January 24 Through February 4—TUCSON, ARIZONA: Annual show
Welcome to the GemologyOnline.com Forum
A non-profit Forum for the exchange of gemological ideas
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 8:10 am

All times are UTC - 4 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:00 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:13 pm
Posts: 36
l just got some stones sampeles from a goldmine. l like some help to give the stones a name.

l can get the stones in any size, and like to have them as big gem stones.....al the stones has small gold inside.

l have been tested them with acid, and l have tryed to messere the density in wather...

l will send some pictures...

here is my info, hope its usefull. The black stone do not have any Reaktion to muriatic acid. the dentensy is 3,26

the reed stone do not have any reaktion on muriatic acid and have a dentensy on 3

the gree stone has a reaktion on muriatic acid and have a dentensy on 2,55 test

l did test my pice of jade, and it have a dentensy on 2.8 so l think my test is more or less ok.


Attachments:
20150306_150434.jpg
20150306_150434.jpg [ 81.45 KiB | Viewed 3426 times ]
20150306_150552.jpg
20150306_150552.jpg [ 80.89 KiB | Viewed 3426 times ]
20150306_150608.jpg
20150306_150608.jpg [ 77.34 KiB | Viewed 3426 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 4:05 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:13 pm
Posts: 36
Here are the last 2 pictures to the topic...


Attachments:
20150306_150323.jpg
20150306_150323.jpg [ 52.09 KiB | Viewed 3425 times ]
20150306_150245.jpg
20150306_150245.jpg [ 83.51 KiB | Viewed 3425 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 12:04 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21602
Location: San Francisco
Congratulations on getting additional information to post.
Let's do some hardness tests too. A pen knife is a good place to start.
Also a scratch plate, which is just a white piece of unglazed tile. Scratch the unknown. What color is the scratch.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Fri Mar 06, 2015 6:25 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Veteran

Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:11 pm
Posts: 657
Hi Musse, gemstones, I think not, but common host material from a gold/silver/lead/zinc deposit.
All have small gold inside?
I doubt that, although they may have finely disseminated particles, like maybe a few PPM, (parts per million).
You can be assured that these specimans have no commercial value, but look good as garden edges.
I have had success, years ago, with cutting similar stuff from a gold mine I was involved with, into big cubes, using a large diamond saw.
Sold them as book-ends, and they went well.
Watch out for lead content though, also check the mine chemist to see if Arseno-pyrites are involved. They are dangerous for your health!


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 1:52 am 
Offline
Established Member

Joined: Sun Jan 11, 2015 11:13 pm
Posts: 36
Here are some pic. from my Scratch Test... the hardest stone was the reed one, the 2 others was easy to make a mark in....

there are small gold inside all the stones, they do not dig a dip hole at 60 meter for fun...

all the rocks are made to dust, and then they wash the dust with some kind of soap, but they
only get 40% of the gold, and have to leave the rest....

the rest of the slagg is driven to a another wash plant, to get the rest of the gold....


Attachments:
2 (3).jpg
2 (3).jpg [ 77.62 KiB | Viewed 3365 times ]
2 (2).jpg
2 (2).jpg [ 67.9 KiB | Viewed 3365 times ]
2 (1).jpg
2 (1).jpg [ 91.71 KiB | Viewed 3365 times ]
Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 12:46 pm 
Offline
Site Admin
User avatar

Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2005 12:22 pm
Posts: 21602
Location: San Francisco
So we know this material is softer than 5 1/2 right?


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Mon Mar 09, 2015 4:46 pm 
Offline
Gemology Online Veteran

Joined: Sat Jul 14, 2012 5:11 pm
Posts: 657
Of course they are going to dig a pit Musse, that's what a mine is.
The host rock for the gold looks to be an altered quartz complex, and probably in conjunction with epithermal gold deposition. In other words, hot volcanic solutions have deposited materials.
If it is a working mine, why not ask the mine geologist for answer to your question?
Once again, P.P.M gold could possibly be present.
Current gold prices mean the sort of levels that were being mined a few years ago, are now sub-economic, and many mines are now closing.
What you show is commonly seen on mine dump sites.
Barry


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Stones from a goldmine in the Philippines
PostPosted: Tue Mar 10, 2015 5:11 pm 
Offline
Gold Member

Joined: Sun Jun 28, 2009 9:56 am
Posts: 1284
when tested with HCl, if the turquoise stone did fizz then it could be calcite or aragonite

the first red stone is some typê of quartzite

the second one associates white quartz, golden/silvery sulfide (likely pyrite, marcasite or chalcopyrite) and some grayish-black stuff which could be either an alteration of the previous sulfides, or a different sulfide mineral (mindat has a list of sulfides found in the Philippines).

Making the difference between marcassite, pyrite, chalcopyrite and gold is easy. Pyrite and marcassite scratch glass while chalcopyrite and gold don't. Gold is malleable, while chalcopyrite is not.

Also note that in gold mines, gold isn't necessarily present as visible grains/veins: in many cases the gold is only found as microscopic inclusions within sulfides minerals or quartz.


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 8 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 4 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 9 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group
Gemology Style ported to phpBB3 by Christian Bullock