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Two sizes to choose from, 1 1/8" or 1 1/2", and only $0.25 a pop! White are no longer available, but the black looks sharper anyway. Stock up on gem jars today. Tell your friends.   In other news, we are back in stock on all mining claim signs and corner markers. Our apologies for the delay in getting them restocked!

This winter and spring have been wet, but not slow and steady wet. Atmospheric rivers have come through dumping downpours, especially in California's gold country. We've caught the edges of the storms here in southern Oregon, but California bore the brunt. Heavy rains, all at once, are terrible in some senses with flooding, mudslides, and other problems, but the west is also in the midst of a 1000-year draught, so the rain and added snowpack are also welcome. For gold prospectors, the rain also means a re-seeding of the streams. Gold moves in high water, especially the kind of torrential onslaught brought to...

How Sluice Boxes Work Running a sluice box is one of my favorite methods of prospecting. With relatively little equipment to pack in, a prospector can move a lot of material and develop a good amount of concentrates in a day. Sluices also have the advantage of being hand fed, non-powered equipment, so no gas to pack, no smoke to inhale and no noise to spoil a quiet afternoon on the stream, plus the added advantage of far fewer regulations. Powered equipment is fun too, but nothing beats a sluice box for production in lightweight, hand-fed equipment. To understand how...