By Michael Bernzweig
A relatively overlooked area of treasure hunting includes searching for precious and semi-precious stones (including diamonds!) Diamonds are naturally occurring gemstones involving the metamorphosis of coal. Often, people will ask where they can be found. In nature, diamonds are found in areas where there have been volcanic activity or erosion and where natural elements such as streams, rivers or glaciers might have taken them. A raw diamond is an inconspicuous looking rock. It doesn’t at all look like the cut and polished version, so an inexperienced gem-hunter can easily overlook these precious stones. Diamonds in nature appear in a variety of shapes and sizes—many are small. The most productive diamond mines in the world are located in South Africa, but raw diamonds can be found throughout the world and in many of the fifty United States. A few small diamond mines were once operated in the U.S., but they have long been abandoned due to low production. A park in Arkansas, called the Crater of Diamond State (once a diamond mine), allows visitors to dig for a diamonds for a fee. Many small diamonds and the occasional valuable specimen have been found. However, no metal detectors are permitted in the park.
Can a Metal Detector be Useful for Finding Diamonds & Gemstones?
This leads to an important point: metal detectors will not detect non metal items such as gemstones, diamonds and pearls. What a metal detector can do is lead you to indicator minerals, which are used by prospectors. Prospectors follow the indicator trail back to gold or the volcanic pipe which may contain diamonds. Interestingly, some of the same indicator minerals for gold are also indicators for diamonds. Among the most common indicator minerals for diamonds are chromium garnets, glassy green olivine, black picroilmenite, and magnetite. Garnet and magnetite are both good indicators for gold. So, if you find gold, there may be a diamond rock nearby. Also, pure crystals of garnet are valuable gemstones. Garnet varieties occur in shades of green, red, yellow, and orange.
If you are interested in prospecting for raw diamonds and naturally occurring gold, a gold metal detector is specifically designed for this purpose. Gold-hunting detectors have a higher operating frequency than all-purpose metal detectors, with greater sensitivity to small gold nuggets. They also feature advanced detection depth and high functionality in mineralized soil—all qualities you will rely on when spending hours in the field.
Another Approach for Locating Diamonds & Gemstones
If you decide that you would like to become a diamond-hunter, your chances of success may be greater by taking a different tact. For treasure hunters, the chances of finding a cut diamond that is on a ring or jewelry are far greater than finding a raw specimen in an alluvial deposit. Reports say that there are thousands of diamond rings, watches and jewelry lost every year. Other gem stones attached to bracelets, necklaces and earrings await the treasure hunter, as well. According to statistics, for every person that loses a diamond ring, there are thirty more that lose other gemstones.
Beaches, golf courses, outdoor concert venues and outdoor restaurants and pavilions are ideal places to search for lost and missing jewelry. The same types of detectors that are adept at finding gold are also excellent for finding lost jewelry. It is also important to note that a great majority of jewelry is made of silver, platinum and copper, so quality multi purpose metal detectors will locate these treasures quite readily, too. Here are our top-selling gold-hunting metal detectors in a range of prices.
Deep-Seeking Detectors
Are you looking for a large quantity of buried gold coins or gold bullion? If this is the case, then what you are looking for is a Two Box or Deep Seeking Metal detector like one of the following:
Entry-Level Deep-Seeking Detectors
- Fisher Gemini 3 Metal Detector
Mid-Level Deep-Seeking Detectors
- Garrett GTI 2500 Metal Detector
- Detech SSP 5100 Deep Seeking Metal Detector System
High-End Deep-Seeking Detectors
- Makro New JeoHunter Deep-Seeking 3D Dual System
- Makro deephunter Pro Metal Detector System
- Garrett ATX Deepseeker Package
- Groundtech EVO 3D Stealth Ground Scanning Detector
Top Deep Seeking Metal Detectors:
- Groundtech Discovery SM Smart 3D Ground Scanning Detector(Top Pick)
- Groundtech Discovery SMR Smart 3D Ground Scanning Detector + Resisitivity(Top Pick)
- Nokta Makro Invenio Pro Pack Smart Metal Detector and 3D Imaging System
- Nokta Makro Invenio Standard Pack Smart Metal Detector and 3D Imaging System
Diamonds, gemstones and gold are not as elusive as you may think. With a quality metal detector, you can build a collection of precious minerals or sell them to finance things on your wish list. Just ask other treasure hunters or read metal detecting forums—there are diamonds and precious gold waiting for a hobbyist with passion and perseverance. As inspirational, check out a story on our “My Finds” page: Two Months In and I Found a Diamond Ring! After purchasing that metal detector you’ve been yearning for, maybe you’ll have an exciting detecting story of your own to share!
© 2014 Detector Electronics Corp. Revised November 2021
