The term gold dust is regularly used in movies but not many people actually know what it means. Here we’ll discuss what it actually is, where you can find it and
The term dust refers to very small bits of gold that naturally occur in various places around the world. Gold is one of the more expensive elements found naturally because of its beauty and the fact that it’s easy to mold into various shapes. This makes it perfect for jewelry and is the main reason why it’s so popular and valuable. If you wanted to find a large amount of gold then mining for it would be the most effective way but you can also find dust and particles through panning.
Gold panning is a technique to find which uses the fact that gold in small pieces is naturally found in many areas of running water. To pan for gold you need a pan that allows water to pass through but keeps in silt and the pieces of gold you’re looking for. If you want to go panning for dust or flakes then you’ll need to know a buyer that has access to refiner in order to turn it into something useful such as a dore bar. An even better option is to deal with a refiner directly that will purify your findings into bullion grade bars. Having bullion bars will help in several ways, first bullion is considered a financial instrument and will not be taxable, secondly bullion is very portable and will serve as an excellent investment in these uncertain times.
When panning for gold you should start by finding an area of flowing water that’s shallow. Start by putting the pan a few centimetres underneath the water and then shake it a few times which will allow the silt and debris at the bottom of the waterway to be caught within the pan. Hopefully, this will contain some gold which you can then separate out. When you’ve got a reasonable amount of material in your pan you should slowly lift it out and manually pick out the larger items of debris. Carefully sift through the material to see whether you’ve found any pieces of gold. If you’ve chosen the right location and have been diligent you will be able to collect a nice amount of nuggets or dust, once you have enough, say 10 to 20 grams you’ll be able to get cash for your gold. Be aware that many of the companies advertising to purchase your gold nuggets won’t necessarily have the expertise to process this particular form of gold, be sure to contact them ahead of time to verify they work with this material, ask them if they have any assay charges and what percentage they pay out on the actual gold content.
There is only way you can get a price for your material, the dust or nuggets need to be melted into a button or bar and then assayed, the use of an xrf machine (X-ray fluorescence). This machine uses x-rays to uncover the chemical composition of the melted button, with the aid of computer technology it processes the actual gold content in the button or bar along with any other minerals that may be mixed in. I have seen nuggets that are anywhere from 8 to 99% actual gold content, some even turn out to be copper.
Here’s another interesting story, bare this in mind should you ever decide to become a gold buyer or if you get contacted with one of the many gold scams around. You see there are many people, particularly in Ghana, Africa and Nigeria that have a somewhat elaborate scam. I get contacted by them on a daily basis, it goes a little something like this; they’ll contact me via email saying they have access to about 100 kilograms of dust that is 22k and can supply the same amount every month, doesn’t sound believable so far does it? They carry on to say they need me to fly to wherever they’re from so I can inspect and arrange payment, they then ask for a deposit up front, hmm I don’t think I’d be doing this myself yet I get calls daily from people who have received the same email and are asking me for quotes on the material, I explain to them that it is a scam and they find it hard to believe, they even try to convince me otherwise. I have a former colleague who was duped by another scam.
Another common scam goes something like this, the con artists will bring you a bag of shavings that actually contains a decent amount of gold, you melt it down and pay them accordingly, they then bring you a second similar bag of dust or shavings, this time they can’t wait for it to be melted and assayed but will take a lesser payment as ‘they need the funds quickly’, unfortunately this bag will contain all copper shavings or dust and you’ll be out a substantial amount of money. The fellow I know actually remortgaged his house to purchase the second bag, the lesson, never pay anyone for material until it has bee properly tested period.
Panning for gold dust can be a lot of fun although you need to have patience and a section of a river or stream that’s known to contain gold. If you’re approaching it as a hobby you will have a lot of fun just don’t bet the bank you’ll become rich. Gold stakes can be purchased quite cheaply in a number of states and provinces, if you have the means it could be a very enjoyable hobby.