SPECTACULAR "REEF" GOLD NUGGET. ...

Description

SPECTACULAR "REEF" GOLD NUGGET
Western Australia
The name given to this type of nugget - "reef" gold - has nothing to do with coral apart from a superficially similar appearance. Reef gold is actually "primary gold", that is, gold that has been found within its original hard rock source; a "reef" or vein refers to the structure and form of the hydrothermal host rock in which gold often occurs (usually quartz). This specimen appears to have been etched from its original host rock with hydrofluoric acid and so appears rough and coral-like, as opposed to nuggets, which are in fact heavily eroded and weathered ancient pieces of primary reef gold. This particularly attractive example measures 2⅞ x 2 x 1½ inches and weighs 196.8 grams (6.33 troy ounces).

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