FACTS ABOUT GOLD [USE YOUR BROWSER BACK BUTTON TO RETURN TO PREVIOUS PAGE] GOLD WEIGHTS AND MEASURMENTS; Au, specific gravity 17.1 to 19.2 [means it weighs that " MANY TIMES MORE THAN THE WATER IT DISPLACES"] 1 gram = 15 grains .06 gram = 1 grain 1.5 gram = 1 pwt (pennyweight) 24 grain = 1 pwt 31.1 grams = 1 troy oz 20 pwt = 1 troy oz 12 oz = 1 lb .999 = FINE/GOLD 24KT .885 = 22KT/GOLD CHARACTERISTICS; Looks just like the Gold Jewelry you wear. Soft and impressionable. Can be easily formed or shaped. Very "HEAVY" when held, for it's size. Can be drawn into wire finer than 1/1000th of an inch easily. Can be hammered thin, to the point of transparency. Requires at least 1700 'F to melt GLOSSARY OF TERMS; Acid Test A method to determine the fineness of gold by subjecting it to various acids. Nitric acid is used for testing up to 10k gold, and gold finer than 10k gold will only react with a mixture of nitric and hydrochloric acids known as aqua regia. Alloys of Gold Mixtures of gold with such metals as copper, silver, zinc, etc. Assay To analyze a metal to determine its purity. Au The chemical symbol for gold, from aurum, the Latin word for gold, derived from Aurora, the goddess of shining dawn. Bullion Gold which is at least 995 fine. Bullion is available in the form of ingots, bars, or wafers. Casting The process of duplicating an object by pouring molten metal into a hollow mold that has been made of the original object or model. In lost wax casting, used in jewellery production, molten gold is forced under pressure into a mold from which the wax model has been burned out. Chasing A highly skilled and ancient art of decorating metal with figures or ornamental patterns, which may be either raised or indented. The work is done entirely by hand without mechanical aids. The modern chaser draws out the design on the surface of the metal and delineates it with a hammer and punches, not removing metal, as is done in engraving, but pushing it aside. The process is extremely slow. Coin Gold Gold used in coins is generally alloyed with small amounts of other metals, usually silver and copper, for durability. U.S. standard gold coins are 900 fine or 21.6k. Die-Striking Essentially the same as die-stamping, the method used by the ancient Greeks to make their coins. A master, or model of the jewellery item to be produced, is made out of hard steel. This in turn is used to make a die, which is hammered into sheets of karat gold with tremendous force, producing exact copies in gold. Ductility The property of a metal that allows it to be drawn or stretched into thin wire. Gold is the most ductile of all metals. Electroplating A process using electrical current to coat objects with a thin layer of gold. The thickness of the coating depends on the amound and duration of the current. Electrolytic Gold Very pure gold (999.9 fine) produced by a refining process employing electric current, used for specialized applications. Embossing The art of producing figures in relief on both flat metal items and hollow articles such as pitchers, coffee pots or cups, by using punches or hammers on the back or inside of the article, creating the design on the front. Filigree A form of decoration in which fine gold wire is twisted and soldered into intricate patterns. The Hellenistic Greeks were masters of this technique. Fine Gold Wire The manufacture of gold wire for clothing dates back several thousand years, having been found in cloth worn by the Ancient Egyptians. Gold wire of different karat levels is used in jewellery fabrication for chain-making. In electronics, pure gold wire (999.75 fine) is used in transistors and integrated circuits. Florentine Finish A textured surface for precious metals produced by engraving a series of parallel lines in one direction, then cross-hatching them at a 90 degree angle more lightly than in the first direction. Fool's Gold Popular name for iron pyrite. It is sometimes mistaken for gold and is often associated with it, but it is hard and brittle, whereas gold is soft and malleable. Gilding Coating a surface with a thin layer of gold, which may be either pure gold or a gold alloy. It was carried out in olden times using mercury (fire of mercury gilding). It is now done either by electroplating or mechanical cladding. (See Gold-Filled.) Gold-Filled A process by which a layer of at least 10k gold has been mechanically bonded to a base metal. This layer must constitute at least 1/20th of the total weight of the metal in the piece. Items must be marked gold filled preceded by the karat fineness of the plating; e.g., 14k gold filled. (See also Rolled Gold Plate.) Gold Fix Refers to the price of gold which is determined twice daily by the members of the London Gold Market at the Rothschild Bank in London, and it transmitted throughout the world. Gold Nugget A water-worn mass of placer gold (a form of natural gold) washed from the rock that contained it and deposited in riverbeds. Usually ranging in weight from approximately 30 grams to 50 kilograms. The heaviest nugget ever recorded, named the Welcome Stranger, was found in Australia in 1869 and weighed 90.9 kilograms or 200 lbs. Gold Standard A monetary system whereby a country backs its paper currency with gold and agrees with other countries on the gold standard to buy and sell gold at a fixed price. Gold Leaf Beating of gold into leaf is an ancient craft. Skilled goldbeaters can hammer gold so thin, it would take 250,000 sheets of it to make a layer an inch high. Gold leaf is used for a variety of decorative purposes, including picture frames, signs, book edges, architecture and ornaments. Gold-Washed Term for a gold electroplate thinner than 7-millionths of an inch of gold (or gold alloy). Also known as gold-flashed. Grain: The earliest unit of weight, originally a grain of wheat or barley corn. Grain is the smallest unit in the Troy and avoirdupois systems. In Troy weight, which is used for precious metals, 1 grain = .0648 grams; 24 grains = 1 pennyweight (dwt.) 20 dwt. = 1 oz. Troy. Gram: A metric unit of mass and weight equal to 1/1000 kilogram. 1 gram = 15.43 grains = 0.032 ounce Troy; 1 pound Troy = 373.2 grams. "WHERE TO LOOK FOR GOLD" The most common places to look for GOLD in any river, stream or creek are; 1, In front of or behing any obstacle in the water flow, ie; big rocks,bedrock ledges that protrude at angles to the water's flow. 2,The inside bend of any flowing body of water, gold falls out of the fast water on the inside of the bend. 3, To read a body of flowing water for the pay streak. Sight an imaginary line from bend to bend, [upstream to down stream]. Any area from the inside of the bend heading down stream and staying to that side of the imaginary line, is where you'll more than likely fine your color. 4, Look for transitions in water flow. Thats where ever the water goes from a fast or quick flow to a slow and meandering flow. Thats a drop out zone. 5, Always, imagine the body of water when it's actually flooded when you read the stream. "THATS WHEN 99% OF THE GOLD FLOWS DOWN STREAM". I truely wish you all "GOOD FORTUNE" in your quest for GOLD. May all of your pans "OVERFLOW WITH COLOR", NUGGETHUNTER GO FOR THE GOLD ADVENTURE TOURS http://www.nuggethunters.com The Georgia Gold Prospectors Association http://www.nuggethunters.org E-mail; nuggethunter@mindspring.com