For my wife and I, gold in quartz is worth more than it’s monetary value. It is truly great to convert this unusual material into jewelry and eventually dollars, however there is more excitement in between.

I began prospecting for "Hygrade" (gold/quartz) in 1987 with a surprising success. This hobby turned business has been a slow evolution. "O.K., I have lots of rocks with gold shot throughout. What now?" I enrolled my girl friend (now wife) and myself in a lapidary class. For almost thirty years since then, I have accumulated many saws for cutting and the necessary equipment and tools for casting and creating jewelry.

But this is not the only excitement. The real "charge" is found within: The memories of countless trips with my wife and dogs to lands familiar and foreign, unearthing gifts of God. The anticipation of the metal detectors signal. The moonlight gold hunts. The hundreds of sunrises and sunsets, which act as a catalyst releasing fragrances of soil and grass. Also, the eagles, coyotes, mountain lions and snakes all make the adventure beyond the limits of words. We have a passion for the hills and it’s inhabitants. Capturing the rich, warm, glowing gold in a quartz matrix is a bonus.

There is a cycle of completeness which starts when digging up a rock and washing it off to expose the outside beauty. Next, cutting slabs of quartz with a diamond saw reveals the complex random veins of gold. This is followed by shaping and polishing a gemstone, changing the gold pattern again. Lastly, the beauty of gold quartz is enhanced with design and processed gold to compliment natural elements into a piece of jewelry. The cycle continues as another rock is found.

One is not limited to the choice of gold quartz to be acquired. Gold quartz is found in a variety of vein configurations and quartz coloration. There are many shades and depths of white quartz from translucent to opaque. Orange, red, black, grey and clear quartz are available yet more scarce. Others have dashes of mariposite, galena, silver and pyrite.

This unique form of natural gold is a piece of western/geologic history as well as an investment. As an exhaustible resource limited to availability, gold quartz will only increase in value, is cherished in it’s use and passed on as an heirloom.