Featured Another dilemma Navajo Belt buckle gold nuggets

Hiya all,

I picked this up today, sterling and gold nuggets. The gold portion is apprx 1/8" thick x 1" x 1". Now it does have a cartouche below the Sterling mark but is indistinguishable. The gold rough calculation is 1/8 a cubic inch. 10.13 troy ounces in a cubic inch. So by my calculations 39.38 grams probably give or take a few grams.
What would you do with it?

 

I'd wear it!

 

Give that beauty a good scrub up and I bet itll sparkle. I wouldnt scrap it,if thats what you are asking !

 

Has $3k in gold and I paid $300...like I said a dilemma lol

 

Too big and not my style lol

 

took the words right out of my mouth....................

now, I've heard that nuggets are not always the gold karat that they seem to be.....so if yer gonna scrap it.....it needs to be tested...

 

I tested it but only have 22k acid, holding strong.

 

that's a good sign..

 

Sell it as is. I think it’s gonna be hard to convince someone else it has the amount of gold in it that you think it does. However, gold nugget jewelry is massively sought after. Navajo jewelry/buckles are obviously sought after as well. I’d slap a crazy high price on it and be patient. Someone will pay a great price eventually. A collector somewhere with deep pockets is going to need to have this at some point. Great find!

 

I wonder what's holding all those nuggets together.....?

 

That is great advice, just wish I could find the maker.

 

Good question! Maybe somebody would like to answer that.

 

there looks to be a darkish substance all the way around the inside edge.....

resin...glue..... pitch.... vinyl ..?

 

these are more spaced and look to be soldered in place....???

 

a more bunched up smaller nugget buckle.......and the outside rope edge seems to be disturbed at several points........ again..... heat ????

 

That one was on antique roadshow.

 

so soldered would be correct !!
for this one, at least ......

 

I wonder if it’s possible that someone just took a simple preexisting buckle and applied the nuggets and border? Maybe a miner wearing his trusty Navajo buckle hit a ripe creek with his pan and then wanted to show off so brought the buckle and a handful of nuggets to the local jeweler? Unless there’s a known history of Navajo smiths doing gold nugget work something like that could be possible.

 

Lol I wish