It's not the glamor portion of the job, but...

[charlotte49er]

The last 2 nights I have been sifting through my buckets of dirt. Depending on the gold machine, you need different calsifications (sizes) of dirt. (Fine, medium, course or rocks.)

I start with a large screen and sift out all the big rocks. Then I switch to a small screen (20 opening per inch), and get all the fine dirt and "Flour" Gold. (What used to be known as " Gold Dust".)

Then I take what doesn't go through that and screen out one slightly larger (10 openings per inch.) What I'm left with is pea gravel, to finally run through my high banker for any gold that was sticking to the rocks.

It's slow and time consuming & boring as heck, but has to be done.

I get through 2 buckets of dirt with 2 more to go, screening about 2 cups of dirt at a time. I look down in my #10 screen and guess what I see?

G O L D, GOLD, GOLD!!!

There's a small GOLD nugget. I immediately weighed it and it weighs .7 grams! :party:

Okay, at $1,350 dollars per ounce, it comes in at about $38!! (I know, not a lot to get exctied about, but it's my first one! You always remember your first one! Wait, that applies to something else. )

First Nugget I have found. (Actually called a "Picker" not a Nugget, anything that small. Technically a Nugget is anything over an ounce. )

I just had to share with someone!!

[Goosfraba21]

congrats! At least all that work paid off somewhat

[LifeisaGarden]

That is neat, I'm so proud of you.

You know, my 9 year old daughter collects rocks. I used to think they were just rocks until she started naming them to me. This is a garnet, this is an emerald, etc...

So maybe you should make sure those rocks of yours aren't emeralds.

[Jangler]

Popped your golden cherry!

Oh man does that sound like a porn name or what!

[charlotte49er]

That is neat, I'm so proud of you.

You know, my 9 year old daughter collects rocks. I used to think they were just rocks until she started naming them to me. This is a garnet, this is an emerald, etc...

So maybe you should make sure those rocks of yours aren't emeralds.

I have found a garnet. It's so small that it's not even a carat. And I found a small piece of what I thought was Hiddenite. (Probably jade though, because it has some white in it.) I also found a couple of coins. (Some of the dirt I buy is dirt from a river.)