Gold

specimen number:
2063197

location:
Ballarat, Victoria, Australia

description:
A loose bright attractive razor-sharp single crystal of native gold. In perfect condition. This weighs 0.83 g. The specimen comes with a previous label from the collection of Ray DeMark. His label notes that originally this was from 1915 and had come with a label from a. E. Foote Company. The label notes that this old label has since been lost.

Ballarat, located in Victoria, Australia, sits upon rich quartz-veined Palaeozoic slate and sandstone beds that trap abundant native gold. The local geology features both shallow alluvial deposits along ancient river channels and complex underground quartz reefs. Following the initial discovery of gold in 1851, Ballarat became the center of a massive international gold rush, transforming from a quiet region into one of the world's most productive mining districts. Early miners extracted gold using simple pans and cradles, but as surface gold depleted, operations shifted toward deep-shaft underground reef mining. Today, Ballarat remains famous for historic specimen collecting, producing extraordinary coarse nuggets alongside deep-reef gold, while modern underground mining and heritage tourism continue to honor its rich legacy.

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