What is it ?

[RTR]

Panned these (almost pure white things) last year and still can't figure out what they are. They settled out in the pan just like gold,and their not magnetic <<< this pix. w/o a light source

 

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[Tesorodeoro]

If you possess a scale sensitive/accurate enough to weigh it....a gunpowder scale?....I’d try and weigh the sample in air, then in water. It will likely give you a more accurate specific gravity ratio which can be used to determine densities.

If you search measuring specific gravity of specimen gold, there will be some helpful pictures and info that likely will come up.

 

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[Georgivs]

Looks like mercury covered gold to me. Any mining operations in the area you found it? Two ways to check. Drop another piece of gold in there (a small one) mercury will transfer to cover all the gold. We found that out the hard way when I dropped a mercury covered flake into a vial of flakes, by the end of the day they were all silver colored. I may be a bit old fashioned but we hit them with a torch in a well ventilated area and burned the mercury off. Not necessarily suggesting to do that though. Handle with care.

Also IMO if it were lead shot that fine and spread out it would be oxidized white not still shiny unless it was brand new.

 

[RTR]

Thanks much everyone for the tips & tricks

 

[RTR]

Looks like mercury covered gold to me. Any mining operations in the area you found it? Two ways to check. Drop another piece of gold in there (a small one) mercury will transfer to cover all the gold. We found that out the hard way when I dropped a mercury covered flake into a vial of flakes, by the end of the day they were all silver colored. I may be a bit old fashioned but we hit them with a torch in a well ventilated area and burned the mercury off. Not necessarily suggesting to do that though. Handle with care.

Also IMO if it were lead shot that fine and spread out it would be oxidized white not still shiny unless it was brand new.

Thanks guys....Trying this tip first (because its the easiest) Dropped a small picker into the vial 1/2 hr. before taking this shot.

 

[pepperj]

From reading many moons ago the gold miners had this problem with this heavy mineral that clogged up the sluices. They'd clean it out and discard it basically-now the thought was when we all were thinking and scratching the what/where/was all the platinum thrown. The old Whites gold master didn't show us any at all.

 

[xaos]

ask a jeweler or pawn shop to pXRF it...

Where in the World was this found? It looks white, not silver?

Usually when I find palladium or platinum, is is a dull silver color and rounded...Pt minerals are soft, so that crystalline pattern...

Perhaps Galena?

 

[Broken knee]

Did you try and bend or break one to see the color inside?

 

[RTR]

Did you try and bend or break one to see the color inside?

No not yet .Their too different & pretty, (right now) to change/destroy whats going on w/them...maybe later

 

[RTR]

Thanks guys....Trying this tip first (because its the easiest) Dropped a small picker into the vial 1/2 hr. before taking this shot.View attachment 1907690

Update...6 hrs later ...No change in color (from the gold picker and the 'white things'...

 

[RTR]

Looks like mercury covered gold to me. Any mining operations in the area you found it? Two ways to check. Drop another piece of gold in there (a small one) mercury will transfer to cover all the gold. We found that out the hard way when I dropped a mercury covered flake into a vial of flakes, by the end of the day they were all silver colored. I may be a bit old fashioned but we hit them with a torch in a well ventilated area and burned the mercury off. Not necessarily suggesting to do that though. Handle with care.

Also IMO if it were lead shot that fine and spread out it would be oxidized white not still shiny unless it was brand new.

Well it looks like we can scratch that idea off.Gold picker has been in the vial (with the white things) for 24 hours now.The yellow gold is still yellow,the white things are still white.
Pix. taken a couple minutes ago.

 

[RTR]

When I get time I'll do this test

And after break one piece in half to see the inside

 

[RTR]

Specific gravity test on the biggest piece....Scale set in Grains ...Weights.. Suspended in water & dry

 

[RTR]

Total pieces.Didn't specific gravity test all the pieces...Impossible to tie them all on the string ,to suspend them in water.

 

[RTR]

So were back to the beginning ,what is it ?

 

[RTR]

ask a jeweler or pawn shop to pXRF it...

Where in the World was this found? It looks white, not silver?

Usually when I find palladium or platinum, is is a dull silver color and rounded...Pt minerals are soft, so that crystalline pattern...

Perhaps Galena?

Within the Virginia Gold Belt >>

 

[crashbandicoot]

So were back to the beginning ,what is it ?

White things!I like that.

 

[Duckshot]

Okay, it looks like you got 9.6 grains of material. Now all you need is a graduated cylinder, a 10cc ought to work. Put 2cc of water in to the graduated cylinder and it will give you a measurement of the material's volume. Then all you got to do is convert your grains to grams to find the ratio of their density. All the platinum group metals have different densities, wich should be distinguishable if you can get the materials density.

 

[RTR]

Okay, it looks like you got 9.6 grains of material. Now all you need is a graduated cylinder, a 10cc ought to work. Put 2cc of water in to the graduated cylinder and it will give you a measurement of the material's volume. Then all you got to do is convert your grains to grams to find the ratio of their density. All the platinum group metals have different densities, wich should be distinguishable if you can get the materials density.

Thanks much.I don't have a graduated cylinder. I'll call around to jewelry stores in the area to see if someone can test these things ,to see what they are.

 

[Al D]

You can also use a small cup, the smaller, the better, first weigh your sample. then fill the cup full of water and weigh it, then dump the water and put in your sample add water again to the top and weigh it.
now, the difference between the weight of the water with your sample and without will be the weight of the water displaced by your sample, convert that to volume and you got your density, do not forget to tare out the weight of the cup. And.....subtract the weight of your sample.

 

[RTR]

You can also use a small cup, the smaller, the better, first weigh your sample. then fill the cup full of water and weigh it, then dump the water and put in your sample add water again to the top and weigh it.
now, the difference between the weight of the water with your sample and without will be the weight of the water displaced by your sample, convert that to volume and you got your density, do not forget to tare out the weight of the cup. And.....subtract the weight of your sample.

Thanks .Didn't I do that in post 32 ,w/pix ?