VINDICATION: All that glitters is not silver and gold. Just 2/3rds. :)

Skippy SH13

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After finding "fake" gold this week, it was nice to come across some of the real stuff. I found three rings in the hunt yesterday, starting with Stainless, middling with 18K, and ending with a tiny sterling.

18K rang up really lousy kind of a 56-77 all over the place, and when it popped out, I knew why. Sitting on top of a penny. Bouncy signals aren't all bad. :)

Silver ring rang up a low 62, but for the size, that's expected.

Best part was being vindicated from the "fake" bracelet fiasco from the previous two nights. 18K goes a long way to salve those wounds. 3.32 grams. Tiny ring, but dense. I'll take $100. :)

Cheers! Have a good night!

Skippy
 

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Great hunt man! What are those CTR rings?

“CTR” stands for Choose The Right. They are popular among the LDS faith, as a way to remind you to “choose the right.”

Congrats on the great finds!
 
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Very nice! Thanks for posting the vdi too. I like to see what the goodies look like under the dirt.
 
As I've never found a gold ring (or any gold for that matter), I have to ask...is that how gold rings normally ring up on the AT Max? I have an AT Pro, so I assume it will be similar
 
As I've never found a gold ring (or any gold for that matter), I have to ask...is that how gold rings normally ring up on the AT Max? I have an AT Pro, so I assume it will be similar

This was gold ring #46 in the last 3 years and 5 months. (from when I got started). I've been running an AT Pro/max for the last 2.5 years.

Yes. This is how gold rings ring up. They're solid signals, unless they're on or near another object. BUT... the VDI numbers can be all over the place. Having a solid signal (loud, clear), is not the same thing as having a solid VDI.

For example, the large 10K class rings I've found are larger on one side, and have a thin band on the other. This results in a massive swing on the VDI numbers, and then add to it, the composition of 10K is actually only 41.6% gold. The remaining is usually a mix of silver, copper, zinc, and other metals, further causing the signal to "bounce." My last 10K large mens class ring, rang up from 46 to 79, or something like that. Even on the SURFACE of the ground. I think it was still in the dirt, because it sounded like trash, even though the signal was solid. I've seen that many times with low carat gold.

I've found solid and stable vdi signals everywhere from 40-41 all the way to 81, with nothing missed in between.

The amount of gold (such as .5 grams) and the shape of the gold will have a LOT to do with how it rings up. A nice solid ring shape produces a beautiful signal. A broken ring (such as where a weld broke, causing the ring to come off), will result in a scratchy sound, because the signal breaks.

Basically, it comes down to the following:
1) The shape of the object. Perfectly round "plain" rings, sound awesome. Rings that are thin on one side and have a lot of "stuff" going on on the other will bounce on the VDI (such as a heavily pronged ring). But only at certain angles.
2) The gold content. Typically, the smaller the amount of gold (Lower carat), the lower the VDI... but not always, especially with rings mixed with silver. That can cause quite a shift.
3) The smaller the object the lower the vdi. This is the case with silver rings, too. I've found large heavy silver rings that actually rang up 99 on the AT Pro. Small tiny size 4.5 rings (like the one I found yesterday) rang up in the low 60s. Size has a lot to do with the VDI. I'm still looking for that big 1 ounce 22 carat ring to see how high that puppy rings up. :)
4) Your willingness to dig things that you know aren't trash. This is huge. It'll still be mostly trash. But had I skipped yesterday's signal because it was "weird" I would have missed the ring and the penny. Anything..a nd I mean ANYTHING I cannot feel I'm positively identifying as trash, I dig. Your ears and your brain will tell you most of the info. But this requires digging a lot of trash, not for the trash's sake, but because you need to truly learn what trash sounds like, and what is "off" about non-trash items.

As you can see from the total haul, the field wasn't a hotbed of good items. In 2 hours, I pulled just over $2, as I gridded the whole thing. Lots of trash was pulled, and a GOB of trash was skipped. I pulled out anything I couldn't positively identify, and was rewarded 3 times with rings.

Cheers!

Skippy
 
This was gold ring #46 in the last 3 years and 5 months. (from when I got started). I've been running an AT Pro/max for the last 2.5 years.

Yes. This is how gold rings ring up. They're solid signals, unless they're on or near another object. BUT... the VDI numbers can be all over the place. Having a solid signal (loud, clear), is not the same thing as having a solid VDI.

For example, the large 10K class rings I've found are larger on one side, and have a thin band on the other. This results in a massive swing on the VDI numbers, and then add to it, the composition of 10K is actually only 41.6% gold. The remaining is usually a mix of silver, copper, zinc, and other metals, further causing the signal to "bounce." My last 10K large mens class ring, rang up from 46 to 79, or something like that. Even on the SURFACE of the ground. I think it was still in the dirt, because it sounded like trash, even though the signal was solid. I've seen that many times with low carat gold.

I've found solid and stable vdi signals everywhere from 40-41 all the way to 81, with nothing missed in between.

The amount of gold (such as .5 grams) and the shape of the gold will have a LOT to do with how it rings up. A nice solid ring shape produces a beautiful signal. A broken ring (such as where a weld broke, causing the ring to come off), will result in a scratchy sound, because the signal breaks.

Basically, it comes down to the following:
1) The shape of the object. Perfectly round "plain" rings, sound awesome. Rings that are thin on one side and have a lot of "stuff" going on on the other will bounce on the VDI (such as a heavily pronged ring). But only at certain angles.
2) The gold content. Typically, the smaller the amount of gold (Lower carat), the lower the VDI... but not always, especially with rings mixed with silver. That can cause quite a shift.
3) The smaller the object the lower the vdi. This is the case with silver rings, too. I've found large heavy silver rings that actually rang up 99 on the AT Pro. Small tiny size 4.5 rings (like the one I found yesterday) rang up in the low 60s. Size has a lot to do with the VDI. I'm still looking for that big 1 ounce 22 carat ring to see how high that puppy rings up. :)
4) Your willingness to dig things that you know aren't trash. This is huge. It'll still be mostly trash. But had I skipped yesterday's signal because it was "weird" I would have missed the ring and the penny. Anything..a nd I mean ANYTHING I cannot feel I'm positively identifying as trash, I dig. Your ears and your brain will tell you most of the info. But this requires digging a lot of trash, not for the trash's sake, but because you need to truly learn what trash sounds like, and what is "off" about non-trash items.

As you can see from the total haul, the field wasn't a hotbed of good items. In 2 hours, I pulled just over $2, as I gridded the whole thing. Lots of trash was pulled, and a GOB of trash was skipped. I pulled out anything I couldn't positively identify, and was rewarded 3 times with rings.

Cheers!

Skippy



Thanks so much for the info...that's very helpful. I tend to dig most any signal that's a solid signal, as evidenced by the hundreds of pull tabs and pieces of can slaw I've dug (I should have kept them all :) It would make a fun display) No gold yet, but your info will help keep me digging those types of signals.
 
Well alrighty then! That pretty gold one looks like a Black Hills design. Very nice! I like the silver CTR ring too. Even the stainless one is cool!
Thanks for posting, and for posting the specific info about the signals.

Keep on it Skippy. GL too.
 
Very nice ring!! I pulled a plated gold honker this weekend but knew it was fake since it rang up so high.

Those Stainless ones will get you though. I pulled one a few months ago that rang in the gold range and was super clean coming out of the ground looking silver and gold but alas it was Stainless... :(
 
Very nice ring!! I pulled a plated gold honker this weekend but knew it was fake since it rang up so high.

Those Stainless ones will get you though. I pulled one a few months ago that rang in the gold range and was super clean coming out of the ground looking silver and gold but alas it was Stainless... :(

Yep, I've had more than one "ahhh bummer" moments with stainless rings! Still, though, I think they're cool, and they go into the ring box!
 
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