What is the biggest gold nugget ever found?Ĭhoosing the 5 biggest gold nuggets is more difficult than might first be imagined. The most common impurities in nuggets are silver and copper but, if high enough amounts are present, the nugget will then be considered as Electrum. Gold nuggets are usually of around 80% to 90% purity and those of higher fineness will have a richer, deeper gold colour.

Nuggets that are removed from lodes directly, by careful mining, are usually still crystalline in nature, and often contain quartz or other lode matrix materials. Gold nuggets that have been eroded will typically exhibit smoother edges as evidence of their exposure to water. This happens by one of two methods erosion or mining. The weight, the unique shine and – of course – the high value, all make finding a big gold nugget a once-in-a-lifetime moment, and it is that windfall or lottery moment that makes these gold finds so interesting.Ī gold nugget is a fragment of gold that has been removed from its original lode. The idea of finding a lump of the dense precious metal is the dream of many prospectors. The discovery of one of the world’s biggest gold nuggets always sends shockwaves of excitement throughout the mining world, but it entices the general public too.

Gold nugget wendover