Nugget?

[tymber79]

This looked like slag to me a first and I was going to toss it, but a closer look I can see almost like a geometric matrix in it. The black flakes off to expose really shiny silver underneath. What is it?

 

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[ROBERTDRIGGERS]

do you have a digital scale? i'd use the specific gravity test to get an idea of what it is. lots of video's on the test on Youtube...

 

[Terry Soloman]

Just take it to your local jeweler. They can tell you in a second if it is silver.

 

[Tommy G]

Size and weight? My first guess is melted aluminum. Probably out of a fire pit; hence the black crust flaking off.

 

[tymber79]

Quite heavy for a small piece

 

[mcl]

Weight is not useful for this since there is no way to calculate the volume efficiently, thus we can't determine mass. What you have to understand is that the weight of many, many metals that this could be are within about 10% of one another. If either the scale is slightly off or your estimation of volume is off, it could mean the difference between calling it iron or nickel or silver or zinc, etc, etc. It isn't difficult to build up 10% of error variance when trying to determine the metal this way.

The pattern you are observing is, in my mind, the result of whatever the blob of metal was on top of when it melted, which in this case appears to have been some type of cloth. The cloth got toasted and turned black (hence why it is easy to scrape off) and left behind what looks quite a bit like the pattern of machine-woven fabric.

Either way, you'll have to do an acid test or something. I can't see any way around it for this particular object.

Just my thoughts. I personally hope you have a silver nugget, but without testing it properly, we can't know.

-mcl

 

[Backwoodsbob]

It is most likely silver with copper. Look in the dark area. That maybe a Jesuit piece judging by the shape and patterns on it

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[tymber79]

If it makes any difference, the black areas are actually emerald green when under a bright light. And the Little line patterns are even in the tiniest little fissures

 

[mcl]

If it makes any difference, the black areas are actually emerald green when under a bright light. And the Little line patterns are even in the tiniest little fissures

Obviously it could make a difference in the interpretation of how the chunk came to be -- I was just making a guess and could be way off. If you absolutely cannot get it tested, you could carefully cut a cross section off it and see if the pattern is still visible on the cut edges. This, I believe, would tell you whether the "crystalline" structure you are seeing is a structural feature or a surface feature.