Gold or Pyrite ? Found in Beach

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Hello, Prospectors

Well to start off, the other day my wife and I went prospecting in the beach after a storm. I found a rock that look like a meteor but what caught my eyes was that it had gold like shine to it. You can take a look at it before I cracked it yesterday on another post I did.

Any way today I decided to investigate more and scratch the surface/ veins of the rock to get what it looks like gold and it just didn't stop coming out of each grove I picked. So I decided to crack it with a small hammer and I got this, the inside is all full of it. It sure looks like it but what are the odds in NY you know. Here are some pictures.

Thank you for all your help!

Ant · Nov 2, 2015

My guess is ironstone nodule, looks like fools gold.

https://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images;_ylt=AwrTcYHJ2zdWPowAgpyInIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTBsZ29xY3ZzBHNlYwNzZWFyY2gEc2xrA2J1dHRvbg--;_ylc=X1MDMTM1MTE5NTc4NARfcgMyBGJjawM1MG9wOTBsYjNjbnNuJTI2YiUzRDMlMjZzJTNEZTUEZnIDBGdwcmlkA0pVNTVLZXB0VEZHM3d4emUzSGN2cEEEbXRlc3RpZANudWxsBG5fc3VnZwM0BG9yaWdpbgNpbWFnZXMuc2VhcmNoLnlhaG9vLmNvbQRwb3MDMARwcXN0cgMEcHFzdHJsAwRxc3RybAMxNgRxdWVyeQNpcm9uc3RvbmUgbm9kdWxlBHRfc3RtcAMxNDQ2NTAxMzM3BHZ0ZXN0aWQDbnVsbA--?gprid=JU55KeptTFG3wxze3HcvpA&pvid=ewEf4zIwNi5QYykFVjZflwklNjYuMgAAAADVb_E7&p=ironstone+nodule&fr=&fr2=sb-top-images.search.yahoo.com&ei=UTF-8&n=60&x=wrt

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

I saw that before but it is very glittery as if you have gold flakes. When I take some of the softer material and rube it between my fingers its like very shinny, golden etc. I tried with a magnet and it didn't pick up. Im thinking closer to pyrite or something else. Thank you

Ant · Nov 2, 2015

A quick way to tell is that gold bends it doesn't flake, gold has luster and doesn't shine or sparkle.

Ant · Nov 2, 2015

Probe the flakes with a needle or tip of a knife, if it cracks it is not gold but could be gold sulfide not worth extracting, if it bends that's the same as being malleable and that would be a good sign.

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Here are some new pictures. I scrap the smaller rocks and this is what I got. Im not touching yet the big one since I see more inside, just to be safe. There are some nugget types and smaller rough and powdery golden substances.

I don't know Im type undecided due to my lack of knowledge as a prospector. But learning everyday !

Thank you

AU Seeker · Nov 2, 2015

IMHO what you have is pyrite, I say this because what you have scraped out of the nodule has crumbled into pieces, as stated in another post above, gold dosen't crumble or shatter into pieces like that because gold is very malleable and will bend, flatten or indent, but not shatter into pieces like I see in your photos.

You can do further tests, such as a streak test, rub a piece of the "gold" on the underside of a toilet lid where there's no glazing, or the bottom of a tile, bottom of a coffee cup, etc. any piece of unglazed ceramics, you will most likely get a very dark gray to black streak on the ceramic, which would rule out gold altogether and bring the possibilities of it being pyrite to almost 95+%.

You can also see if you can crush/shatter the material with a hammer in case what I see in your photos is not what I think I'm seeing, if you can crush/shatter the material, it's not gold, and brings it back to most likely being pyrite, dark gray/black streak and crushes/shatters=most likely pyrite, gold streak and flattens/bends = possible gold.

Ant · Nov 2, 2015

If that was gold that paper would be sagging, you have fools gold, gold is a soft metal, like lead.

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

OK awesome information! I will check in a bit. Just trying to rule out so I can move onto other finds. Thank you so much!

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

ok "AU Seeker" I did what you have asked and here are the images. Thank you for the help!

AU Seeker · Nov 2, 2015

TL, did you rub powder on the ceramic or rub a solid piece to get the streak?
To get a good streak test result it has to be a solid piece and not powder, if you used a solid piece it's looking better for it to be possibly gold, you still need to do the crush/shatter test, if you can flatten the pieces out without them breaking/shattering, it's time to take it to a good reputable jeweler to confirm it's gold, have them do an acid test for gold or even better use a spectrometer to confirm it's gold.

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Hi,

I should off taking a picture when I put a small little nug on the toilet top.it was not that hard but i still needed to add small pressure to rub it. But the thing that gets me is that most of it is like flakes/rocks/powder. I don't know, sorry. But i did get a different rock that my wife gave me to test that looks like some images of pyrite and when i spread the same amount it turn grayish unlike the golden substance I first did that did not turn grey/black ash.

I guess I will check out tomorrow with gold shop. But you have been very helpful sir. Thank you I appreciate it!

Thank you,
J

Anduril · Nov 2, 2015

Spoiler Alert: What follows is a little gross...

Be careful how you handle things that wash up on the beach.
I recall one news account of medical waste washing up on shore.

For all you know, that gold powder could be arsenic or something?
Just be careful. I'd suggest wearing gloves until you get a better handle on what you're dealing with.

That said: Here's hoping is GOLD!! :thumbsup:

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Thanks Andrill for the advise. Usually we where gloves in lakes and creeks in NY. But I was saying that to my wife. Iv seen many episodes of Monsters Inside of Me lol believe me in the creeks im practically wearing a space suite lol JK but I do. I even silicon my boots because I heard of a kid getting a type of infections worm in his toe because the water went in and worm went into a cut he had. Same spot where I found other hopefully great looking items.

Thank you!

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Here are some new pictures I took. I scraped more from inside the the host rock. There is still much more left and the crust has the golden substance. I tried many magnets, the water test and more. I don't want my hopes up so I will take it tomorrow afternoon to 3 gold shops I know, well a bit of it not the whole thing

I will post tomorrow on gold shop update.

Thank you for all your help!This forum is great!, very educational. Thanks

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

I couldn't help cracking it with the metal object that I found in my first find post

sorry. Anyways this is whats inside

Any input will help

Thank you

testlab · Nov 2, 2015

Here are other pics of the host rock. thanks

firemac · Nov 2, 2015

Good luck!

testlab · Nov 3, 2015

Well I went to the pawnshop down the block and they said that they are not able to test nuggets and flakes with the acid test. Only way was to have him melt everything in the back room. But at least he said that it does look like gold.

Is he right?? why cant anyone test a nugget with the standard acid test??~? I will be visiting couple of other shops after my appointment.

Thanks for all the help!

testlab · Nov 3, 2015

More images till later today when I get it tested. As what I see and feel the golden in core shell are hard. Some even show gold like rocks within the center of the crust. They are all very heavy compared to anything I have found that size.