Safari Gold Range

[Akita]

OK, so I've learned my coins and silver and have gotten very good on trash (too good!), and now I want to open up my discrimination and see if I can learn to find gold rings and such. I've read (studied actually) Andy's book and consumed everything I can find on the Internet. And what I have found is that gold and gold rings show up all over the spectrum. Gold/gold rings will show as:

-9 to -1
6 to 10
13 to 14
17 to 18
25 (coin)
34 to 35 (coin)

Well, that dont narrow it down much does it.

What kind of experience do you all have as to where gold rings show up? I dont live near a beach so there really arent enough of them in the ground to learn on. I have buried a few and tested that way, but there is just no substitute for finding stuff in the Real World and I'd appreciate any advice that you experienced gold Finders have had. Especially as to what #s it usually shows up as (yes, i know the tones tell all, but i need to start with #s). TIA for any help/advice!

 

[john4840]

That is the problem with gold jewely it hits all over the disc range. In some of the places I hunt ther just to much junk in the ground to dig it all. . I think the best way to find gold jewely on turf is to stick to places where a lot of people go and dig all the recent drop gold sounding shallow tagets. I think it is a lot faster, eaiser and more enjoyable hunt, then digging a lot of 4 inch or deeper targets and only finding pulltabs or other junk items. I have been pleasantly surprise by doing this.

John

 

[Smudge]

Women's rings tend to fall into the foil range.

Men's rings tend to fall into the pulltab range.

Women wear more jewlery than men.

So if you want to cut your losses, you'd be better off digging the foil targets and ignoring the pulltabs.

But you may ignore a pulltab signal and pass a big fat men's ring.

There is no way to win on this one and no way to isolate gold.

If you're hot for gold, you best dig anyhting you hit above iron, even those signals with a jumpy ID number.

 

[Goldstrike]

I agree to a point with John on the previous post. Homework is very important BEFORE you go looking for the gold targets.....BUT....just like fishing for big fish, and in this case, gold is where you find it!!
One of my biggest rings I've ever detected was close to the exit from a beach and I can't help but figure the guy must have forgotten he took it off and placed it on his towel and dropped it where I got it. A little unusual to loose a ring that way but nevertheless, it can happen that way more than we think the traditional 'sliding off in the water/surf' way!!
I've fished great looking rivers over the years where I would swear big fish were lurking but came away empty handed and asked myself why? It's the same with gold hunting. Anyway, it's been my experience that smaller 14kt and lesser kt rings will many times ID at 32-33 because your Safari is picking up the copper content of the ring but all of the other larger and higher kt rings should basically come in between 6-24 on a Safari. I know that's a very wide range/latitude but it's because rings come in all shapes, sizes, kt's with and without stones including platinum rings but that's been my experience. It's been my experience as well that gold rings will once in awhile ID between the 24 and 32 but that's the exception rather than the 'rule'. I hope that helps and hope you leave some rings on the beach for me please!!

 

[Akita]

Great advice guys. Exactly the kind of information I was hoping for.

And the beaches are safe from me, GS as I live 8 hours from the nearest one and TVA wont let anyone hunt "their" lakes or properties now.


One clarification: does gold tend to give a 'solid' or 'strong' tone like a good coin hit does, or does it waver and jump around? Or does it just depend on its shape/orientation in the ground?

 

[Smudge]

Depends on the angle of the ring in the dirt. If lying flat, you should get a pretty solid ID.

If the edge only is facing upwards, or if the ring is at a severe angle in the dirt, your ID could be pretty jumpy.

 

[ken ward]

There should be campgrounds within 25 to 50 miles from you. I hunt many campgrounds near my area. Within 50 miles. I use my SAFARI on land at the beaches. In the sand and up in the grassy areas. The other day I found $2.45 in clad, 20 pulltabs, 1 hotwheels truck, a bent aluminum ring, a small silver ring, a small gold bracelet with charm, 14k womans ring with 3 dimonds. My wife said THANK U HONNY. I hunt in coin & jewery mode.

 

[Akita]

Thanks for the reply, ken. Great finds there! Post a picture if you can.

TVA is VERY particular about "their" lakes and surrounding shores. They claim all but private campgrounds as well, and State Parks are off limits here too without special written permission (like looking for a specific lost item). You'd think I lived in commieland or something.

We are planning a beach trip next month and I hope to do a bunch of hunting then. I anticipate a learning curve as I open up the discrimination for gold and dig more trash. But even knowing that I'll be digging loads of trash, I can hardly wait.

 

[DaugBiscuit]

Some good information on gold hunting with the Safari. Gold it tough but not impossible to become more proficient at discovering and I for one have never mastered it with any machine (although the machines I

 

[edjcox]

Find the old swimming beaches and hunt there. Often these places had sand trucked in to give it a "beach" like atmosphere. That's where the rings and jewlery are especailly at the water line...

 

[Goldstrike]

With my very keen interest in trying to detect gold (silver coming in a close second) finds above anything else, I would like to address this topic again. Akita asked a question as to whether gold finds give a solid or jumpy signal and I would agree with smudge's comments but would add that beach detecting in sand, dry or wet, almost always irrespective of orientation of the target, I almost always get a solid and what's more repeatable signal and the I.D. does not jump around unless there is a coin, pulltab, foil etc; close by in which case the signal and I.D. get jumpy.
Most of the time I think its another pulltab or a nickel as they usually are a solid signal as opposed to foil which will be a jumpy signal and i.d. There is no need to pinpoint because sand is easy to dig into and by the time you pinpoint you could have extracted the find anyway!....so that's not an issue.
I usually hunt in coins and jewellery blocking out -10 to 4 or 5 that way it'll discriminate a lot of the trash you'll find on most beaches i.e. nails from wooden pallets that are burned as so forth.
One thing that will stop other detectorists from sharing their successful tips and shortcuts is because they don't want competition out there but I suspect there are few SoCal detectorists that subscribe to these Findmall forums although I could be wrong! but I don't mind because I still have a lot to learn and I was once a newbie eager to learn the basics!!......so please share your tip's and H.H and GL everyone!!
Thought for the day.....there is hardly anything that gives me an adrenalin rush (except heroin? don't know, never tried it) !! like when I get that fat gold ring in my sand scoop! It's the greatest feeling!!

 

[Lisfisher]

Since gold reads all over the place, I generally only dig on most every solid signal only on the beaches. If I'm out in a cornfield, well, my chances for a gold ring are slim so if i dug on every signal i'd drive myself crazy. You have to determine your chances of finding gold based on where you are, and go from there.