GOLD NUGGET

Victoria, Australia
RF Analysis: Gold: 992/-, Silver 4/-,PT 0,45/-
1 647 g
16.8 × 8.8 cm

Certificate:
Frank-J. Schupp, Pforzheim, September 15, 2019

Australia is a continent blessed with some of the best gold in the world and the gold nuggets from there are some of the purest, averaging above 95 percent pure gold. These nuggets have a tremendous amount of character and intricate shapes. The main reason is that Australian gold nuggets tend not to be found in riverbeds, thus they have escaped the fate of becoming polished and river-worn.

Gold nuggets have been found nationwide in Australia, but were particularly abundant in the south-eastern state of Victoria, which was also the source of the world’s largest nugget, the 'Welcome Stranger'.

Since the first gold rushes in the 1850s, major nuggets have always been big news, and they spurred a Victorian gold rush that, by 1910, resulted in the discovery of about 1 200 nuggets, each weighing more than 21.9 oz (620 g).

This specimen features the sharp and faceted shapes and high purity that make Australian gold a big favourite among collectors – and its distinct look makes it a relative of the Latrobe Nugget, which is one of the largest clusters of cubic gold crystals in the world.

18th century author Antoine Rivarol summed up the appeal of gold better than most in writing: 'Gold like the sun, which melts wax, but hardens clay, expands great souls'.