“Heart of Alaska” Pendant

This “Heart of Alaska” natural heart shaped gold nugget was found in the mining area of Chicken, near the Canadian border. The old timers wanted to call it Ptarmigan, but nobody new how to spell that so they decided on “Chicken”. People have been mining in this area for over 100 years. When we are lucky enough to find an interesting shape like this, we like to design something very special. This “Heart of Alaska” 3.3 dwt. nugget is mounted in a custom frame made of 18 karat yellow gold with a total weight of .46 carats of natural diamonds. It is about 1 1/4″ tall.

Gold Nugget Information:

Formation of Gold Nuggets: Geological processes deep within the Earth’s crust form gold nuggets. Miners typically find gold nuggets in quartz veins or other mineral deposits. Over time, weathering and erosion can break these deposits apart, releasing gold particles and nuggets into rivers and streams. Each piece is one of a kind with no two being exactly alike.

Where to Find Gold Nuggets: Regions with a history of gold mining, such as Alaska, California, Canada, and Australia, can produce gold nuggets. Wherever the effects of erosion took place. That would include rivers, streams, ancient dried up river channels and underground riverbeds. They call this type of gold placer gold.

Equipment and Tools: From gold pans and suction dredges that act like an underwater vacuum cleaner, to heavy equipment loading dirt and gravel into large trommels and sluice boxes, people search for gold. Additionally, metal detectors are particularly useful for locating gold nuggets hidden underground.

Identifying Gold Nuggets: Gold nuggets vary in size, shape, and purity. They can be small flakes or large, irregularly shaped pieces. Natural gold is bright yellow and heavy, so gold nuggets are usually much heavier than other similarly sized rocks. They may also have quartz or other minerals attached, as gold often forms in association with other minerals. In fact, natural Alaskan gold is typically 75% to 95% pure, or 18k to 22k.