Microscope pictures?

[IDAu]

Does anyone have some pictures of their completed assay beads they can show me under magnification? I'd like to get an idea what different gold content and weights look like.

I can't afford an analytical scale, and I'm struggling to part tiny beads. Best I'm able to do is measure them.


Sorry for the horrible pictures. I'm just wondering if this looks correct. My beads don't appear smooth or round like I expected. Under one light, it looks silver. Under another, it looks really gold.

Without a proper expensive scale, all i can confirm is...there is something in it. How much of what I have no idea but it looks like it may be gold?

 

[IDAu]

Ok I'm wondering if I have rhodium. From Bob Boykos video on PGM indications for rhodium- "Distinct crystallization, having the appearance of a cut gem."

It's hard to tell but you can kind of see it in picture two. It has strange looking fracture lines and angular sections in the bead. I tried flattening it with a hammer and I barely flattened it at all after a couple dozen blows.

Here is a picture of a previous bead I got showing the weird fracture lines

 

[Yggdrasil]

Ok I'm wondering if I have rhodium. From Bob Boykos video on PGM indications for rhodium- "Distinct crystallization, having the appearance of a cut gem."

It's hard to tell but you can kind of see it in picture two. It has strange looking fracture lines and angular sections in the bead. I tried flattening it with a hammer and I barely flattened it at all after a couple dozen blows.

I think something is off with your cupelling.
The bead should always be a round bead.
If there are PGMs the surface can/will be rough.
At least this is my understanding.

 

[IDAu]

I think something is off with your cupelling.
The bead should always be a round bead.
If there are PGMs the surface can/will be rough.
At least this is my understanding.

I broke down and got a front loading electric furnace. It cupelled a 30g button in just over 30 mins. What could be going wrong? If it was left over lead I'd imagine it would have hammered flat easily like gold.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I broke down and got a front loading electric furnace. It cupelled a 30g button in just over 30 mins. What could be going wrong? If it was left over lead I'd imagine it would have hammered flat easily like gold.

Lets wait and see what the others say.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I broke down and got a front loading electric furnace. It cupelled a 30g button in just over 30 mins. What could be going wrong? If it was left over lead I'd imagine it would have hammered flat easily like gold.

How is the mining history in the region?

 

[IDAu]

How is the mining history in the region?

I can't find any occurrences of Rhodium in Idaho on Google, but I can in Montana. Anecdotally I heard from a miner over the summer to keep an eye out for it because some spots have it.

Lots of gold and silver mines. This came out of the becciated material from my mine I posted a few weeks back.

 

[Yggdrasil]

I can't find any occurrences of Rhodium in Idaho on Google, but I can in Montana. Anecdotally I heard from a miner over the summer to keep an eye out for it because some spots have it.

Lots of gold and silver mines. This came out of the becciated material from my mine I posted a few weeks back.

What has been mined in the district historically?

 

[IDAu]

What has been mined in the district historically?

Gold and silver in the immediate area.

 

[Yggdrasil]

Gold and silver in the immediate area.

Do you have the posibility to get an ICP or XRF of the beads?

 

[IDAu]

Do you have the posibility to get an ICP or XRF of the beads?

Yes, but nearly every thread I read on here talks about XRF being inaccurate for Rh.

I'm not sure if such a tiny bead could be scanned? When I had my refined gold checked he had to roll it into a pretty big sheet.

 

[IDAu]

Whatever's going on is weird. After a couple of hours under nitric the surface of the metal has become very shiny and crystalline(between the cupel gunk). I need to find a way to get better pictures....

 

[Yggdrasil]

Yes, but nearly every thread I read on here talks about XRF being inaccurate for Rh.

I'm not sure if such a tiny bead could be scanned? When I had my refined gold checked he had to roll it into a pretty big sheet.

For ores that is true.
But the bead after cupelling is/should be metal.

Did the cupelling go to the end?
All the stages was recorded/observed?

 

[IDAu]

For ores that is true.
But the bead after cupelling is/should be metal.

Did the cupelling go to the end?
All the stages was recorded/observed?

Yes. I swear I saw it blick, but it was brighter than expected. Not sure if maybe it was some other tiny particle of something that quickly combusted. I left it in an extra 10 minutes after I was pretty sure it was done. It didn’t get any smaller.

Cupel looks much cleaner than my last few attempts

 

[Yggdrasil]

I just confered to Bugbee.
And according to him all PGMs except Pd will prevent the flashing of the bead.
They will however all create distinctive surface effects like a frosting.
So a shiny bead means no PGMs.

I'm puzzled by the Sulfur like spots on your bead. It seem too yellow for Gold.

Edit to add: Maybe it is the microscope lighting.

 

[IDAu]

Disregard. It helps if you dilute your nitric acid. Instant reaction and began getting chewed up.

 

[Martijn]

Ok I'm wondering if I have rhodium. From Bob Boykos video on PGM indications for rhodium- "Distinct crystallization, having the appearance of a cut gem."

It's hard to tell but you can kind of see it in picture two. It has strange looking fracture lines and angular sections in the bead. I tried flattening it with a hammer and I barely flattened it at all after a couple dozen blows.

Here is a picture of a previous bead I got showing the weird fracture linesView attachment 66955

That looks like lead oxide on an incompletely cupelled bead to me.
If there are PGM's in there the bead will solidify before all the lead is cupelled off. Adding a bit of silver lowers the melting point and will leave you with a clean silver & PGM button without lead.
The first picture looks like it did not melt enough or has some flux on it.

 

[Martijn]

Looking at the first picture again, i'm thinking litharge on a silvery bead. Give it a wash in HCl if it cleans up.

 

[IDAu]

Looking at the first picture again, i'm thinking litharge on a silvery bead. Give it a wash in HCl if it cleans up.

Would the litharge be on there because PGM‘s froze up before finishing?

After a couple hours in dilute nitric acid, it’s a hollow skeleton of the bead. What am I doing wrong here leaving it in the furnace longer does not seem to do anything

 

[Yggdrasil]

Would the litharge be on there because PGM‘s froze up before finishing?

After a couple hours in dilute nitric acid, it’s a hollow skeleton of the bead. What am I doing wrong here leaving it in the furnace longer does not seem to do anything View attachment 66981

If it freezes, its too late.
At this stage it is important to babysit it.