Treasure Wiki

David Cowley asked:




Treasure hunting is the common name for a fun and interesting hobby enjoyed by thousands of people around the world. They use portable metal detectors to go outside and literally hunt for treasure.  With the price of gold over $700 oz today, more and more people are getting metal detectors and heading into the hills.

The FMDAC

In order to help you get started in treasure hunting, you should check out the Federation of Metal Detector and Archeological Clubs, Inc.  You can find out about any events, meeting or treasure hunting clubs in your area.  You can find out where to legally go look for gold in treasure hunting.  Usually, you have to go to state parks and public property unless you are invited onto someone’s private property.  And it’s not just a pipe dream to find gold treasure hunting in this way.  People have actually found very valuable items, from gold coins to gold artifacts.

You also need to know your area’s municipal codes, which the FMDAC can help you find.  Sometimes, you can legally go treasure hunting in public schools, church grounds and public beaches with metal detectors.  You might even be asked by neighbors to help locate utility pipelines on their property or to find lost trinkets in their back yards.

Wal-Mart

Believe it or not, Wal-Mart is now playing a big role in promoting finding gold by treasure hunting.  Usually, stores will not allow any solicitation in their premises.  However, Wal-Mart has a unique partnership with the FMDAC where they will allow displays by treasure hunting clubs in their stores.  These can be manned or unmanned display tables with pamphlets.  Your local Wal-Mart or Super Wal-Mart may be the place to go get started in gold treasure hunting business.

Is There Any Gold Left?

The best place to prospect for gold is the place where gold already has been found.  Some nice size nuggets have been found with metal detectors in areas that have had active gold mines in the past.  Not every ounce of gold has been mined or panned from rivers.  Part of the treasure hunting hobby is to learn gold panning and pour over old prospector maps.  There still is a market in this hobby for treasure maps.  Some treasure maps will show you where gold has been found in the past.  The odds are that not all of the gold was found and that there might still be some left in those gold-bearing areas.

The Roaring Camp Mining Company is in Pine Grove California, which is about one hour east of Sacramento.  Visitors to the mining camp are shown many of the mining techniques us for locating gold.  You are able to pan, sluice, dredge and dry wash for gold.  You get to keep any gold that you find.  Gold bearing material is collected from the mine bedrock area and run through a screening process to remove the large rocks and it is then made available to you.

California isn’t the only state where there has been success in gold treasure hunting by amateurs.  Gold has been found in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Virginia.  The gold was found with the use of portable metal detectors or gold-panning.  So, there still might be gold left “in them thar hills”.

Happy Treasure Hunting.

David Cowley asked:


People who use metal detectors for treasure hunting do tend to run up against an image problem.  The media and comedians like Steve Martin have poked a lot of fun at people who use these detectors.  But perhaps treasure hunters can have the last laugh when their detectors turn up something valuable, which has happened in the past and is sure to happen again in the near future.

It’s Easy To Get Started

The price of good quality, lightweight metal detectors have been going down in recent years.  You can find them at Sears, for goodness’ sakes.  A basic metal detector will cost you less than $200.  You can always add on bits and pieces from treasure hunting supply stores (usually found online) and from online auction sites like eBay.  It’s good to get a taste of the hobby before making a big financial commitment.

There are professional-quality metal detectors that can be used on boats, as well as other vehicles.  There are those with ground radar that can usually detect how far down in the earth a piece of metal is and some even guess what the metal is and in some cases determine the shape of the metal object.  Metal detectors are used in this case by surveyors, utility companies looking for pipelines and miners.  The detectors used for these professions can often run into five figures.

There are many different types of detectors on the market.  If you are just starting out you may want to consider the Land or Relic detectors.  They have fewer features and are easy for the beginner to start with, just turn in on and go.  Then can be used on land and even in a couple of inches of water.  Most of the coils are waterproof, just keep the electronics out of the water and you will be ok.

As the price increases for the detectors the more complicated they become.  More and more practice will be needed to become an expert with the device but in the long run you will spend less time digging up trash.

You Are Not Alone

Treasure hunting is a hobby that not only lets you get to play with big toys, perhaps make some money, but also gets your outside and exercising.  You should be exercising regularly, anyway, but just doing the same old exercises over and over again can get boring.  And, you can also make new friends with the treasure hunting hobby.

There are treasure hunting clubs all over the country.  In order to find out the closest one to you, contact the Federation of Metal Detector and Archeological Clubs (FMDAC).  Although most of these clubs cater to adults, there are some clubs strictly for kids and some clubs will allow kids to enter with an adult.  There are treasure hunting clubs in other countries besides America.  For example, in England, the use of metal detectors for treasure hunting has gone up 20% in the year 2006.

There have been incredible things found by regular people with metal detectors.  These finds include rare coins, buried cars and ancient artifacts.  And if you loose your wedding ring in a forest, chances are you’ll be able to find it again before your spouse finds out about your little accident.

Happy Treasure Hunting.

David Cowley asked:


Benitoite polished

Benitoite is a rare blue silicate mineral, found in hydro thermally altered serpentinite.  Hydro thermally altered serpentinite is science speak for a type of rock that formed by cold submarine volcanoes that rose from the ocean floor.  This layer of rock is full of faults and is weak and easily eroded.  When mineral laden water fill the cavities the minerals dissolved in the water sometimes crystallizes and is left behind when the water leaves.

Benitoite was named after the county where it was first found, San Benito County, in 1907 and to this day San Benito County is the only place in the world that you can find this gemstone, making it among the rarest gems on the planet.  Benitoite became California’s official state gemstone in 1985.  The price of this gemstone is between $500 and $3,000 per carat depending the quality of the stone and most of the gems found are less than one carat in size.

Benitoite rough

This crystal is often confused with a sapphire and if the jeweler that is cutting your stone does not know the difference, he can damage the stone with the heat from their torch.  The gemstone will turn orange or in the worst case break.  Always use a jeweler that is familiar with this type of gemstone.

Another unique characteristic of this rare gemstone is its has a very unusual crystalline shape called ditrigonal-dipyramidal (pyramidal).  It is the only known crystal to take this shape naturally.  Benitoite fluoresces very strongly under short wave ultraviolet light (UV), appearing light blue in color.  Treasure hunters search at night for this glowing gem with UV lights but beware, scorpions also glow at night under UV lights and some hunters have been stung by them.

Benitoite rough

Benitoite have a very high dispersion which makes them very bright.  They have a refractive index of 1.757 to 1.804.  This characteristic makes sparkle brighter than diamonds.  They have a hardness rating of about 6.5 on the Mohs scale which is not nearly as hard as a diamonds that has a rating of 10.

The Benitoite Gem Mine has field trips open to the public.  You will need to make reservation in advance and in the winter or rainy season, because of the bad roads; you will need to reconfirm your reservations 1 or 2 days prior to your trip.  No services other than a porta-potty are on site and the nearest food and water is at least three hours away.

Benitoite rough

The mine opens at 8:00 AM and closes at 4:00 PM.  For about $100 per day per person you are allowed to take home a five-gallon bucket of material.  Night field trips are also available where you can hunt for benitoite with black lights.  A mine guide there to help and explain what to look for, how to operate the screens, how to night hunt using a black light and other information.

The roads to Benitoite Gem Mine area are very rough and suitable for 2WD vehicle with a high clearance during the dry season.  A 4WD is always the preferred automobile and never try to make the trip in the family sedan.  Campsites are available on the surrounding BLM land except in the summer months when camping is prohibited on BLM land.  If possible drive in one day and camp overnight and then take the full day treasure hunting.

Happy Treasure Hunting.

David Cowley asked:


Amethysts Ring

The Amethyst gemstones range in color from pale lilac to deep purple.  Gemstones with the deepest colors are the most valuable and some of these fine gemstones are featured in the British Crown Jewels.  Amethyst is a transparent quartz crystal and is used in many pieces of striking jewelry today.

Amethysts, Gold and other Gemstones can be mined by the public at the Gold’n Gem Grubbing mine in Georgia.  For a fee of $15 for a half day or $25 for the full day the treasure hunter can mine just like the ole timers did.  All tools needed for treasure hunting is provided by the mine operators.  You can dig the ore from the commercial mining pit which has been piled at the edge of the creek by dump trucks.  Fill up a couple of buckets and take your finds to the creek for panning and screening. 

Amethysts Rough

Amethyst, Emeralds, Sapphires, Topaz and Gold have been found by rock hounds at the Gold’n Gem Grubbing mine.  You never know what you may find so having a good gemology reference book handy can pay for itself very quickly.  Especially one that will show you what the rough gemstones look like right out of the ground.  I recommend bring a hat, gloves, sun screen, proper clothing, wading boots and a fold up stool.  Kneeling in a stream panning all day can be a killer on the knees.

Kneeling in a stream all day is not your idea of a fun time?  You can purchase buckets of ore and screen them at the convenient sluices.  Trained staff is always nearby to help you identify your treasures.  Buckets of ore can be purchased for $10.00 for a 1 gallon, $30.00 for a 2.5 gallon, $60.00 for a 5 gallon, and $100.00 for the Mother lode 5 gallon bucket.  Buckets of ore come with a $15.00, $30.00, and $50.00 credit towards having jewelry made with the gemstones you find.  The mine operators even have a Master Jeweler on hand to turn your treasure into a striking piece of jewelry.

Amethysts Rough Clusters

Myth And February

If you were born in February, then you will have a special reason to go Amethysts treasure hunting, because it is your birthstone.  It is also the stone to give as presents on your 33 Th wedding anniversary.  Legend has it that wearing or keeping an Amethysts on your person not only protects its wearer against seduction but is also a symbol of trust and piety.

Moses said that the amethysts gemstone is a symbol of the Spirit of God and the gemstone was often used in the official robes of the High Priest of the Jews.  The Greek word for Amethysts means not intoxicated and the popular belief is that the gemstone offers protection against drunkenness.  It is also said to protect crops against tempest and locusts, bring good fortune in war, inspire the intellect and if worn around the neck on a cord made from dogs hair it would protect against snakebite.

Amethyst will change color when it is heated.  This gemstone should not be worn while sunbathing or anywhere there is black lighting.  Sudden changes in temperatures can be harmful.  Smoky colored stones can become yellow to brownish red with temperatures as little as 250 degrees.  Stones with a high degree of transparency become yellow or colorless when exposed to temperatures of 400 degrees.

Happy Treasure Hunting.

David Cowley asked:


Opals have been considered a magical precious stone for thousands of years.  It is said to help the wearer’s psychic powers and to have better and more vivid dreams.  Modern Witches and Pagans especially look for black opals, said to enhance any magic spell.  But not are opals rich in myth and magic, they are also really nice to look at.  In many ways, they are similar to pearls, but not nearly so expensive. 

Opal

Although you can buy opals from jewelers, geological shows and “nature” stores and their website equivalents, it’s far more fun and magical to find the opal yourself.  This is one of the many reasons why opal treasure hunting is becoming a popular activity, especially in Nevada and Oregon, where Bonanza Opal Mines and the Juniper Ridge Fire Opal Mines are.

Opal Rough

Finders Keepers

Bonanza Opal Mines have “finders’ keepers” days where the general public is allowed to come in, pay a daily fee of less than $50 and keep any and all opals that they find.  You are not allowed to dig just anywhere in the mines, however.  Some areas are reserved only for shareholders.  But hunting for opals is still good in all of the other places of the mines.

Depending on where you choose to hunt for opal, the tools you should bring include Small Hand Rake, Shovel, Pick Axe, Hammer, Bucket, Gloves and Knee pads.  You can use the hard rock mining technique which entails use of a pick axe, shovels, and a hammer or your could just rake through the tailing which are bulldozed piles of material removed from the mining area.  Many of these mines are in extraordinarily remote areas so be prepared to camp and bring all necessary food, water and mining supplies.

Opal Armband

Modern day opal treasure hunters don’t need to travel a huge distance to and from the mines when they need to relax after an invigorating day searching.  They are allowed to camp in certain places in Bonanza Opal Mines.  There are also shower facilities and a naturally heated pond.  Camping and use of the showers is included in your daily fee.

If you like the thrill of the hunt and the beauty of the shifting colors of opals, you may be interested to know that sometimes opportunities come where you can be a Bonanza Opal Mine shareholder.  When you become one of only 100 shareholders, then you are allowed to dig in the “bank” – the places thought to be richest in opals.  If you are interesting in a share, you need to contact Bonanza Opal Mines by email or phone.

Juniper Ridge Fire Opal Mine is another mine that allows the general public to search for opals on a fee bases.  The digging fee is $200 per person per day which gives you the right to dig for opals at the mine area and you are allowed to fill a one gallon bucket with raw gemstones.  The mine operators at the Juniper Ridge Fire Opal Mine believe that any reasonably health and active adult should be able to fill a one gallon bucked within a single day.  If you have more than one gallon bucket worth of material you can pay an additional fee or simply keep only the highest grade of opals to take home.

Before booking your opal treasure hunting trip, be sure to contact your local treasure hunting club to find information on what tools to bring.  You can find out the contact information of your local club through the Federation of Metal Detectors and Archeologist Clubs, Inc.  Often, your local Wal-Mart will have a display table or pamphlets from your local treasure hunting club available.  Sometimes, there even will be club members manning the table so you can ask questions about opal treasure hunting.

Happy treasure hunting.