What does raw gold look like?
Verdict summary
Raw gold is a buttery, warm yellow that does not glitter or flash; it looks the same in sun and shade. Placer gold comes as flat flakes, fine dust and rounded nuggets. Gold still in rock appears as specks, wires or seams, usually in quartz.
Gold that has travelled far in a stream is smoother and flatter; rough, crystalline gold has not moved far from its source, which is a clue to look upstream.
Natural gold usually contains some silver, which makes it paler. Black sand (magnetite) is the heavy mineral that ends up beside it in the pan.
Sources: Mineralogy references.
How can you tell if a rock has gold or fool's gold? Real gold is soft and bends or flattens when pressed with a pin; fool's gold (pyrite) is hard and brittle and shatters. Gold leaves a golden-yellow streak on unglazed porcelain, while pyrite leaves a greenish-black streak. Gold stays the same colour in shade, while pyrite and mica glitter only in sunlight.
Where is gold most likely to be found? Gold is most likely to be found where it has been found before: in and downstream of historic gold mining districts. In streams it collects where water slows, such as inside bends, behind boulders and in bedrock cracks (placer gold). In rock it sits mostly in quartz veins along faults (lode gold).
Primary sources cited
- Mineralogy references