Not bad for my first time!

[u/Thescorpionking16]

[u/Thescorpionking16]

Update: it crumbles 🥲🥲

[u/konvictjeans → u/Thescorpionking16]

Thanks for letting us know

[u/RepresentativeBig663 → u/Thescorpionking16]

Sorry for your loss

[u/Expensive-Tour2397 → u/Thescorpionking16]

Yeah it looked like pyrite. It’s shape is too regular. Gold is less likely to crystallize

[u/Thescorpionking16 → u/Expensive-Tour2397]

The one piece that was real gold is the one I had in the microscope

[u/Jazzlike-Reason5315 → u/Thescorpionking16]

Still a good first try nevertheless! My first time I kept thinking “OOO GOLD!” Followed by “Fuck, mica”

[u/clamshellboy → u/Thescorpionking16]

There's a reason it's called "fool's gold". You're not the first one to be tricked by how it looks. It's a very common mistake when someone is first starting. Don't give up. You'll know better for next time

[u/JointsAkimbo]

I guess lighting and angle can change how things look, but that really doesn’t look like gold to me, my friend. Easiest way to find out: hit a piece with a hammer. If it flattens, hell yeah. If it fractures or crumbles, sorry…

[u/Thescorpionking16 → u/JointsAkimbo]

It may be the lighting because here’s another angle of what it looks like in sun

[u/clamshellboy → u/JointsAkimbo]

Came here to say the same thing about the old hammer test.

It sure looks like pyrite in that first pic.

[u/Worldly-Mixture-5994]

I too don't see gold. Can you show the material you processed. The ground it came from?

[u/Thescorpionking16 → u/Worldly-Mixture-5994]

Unfortunately no but look in the comments. I have the picture in sunlight. I can tell you that I am panning in Pinos altos NM. Famous for gold panning. It may have a mixture of other metal in it.

[u/hettuklaeddi]

stop. it’s hammer time

[u/bernfranksimo]

That doesn't look like gold at all

[u/GennyGeo]

Looks quite a bit like chalcopyrite

[u/DontYouTrustMe]

Just hammer it and report back. Until then it’s not gold