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Finding Southern NM Gold for a Gold-Plated Engagement Ring

Posted by Zackary Kershaw on May 9, 2015 at 10:10am

I live in Las Cruces, NM, which is in the vicinity of several color producing areas within an hour or two's drive.

I also recently got engaged, and bought me and my girl a pair of sterling silver claddagh rings for our engagement.

I had the idea of working to prospect enough gold to try to plate our rings (probably electroplating), with a thick, gold coating.

I went prospecting up near Ruidoso when I was a kid, but it's been years since I've gone out. I still have my gold pans and a sluice box though, and I plan on building a dry washer very soon.

Anybody have any advice on good places I can go to get enough good color to make my fiancee an even happier woman?

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Comments

  • Todd Jaeger May 22, 2015 at 8:37pm

    Gold Prospectors of El Paso (GPEP) does monthly outings.  We are having an outing tomorrow (23 May) near Hillsboro, NM. You are welcome to attend, and you do not need to be a GPAA member.  There are monthly meetings on the 2nd Tuesday each month. Directions are on the clubs Facebook page.

  • Whiskey Rat May 16, 2015 at 8:45am

    most of the campers in the campground are prospectors and more than willing to give advice and help.

    you will make some good friends. and its only like $10 per night.

  • Zackary Kershaw May 15, 2015 at 6:25pm

    That sounds sweet, WhiskeyRat!

    Just over two and a half hours, and I can take her to visit Lake Valley!

    Thanks so much for the tip!

  • Whiskey Rat May 15, 2015 at 5:11pm

    Arrey New Mexico, which is between T or C and Las Cruces.

    There is an RV park called Arrey Rv Park. The park owns 160 acres of very good placer ground which is an easy 10 mile drive from the park, and when you stay at the park, you get to prospect the 160 acres and keep everything. Fairly nice coarse gold in the old dredge tailings piles. You should be able to get enough easily in a few days. Dry washing works well.  So does wet sluicing if you have water tanks.

  • Zackary Kershaw May 9, 2015 at 6:55pm

    I'm not even sure if I'd really need to find a jeweler to do it.

    I've been researching plating methods, and you can get kits that include all the equipment and chemicals.

    The major complication I can think of is that I'm not sure how well you'd be able to get native gold to dissolve into the chemical solution.

    I just really like the idea of using metal that I've recovered from the earth myself, rather than just going into a store and buying something out of a display case as-is.

  • Matthew Wolfe May 9, 2015 at 12:22pm

    Interesting good luck finding a jeweler to do that, it would seem like a unique processes. My wife and I had gold we found together while dating and engaged made into our wedding bands by a local custom jeweler, they turned out fantastic and only cost $240 for 2 rings total using our gold. 

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