Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of the Treasure Beaches Report.
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| Some Very Thin Gold Chains. |
I mentioned yesterday how much I appreciate my digital microscope. It helps to find small marks and other small features on finds.
The photo above shows a few very small chains. Not only are the difficult to test, but they are so small that it is difficult to find any markings.
Since I had my microscope set up and ready to go, I decided to check out some small chains that I hadn't checked before. I was mostly looking for gold markings. I was pleased to find that a good number of them were gold.
Below are some photos of the small marks I found. I photographed them on a quarter so you could see how small the chain and markings are.
The first (below) is a small but very pretty 14K rope chain.
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| 14K Rope Chain Mark. |
Notice the very thin small links.
Another difficulty in seeing these small marks is, first of all, getting them in position. It is like moving angels on the head of a pin. I actually use a long pin. My fingers are just to big and blunt, and if you don't get the tag in the right place and at the right angle, you still can't see them. You have to get the lighting at the right angle.
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| Another Marked14K Chain. |
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| Another 14K Mark on a Thin Gold Chain. |
Here is a chain on a quarter. It isn't the smallest or thinnest chain either.
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| Gold Chain on a Quarter. |
The smallest mark was a 14K mark that I found on the back of the horseshoe pendant shown below.
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| 14K Mark on Back of Horseshoe Diamond Pendant. |
I found one10K mark on a tag too but evidently didn't get that photo.
All in all I was very pleased to find a number of gold chains in the group even though they were very small and only added up to a few grams.
Even with my microscope it was difficult. The chains had to be manipulated under the microscope to get a view and that wasn't easy. Still, it was easier with the microscope and I am very glad I have it.
Another problem with thin gold chains is keeping them so they don't get knotted up. If they do, you can spend a very tedious hour trying to get them untangled.
I'm always happy to get a small chain because they aren't the easiest to detect. Of course, a charm or pendant makes it easier. But if I can get small chains, I figure I'm not missing a lot.
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Yesterday I was talking about the 10,000-hour rule which acknowledges the important role of practice in developing skill. I talked about practicing certain metal detecting skills that are easy to practice but are not really practiced much by detectorists, especially not in a very systematic effective way. The skills I mentioned for my examples were things like sweep speed, coil control and tight coverage. While those things are good enough examples of things that can be effectively practices, there are many other skills that will really help a detectorist even though they may not be so easy to practice.
A big part of metal detecting is being at the right place at the right time. There are so many places to metal detect that you could spend your entire life metal detecting and seldom putting your coil over anything good. Once you can use a metal detector somewhat effectively, it becomes largely a matter of doing it where there are good targets within detectable range. It becomes a matter of narrowing down the search area to the most promising spots. So how do you do that?
Some of the answers are fairly obvious, such as research. What is the history? You can learn the history in a variety of ways. Reading is just one, but not all wrecks or other events are documented, and sometimes existing documents are not complete or are incorrect. Word of mouth is another source. And then there is uncovering the history of an area yourself by interpreting what you see and what your explorations have shown. Those things will help you with the right place, but what about the right time.
I've spent a lot of time talking about weather and beach dynamics, which will help you with the right time. We watch for those times when the sand will be moved and treasures will be uncovered. That is why I frequently report the surf forecasts and tropical developments. Beach renourishment projects are another part of that. I've discussed those kinds of things before, but how do you improve your skill in those areas. The answer is by getting feedback on your performance.
You should be able to make predictions about beaches before you go out. Take a look at the data you have available and make predictions before you go out. Form a mental image of what the beach will look like and then when you get there see how you were right or wrong. Over time you should be able to better predict what the beach will look like before you actually see it. You can't do that perfectly. It isn't an easy task, but you can improve your skill with practice. As long as you continue to study and practice you can continue to improve.
Even if you don't have time to metal detect, when you have a chance, check the beaches just to see what is going on. Stay in touch with the predictions and forecasts and what you actually see at the beach. Learn to make those connections. You will improve at it.
I wanted to follow up on yesterday's post because yesterday I only mentioned metal detector control skills, which is only a segment of the skills you need. Those skills are among the easiest to practice and provide clear examples, but I the other metal detecting skills that I discussed today can be practiced as well and should not be neglected.
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I often encourage digging everything, including the junk. Not only does it help eliminate masking but it can help in other ways as well. If you are relic hunting, for example, junk items can help you date a site.
Here is a chart I used in an old post that has been receiving a lot of attention recently.
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| TG Date Charting Method. |
By plotting the date range of found items - including those that might be considered junk, you can get some idea of the dates of activity at a site.
Referring to the chart shown above, there are some overlapping dates and some outliers. By looking at the overlapping dates of the majority of the found items, you can get an idea of when most of the activity occurred at the site. It could be a shipwreck or whatever, but the site I was metal detecting at the time seemed to be the site of a train accident and going by the above chart would likely date to sometime in the 1930s.
One of the things to take away from this is the value of junk finds. Even junk finds can provide valuable information.
Here is the original link for that chart.
