Discover Garnet: The Jewelry Industry's Sparkle, Abrasive for industry & Technology’s Future power

Рет қаралды 6,269

Chris Ralph, Professional Prospector

Күн бұрын

So why is garnet commonly found by prospectors seeking placer gold? What can garnets tell us about mineral deposits? Are they valuable in and of themselves as gems or mineral specimens? Can they be an important indicator in mineral exploration? Just about every experienced prospector has found garnets along with gold in his pan at one time or another - what does that mean? Some types of mineral deposits commonly contain significant amounts of garnet associated with the ore minerals, so it’s a topic that is worthwhile for prospectors.
For those who want to learn more about Prospecting and finding gold check out my book, Fists full of Gold. It’s an encyclopedia of everything on the topic of prospecting. It’s available on Amazon. You can find it at (affiliate):
www.amazon.com/gp/product/098...
For even more information on prospecting, minerals, gems and other related information you can also check out my website at:
nevada-outback-gems.com/prospe...
The Prospecting and Mining Journal magazine can be found at:
www.icmj.com

Пікірлер: 63

@billyhendrix5544 Жыл бұрын

These are the type of videos KZfaq needs

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Well. That is very kind of you to say.

@argonaught5666 Жыл бұрын

You got me going again Chris! 5 years ago I found a very nice garnet specimen in AZ. 4 nice crystals about the size of a small marble on a white matrix. I started looking up country but given that it was in an alluvial deposit it was like a crap shoot. A few years later I got up on a high vantage point and looked down on the area. It was clear that the gravel on the ridges actually came from the south and was later cut from the west. I had been looking to the west. Valuable lesson for prospectors that I've utilized a few times! Sometimes you can't see the forest for the trees. Get on a high point and look down on an area. Especially useful in open country like the desert. You'll be surprised sometimes at the picture that reveals itself!

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

I've seen some really nice specimens of garnet worth good money from Arizona. Hope you find the source.

@Anashadk Жыл бұрын

Some of those stones were definately beautiful regardless of their commercial value.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

They are beautiful stones.

@glentomkins8044 Жыл бұрын

Great information Chris, I never knew that garnet came in so many colors or had so many uses. Thanks again.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@toddeftsadams5909 Жыл бұрын

I have been panning very fine gold from a place that I high banked last summer from my Secret spot in the Snowy Range Mountains in south Wyoming. I have been picking tiny garnett out of the black sand.

@argonaught5666 Жыл бұрын

I took a trip through that country near 40 years ago with my dad. We explored many low grade deposits back in the day when big low grade deposits were the thing. I can't remember where all we went but I remember Laramie and the Gross Ventre river. There is a massive low grade deposit there that extends for miles! The gold is very fine and is thought to be the source of the Snake River placers. My dad had a bunch of literature on it. As a side note, I found some small but very good grade jade around there and a point of interest up the Gross Ventre River. There was a big land slide up there that I think blocked the river at one point. We hiked up into the slide and found some kind of fossils plants. Like big stems if I remember correctly. Always Wanted to go back there. So many other projects I'll never get to though.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Glad you liked the video - yep, garnet is associated with a lot of placers.

@toddeftsadams5909 Жыл бұрын

@Argo Naught when I was a kid my folks and I hunted in the area of the slide. Jack Creek, on the other side of those mountains, has find Placer gold as well.

@toddeftsadams5909 Жыл бұрын

@Chris Ralph, Professional Prospector Chris you have showed me lots about gold and geology. I wish I could show you some of the great finds I found using information you gave to us all. Thank you for showing me the way.

@argonaught5666 Жыл бұрын

@@toddeftsadams5909 Cool! You know where I'm talking about then. That low grade deposit is huge but if I remember it only assays at .01, .02 at its best. I think some of the snake deposits went like 1000 colors to the pan and took 1000's of colors to the ounce. Wish I knew where my dad git that literature. It told where the richer areas were and might be useful to refine your placer searches. You might be on one of those in your secret spot! You might try searching at the Laramie library or school of mines literature. Maybe even Denver. All I know is some select areas were higher grade than most of it. Good luck!

@shannoneckenswiller843 Жыл бұрын

Perfect timing this video. Really enjoy these videos.. I'm in Alberta, and spring is slowly arriving. We find a lot of various color Garents. Some in the rock still lose while panning. As well as purple sand. Have a collection of that. Nice to know the family types they belong to. There so much to geology behind this. It can be overwhelming as you really dont notice some fantastic or less common items until you read or watch a video. Now, I have a collection of geology books. Been metal detecting for a decade. Gold and gems only a few years. Dinosaur bones well Alberta is black gold and dinosaurs..😂 Thanks again for the video. There is so much to see on the ground and in the water.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed it.

@BullProspecting Жыл бұрын

Garnets are one thing I have no problem finding! Thank you Chris for all you do! You are truly amazing and inspiring! God Bless you & may the good lord help you to find the Mother load!🙏

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Thanks, I appreciate that! Best of luck to you as well.

@jeffkeller9009 Жыл бұрын

Great video, Prospecting comes in many different ways, not just gold.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Absolutely true.

@tortugalisa4748 Жыл бұрын

Wow! I never knew there were a whole aray of colors with garnet and now I know why as well, thanks! Great video. I still like the almondite garnet crystal but I would have to say my favorite and one I never knew existed is the green demontoid💚 Just beautiful. Chris, I found a pretty see thru light green stone speckled throughout a boulder in the mountains of Yavapai County, (Central Arizona) what mineral could that be please ??

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Please check out my mineral ID videos. Start out with the first one: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g9abiphpv8u1nJc.html There is no way for me to guess what your mineral was, as there are more than 500 different minerals that come in some shade of green! The mineral ID video explains why color is the worst characteristic for ID of minerals. I think you will find the whole series of three mineral ID videos interesting. Glad you enjoyed the garnet video!

@iamtheroadwanderer 10 ай бұрын

Totally cool, friend! I'll get the book for sure, thank you!

@ChrisRalph 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it.

@Smithsgold Жыл бұрын

Great Information Chris

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Glad you think so!

@Algoldprospecting Жыл бұрын

I find thousands of garnets when I’m dredging for gold in Alabama. I think most of them are almandine or pyrope. Most are super dark almost black red. I sanded and polished some and was amazed. They do have cats eye affect. No star yet. Thanks for your video

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Sounds interesting. How large are they?

@Algoldprospecting Жыл бұрын

@@ChrisRalph The finished ones are about a centimeter and a half bay 1 centimeters. I have found much larger but didn’t know they had value. I’m gonna do a quick video if you want to see. Thanks

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

I dont offer any photo or video evaluation service.

@readalittle764 Жыл бұрын

I'm really enjoying your videos. Thank you!

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

I'm so glad you like them!

@PureNatureFilm Жыл бұрын

Thank you!

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

You're welcome!

@davevan1928 Жыл бұрын

Another good video Prior to today I only knew 2 things about garnets 1- they are very pretty to look at and collect 2- they are sometimes worse then black sands to pan when looking for gold lol

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video.

@davevan1928 Жыл бұрын

I do have a question for you not pertaining to this video. I was out exploring today and I came across a 100 foot shear rock wall. You can everything clearly. I seen some quartz veins some were wavy some looked like a oscilloscope graph and one looked like a spiral that just dead ended in a ball. Was wondering if you could shed some light on what causes that . I have my ideas but would like to know what you think . Ty sir

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

The liquids that deposit quartz veins flow in cracks in the rocks. Depending on various directions of the force on the rocks and weaknesses in the rock, they can break in weird ways.

@davevan1928 Жыл бұрын

Ty sir I was thinking the pressures of the rocks with the temps of the liquid kinda sorta melted the surrounding rock. But either way it is very neat 👍 Again ty

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

If you melt quartz you get glass. Quartz veins are not glass and they never get to the temps needed to melt them.

@billyhendrix5544 Жыл бұрын

Thank you

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

You're welcome

@aimenabdul-basset9442 Жыл бұрын

Very valuable video. Is gold associated with garnet ?

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Sometimes.

@davekollman2216 Жыл бұрын

Great video how do you tell the difference between Ruby/ sapphire and garnet. I know the sapphire is harder but most people don’t have a hardness tester

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

check out my mineral ID videos. Start out with the first one: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/g9abiphpv8u1nJc.html You can scratch one stone against another and mineral test kits are cheap on Amazon.

@e.s.8684 Жыл бұрын

@@ChrisRalph Wow, there's so many to choose from, which one would you recommend?

@arieerkkila Жыл бұрын

Thanks Chris! Do jewelers ever set raw garnets that have good symmetry and translucence? Or would it be more valuable as a specimen like that San Diego Spessartine going for 35k.

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Yes they do set raw crystals sometimes, but value is a variable thing depending on the art of beauty of the jewelry piece or the specimen (which is art by nature).

@okboomer6201 Жыл бұрын

Could you please explain pegmatites?

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

When large bodies of magma solidify slowly they form rocks like granite. The last little bit of the mass to solidify often has lots of water and some unusual elements like lithium, beryllium, boron and others. The water allows large crystals to grow. Many gemstones are found in these types of deposits.

@gloriaharger8934 Жыл бұрын

What gems are prominent in Utah?

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

Utah produces gems like Topaz. There are rock hound books like: Rockhounding Utah, 2nd: A Guide to the State's Best Rockhounding Sites - available on Amazon. Check out web pages like: rockhoundresource.com/utah-rockhounding-location-guide-map/ Use Google to search and you will find lots of info.

@jamiewolf4601 Жыл бұрын

I found a large ping-pong ball sized garnet in NW Arizona, perfectly faceted. I read that garnets form differently and far more slowly than other crystals. They grow on the atomic level, rather than molecular. Do you know anything about that?

@ChrisRalph Жыл бұрын

I would not agree that "far more slowly than other crystals" or that they grow on an atomic level and other crystals do not. Not sure who told you that.