Many things come to mind when thinking about precious metals: jewelry, mining, currency, investments, and an often-romanticized favorite: treasure. Some treasures have been lost for hundreds of years. Others are lost every day – most commonly on the beach.
Millions of people visit beaches every year, and it’s very easy to lose your valuables if you’re not careful. Swimming in a rough ocean with sunscreen covered hands is a notoriously easy way to lose rings, bracelets, or even watches. Back on the beach, a little wind on the swirling sand can make dropped coins or jewelry vanish quickly.
Enter modern-day treasure hunters or beachcombers. Beachcombers will often take into account several factors before embarking on a treasure hunt. For example, summer is considered to be a good season because beaches get crowded with more people losing more things. However, searching just after a round of winter storms is also good because the wind and rain have moved most of the sand, making treasure easier to find. But, beachcombing is not all glitz and glamour. Metal detectors will give readings for more than just precious metals. Calibrating a detector to reject readings for bits of iron or other metal without causing it to skip over gold rings can be tricky. In many cases, a beachcomber might be finding more trash than treasure.
It can be a bit of a gamble to purchase a metal detector and start beachcombing. It’s not something you should quit your day job for. But, it is a fun hobby that gets you outdoors, and if you’re lucky, you might find a gold ring or two.
