have you spoken about your hobby & someone has said they had lost one, or a member of their family had or perhaps even a friend or neighbour had.Most people know someone that has.

For some reason more seem to have been lost at the beach.
The fact that most people apply slippery sunscreen or suntan oil raises the probability of losing their jewellery. That being said,you would be amazed at the number of people that sit at the waters edge running their hands through the sand & water .. especially Mothers with small babies.

Finding gold or silver jewellery can be put down to pure luck,i.e. being in the right place at the right time.Also being able to put a few extra hours in now & then can also help.
Always try to observe where people sit & gather on the beach,it may be near the beach walkways,the sand dunes or close to the Lifeguards tower.
It's at these places where little treasures will accumulate .. a little advance homework sometimes pays off.

Although, many detectors can discriminate trash. I always recommend digging all targets while beach detecting. Small engagement rings register just like trash to most detectors. Finding a diamond ring is one of our main goals so why would we ever want to eliminate this possibility. Secondly, by removing all the trash from an area your machine will then be able to pick up deeper heavier targets (like coins and rings) that had been masked by the shallower bottle caps and aluminum foil. Basically, if you want to be consistently successful in finding gold on the beach you will have to do the work and dig all targets

Machine settings in my opinion certainly help in locating jewellery,particularly gold items.
Everyone including myself gets frustrated at digging pull-tab after pull-tab for hours on end.
But when you are holding a large 18k ring in your hand the thrill quickly overlooks all the past disappointments ... So for me it always pays to investigate those pull-tab & foil signals.
Most of my smaller gold rings have been found in the Iron/foil range .. And after testing these rings on other detectors,nothing ever showed up when set on higher than the foil range.

As I have regularly pointed out,try at least a month of digging pull-tabs or even a certain number of hunts & also dig all those faint dodgy signals,especially those at the beach.
That 84 gram gold chain I found earlier this year was really just a dodgy/nothing signal & only because beach digging is easy with a scoop did I bother to dig it ... Had it been in the dirt I think I might not have bothered with it.
I just know there are thousands of chains out there that are never ever found & whenever I find a pendant I search thoroughly for the chain and just never seem to find it.
Resized broken rings can also be hard to detect so once again those faint signals are worth investigating.
Only a couple of months ago I snagged a broken 9k ring weighing over 15 grams that I nearly missed.

Beach hunting in all metal mode can often be productive too.
Try searching in all metal & when you hit a target switch to disc mode to check ... often referred to as reverse discrimination.
Sometimes I've dug out a couple or more scoops of sand & then checked again in disc mode & the signal has sounded much more interesting.
Weak or bad signals might be a deeply buried coin, a ring turned on its side or a piece of jewellery having its signal masked by a nearby pull tab ... If in doubt, dig it up.
Always re-check your holes after digging a target.Only recently after digging a coin, I re-checked & got another signal .. result a nice Rose Gold wedding band.
Basically, if you want to be consistently successful in finding gold on the beach you will have to do the work and dig most targets.
Most important thing I can say is slow down.
All to often I see people racing around the beach. Its a big beach\area and you can't cover it all in a days time no matter what you do ... I too have been guilty of this & only recently have decided to slow down a bit more myself.

One thing I must say is that I never ever go out expecting or anticipating anything & if something nice turns up it's always a nice surprise to me.
Anyone who thought finding gold was easy has a detector parked in the garage collecting dust. The reality is that it takes time and patience.

Quite a few your finds on the beach will be recently lost items. The older stuff is buried deeper & this is where you need to concentrate.
I like the real low tide area best ,it often produces some nice heavy finds.Always keep a look out for unusual sand formations,deep cuts after a very high tide or storm will sometimes accumulate the good stuff.
You'll know your on a decent spot if you start digging older green coins & lead sinkers, a sure sign you could snag some gold or silver.

Personally I study wave patterns,low spots,shell & stone accumulation and of course beach cuts.I also watch tide charts,moon phases & wind directions.
I even carry a pair of binoculars now in the car so I can scour the beaches looking out for low or wet spots,ripple cuts or anything that looks unusual that I might like to investigate.

I also recommend you get used to the tides in your area & follow their conditions on WillyWeather http://tides.willyweather.com.au/ registrations is free & then you can save your beaches etc in "my locations" for future use .. everything helps.
You can also follow weather & radar images here http://www.bom.gov.au/index.php?ref=logo

Another part of beach hunting that I think is important is being able to read different beach conditions.Lets start with high tides .. combined with strong winds these waves can & often and do erode sections of the beach,especially the dunes area,exposing long lost items.
From past experience I have found that these heavier waves will stir up the lighter items & literally fling them up the beach .. these have included smaller silver coins & small jewelry items like rings.

Soft sand : here you will find mostly "fresh drops" but still worth it .. but can be very tiring on the feet.
Entrance & exit spots to the beach are definitely worth searching, you would be amazed how many people shake their towels or blankets as they leave the beach .. so worth a look here too.
If beach goers park their cars on sand or grass search there after the cars have gone at the end of the day, many small personal items including gold jewelry are lost in parking lots when people are dropping valuables out of their pockets and beach bags while looking for the car keys.

The towel line or blanket line : my favorite spot , this is the first place I usually check. This is where people place their towels and belongings and put on sunscreen. I have found sunglasses, coin spills, rings, and and necklaces in this area.
This area is continually being replenished & in the summer season will always produce.If this area is ever eroded then expect a "gold mine" My last towel line cut produced four gold rings in three hours including that antique diamond beauty.

Low tide : another great spot ,especially on "new moon"lows.This is where they have earlier been swimming or playing around in the water .. I've found some nice items here & usually quite shallow too.
I prefer to work the visible wet sand, starting where most of the water activity takes place. Depending on how much sand is on the beach you want to focus on flat portions. If there is a slope and then it levels out, work that area. Items can be pushed onto the slope but for the most part they will settle in the leveled out area.

Speaking of which, the first hotspot in the water are “troughs”. These are areas close to water line that have created a long trench running parallel along the beach, they are usually in the water or can be visible during a negative tide. Items will settle in the trough, I usually find the heavier items here, like watches, old phones, etc.
Another hotspot are “scallops“. These are similar to troughs but instead of being in the water, they form during the transition between high tide and low tide. They are different in that they run perpendicular to the beach. It will look like the beach has humps as there will be high and low sections. The low sections act to funnel wave action whereas the higher banks have little sand movement.
Items will settle in certain locations typically on the banks or if there is a slope, when the slope starts to decrease. Remember the wet area is lower, so you may be able to find deeper, older items in that area depending on how deep the scallop is.

One thing to keep in mind is that as you search the wet sand of the beach you may find a concentration of items. This is called a “pocket“.
You want to really go slow in this area because if you are finding concentrated items like crusty coins or heavier items, the likelihood of old jewelry in going to be increased.
In these conditions,slow methodical gridding is recommended and by doing this you may be surprised what turns up.
Some of my best finds have been when hunting these area's.

So always be on the lookout for any beach condition changes .. the window is often very small.

Gridding an area can often pay off, good overlapping practices are need here .. rather like mowing the grass.
Although you may feel you went over an area, without a solid grid plan in place you missed something.
Use markers, such as a pier or a lifeguard house. Slowly go over a 20' by 20' square grid and then move on. This will yield higher results.
Some drag their scoop behind them to see where they have been,another good idea I read was tying a piece of string to the back of your belt & dragging a small piece of chain behind you with it .. Myself,I just scuff my feet every few yards & also mark the sand as I turn around with my heel.

Re high tide/low tides : I really prefer the low tides that occur later in the afternoon.
Most swimmers etc. are more likely to be in the water during mid morning to mid afternoon (around the high tide) ... hopefully loosing items where I am likely to be at low tide.

Regarding scoops,I honestly think you are just wasting your time & effort fiddling around with cheap plastic & home made ones.Most of the aluminum ones will eventually break,so do yourself a favour & invest in a quality Stainless Steel one.Buy quality once or buy cheap over and over.
If you only intend to hunt the dry sand then a handheld beach scoop will be fine, you can use them in the wet sand but you will get tired quick. They require you to bend over or drop to one knee and scoop the sand.
These make a great first scoop and eventually can be used as a backup if you decide to upgrade.

One final tip .. after you have finished your beach hunting it is important to always rinse off your detector & scoop of all the sand & saltwater.This will ensure a much longer life for your equipment.

* Please respect other beach goers & keep your distance from those around you ... remove all the rubbish you dug & please fill back in all the holes you dug *

If you are happy just chasing Goldies & running your disc high then don't expect to find any of the higher value items.
I'm also a firm believer in learning your machines tones,in doing this you should be able to come close to identifying your target even with your eyes shut.
I've never used a metered machine & I'm not saying they don't have their place either,it's just the way I roll.
Maybe a new 3030 would change my mind...
Whenever I've been out with someone using a meter they seem to spend an awful lot of time fiddling with dials & knobs whilst I'm happily digging targets.

Parks & sports grounds etc. ... I appreciate that majority of targets are bound to be where most of the people congregate & likewise thats where most of us are likely to hunt.
Having said that I've found a few nice items in areas that most of you might not entertain to look.Along fence lines, footpaths & entrance ways. Also areas that don't seem to get much use but may have had years ago.
I found out where a busy Tea hut used to be many years ago & whilst I didn't find any gold I scored a load of silver sixpences & threepence's there.
Tot lots are a great source of jewellery & I've found not only small gold rings but gold & silver charm/pendants at them too.
Sports grounds & playing fields are always a good source for detecting .. these area's are continually being topped up.
My favorite spots are along the touchlines .. corner spots & the goal area's seem to yield the most.

I hope this helps some of you out ,but please remember these are just my own views & observations.
One thing I should point out is that I am retired,so I'm able to get out as often as I want & when I want.
This is very good has I'm able to hit all the good low tides as they occur.
Many of you will already know most of these ideas but hopefully it will help out the newcomers to our hobby.

I look forward to seeing more gold heart-stoppers posted soon on the forum.

Meggie ...
 

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Well written. There are a few exceptions though to the "hunt at low tide" rule. This is perfect for the wet sand hunter, but for the water hunter there are some other things to keep in mind. During the summer the beach front is generally gaining sand. On my beaches from low to high tide the ocean is throwing the sand out from the trough area up on to the front of the beach at the water line. And as the tide drops back during the cycle from high to low it draws that sand back down in to the trough area. So, if i want to see the trough with the least amount of sand i have to hit it at high tide.
Everyone will have different local conditions, and it is with time in locally that you learn these subtleties that can make the difference over time...
 
Good read. I learned something new, so thank ya

This thread has ridiculous potential to be one big secret weapon that is not secret AT ALL
 
Thank you for posting this Meggie! I live a bit away from any ocean beach but have many fresh water beaches where some of your suggestions could help me.
 
That was some good info that could reduce the learning curve we all went thru. Ive got a snow bird right now with a CTX and WOT coil thats been coming to Fl for two years for 6 mos. Hes never found a gold ring. Some people just wont listen..... even after you hunt behind them and show them the gold. He notches out pull tabs and pennies, runs the sensitivity on the WOT seriously low, and keeps the coil 4 or 5 inches off the sand. If you have someone in your area with experience willing to share info, you best take it. Locals know the beach and where gold consistently can be found and how.
 
Great post! I'd venture to say there are millions of rings lost. Will most ever re surface again? That's what keeps us swinging. But Meggie got most of them:lol:
 
One of the best posts ever

on detecting water. Most all tips have come up before, but not all on one sheet. Thanks Brian there are a lot of members here nodding in the positive.........Gil
 
excellent post for sure! i vote that it be made into a sticky. :D
and not too sure about that one pic.... is that an actual hand underneath all of that GOLD? :lol: wow, that's quite a haul! :shock:

Pete
 
Great write up Meggie!

Now for those of you jazzed up and ready to buy a machine for your next vacation, talk to a reputable dealer and get sound advice to buy the right machine for your hunting area. As meggie mentioned, don't expect to find a fiat full of gold. Many of us that live near the ocean and hunt regularly, may only find (1) piece of jewelry every 500 hours of hunting. Its fun, but not usually enough to do as a full time job or even pay for the machine. However, it is fun, gets you exercising, and there is always that "chance"!
 
don't expect to find a fiat full of gold. Many of us that live near the ocean and hunt regularly, may only find (1) piece of jewelry every 500 hours of hunting. Its fun, but not usually enough to do as a full time job or even pay for the machine.

:lol:
 

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Excellent info for every MD HUNTER!! Thanks for taking the time to share some of your wealth of knowledge Mate!! :thumbsup:

Now I can send newbe's to this post and spend more time hunting and less time teaching.:yes:

GL&HH one and all,

CJ
 
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