Metal Detecting Perth’s Swan River
18 CT Ladies Gold and Diamond Ring - Swan River Metal Detecting Find
Recently I have not had much time to do any metal detecting, as my partner and I have just bought a Post Office and News Agency in my rural town in the Great Southern of Western Australia, Dumbleyung. We have been very busy doing some training courses in Perth.
Swan River Metal Detecting Finds
But last week I found the time whilst I was in Perth to head down to the Swan River for a few hours to do a bit of treasure hunting on the sandy banks of the Swan River.
Mens Silver Ring as I found it
I decided to find a new metal detecting spot, so I had a look through my Street Directory and I found a nice little spot where there would be a good chance to find some rings, relics and coins, an area which has been well used by people for the last 100 years or more.
I have uploaded photos of what I found that day and evening, and also before and after photos after I have cleaned my finds, such as the Silver Ring above and below.
Mens Silver Ring - after Electrolsys Cleaning
The place when I went metal detecting, was Clarkson Reserve on the Maylands Foreshore.
When I was there, I met a curious lady who asked me what I was doing. Her name was Jenny Seaton, a media, radio and television personality who currently has her own program on Curtin FM a radio station broadcasting in the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia.
Beautiful Art Deco Broach
So today she is going to interview me on the radio, so thats a bit exciting and a first for me.
I told Jenny I would post photos of the items I found that night for her listeners to look at.
I found some great items, especially the Ladies 18ct Gold and Diamond Ring, which I found in about 3 foot of water. And also the Mens Silver Wave Ring which was in about the same depth.
So here is what I found on the evening I met Jenny on the Swan.
If your interested in seeing what I have recently found, please go to my other website Metal Detecting Photos or just click on the links below.
Favourite Finds
- 18 CT Ladies Gold and Diamond Ring
- Mens Silver Wave Ring
- Gold Chain
- Silver Chain with Silver Love Heart Pendant
- Ladies Hair or Chest Broach
- Beautiful Silver Hair Broach – Found buried under Grass
- Beautiful Brass Art Deco Broach – Found under Paperbark Tree
- WW2 Anti Aircraft Bullet Shell Base Marking – FA 41 – Very Unusual Find on the Swan River
Other Finds
- 1945 Australian Penny
- 1945 Australian Penny
- Corroded Australian Penny (Date Unknown)
- Corroded Australian Penny (Date Unknown)
- 1927 Silver Three Pence
- 1910 Silver Three Pence
- 1953 Silver Three Pence
- 1956 Silver Three Pence
- Silver Six Pence – Date Unknown
- Around $20 in Australian Coins
- Heaps of Fishing Sinkers
- Very Old Toy Car – 1940’s
Have you lost your Ring or any Gold, Silver Item of Value?
If you have lost any Jewellery or Rings recently at any Perth Beaches, Swan River, Parks, Playgrounds or at your home in the garden, please get in quick and book me to hopefully find your Lost Jewellery
If I can’t help you, I’ll find someone who can, I have some good metal detecting contacts who have helped me in the past.
How much do I charge?
I charge nothing at all to search for your lost item, but my services is based on a reward only if found basis that is, if I find your lost ring, jewellery etc, then it is up to you what you’d like to give me as a reward.
A small fuel surcharge may be required depending on the distance I need to travel.
If I don’t find your lost item, then I don’t expect anything.
I do not hire out my metal detectors.
Dolphin Ring – Found Ascot Rowing Club
Dolphin Ring Found Metal Detecting at Ascot Rowing Club - Perth
Did you lose your Dolphin Ring at the Ascot Rowing Club on the Swan River near Perth?
I was metal detecting there last weekend during the night, did not find much apart from the Dolphin Ring which is pictured above.
The ring was found on the banks of the Swan River, probably where the rowers launch their boats, no doubt the ring may of slipped of someones finger as they were bringing there boat to shore.
There was aslo a sandy playground, opposite the Ascot Rowing Club, so I thought I’d give that a try also, found a couple dollars and a couple of K9 Dog Tags, nothing too special. But more money to add to my pirates chest!
Coins and K9 Dog Tags Found Metal Detecting at Ascot Rowing Club - Perth
Beautiful Silver Ring Found
- Beautifully Designed Silver Ring I Found Metal Detecting
When I was metal detecting at the swan river last week, there was a sandy playgound for kids right on the riverbank, the type of playgrounds, with swings, slides, monkey bars and all the other stuff kids like to play on. I thought I’d give the metal detector a bit of a swing there on my way back to the car, because I know that kids playgrounds are a great place to metal detect, because the kids lose money from the pockets, when they are swinging upside down on the monkey bars, their mums lose their rings as they are playing with their kids, jewellery falls off as the kids play rough with their mums and dads… and so much more.
So it proved a lucky day, not only did I find plenty of coins down the river bank, but I found myself this beautiful silver ring, with some tiny stones and one big stone. They are not real diamonds, but I wished they were, because the big stone is huge. I feel that it may be a wedding ring, because the design is so beautiful and intricate, I may be wrong, but nethertheless, it is a beautiful ring, and the photos don’t do it justice. So I’d say a kids Mum lost it as they were catching their small child at the bottom of a slide, because thats where I found the ring … at the bottom of a slide.
Beautifully Designed Silver Ring I Found Metal Detecting
Nice Silver Pearl Ring Found
Beautiful Silver and Pearl Earring - Beach Metal Detecting Find
Click on the photos to bet a better quality image
Once again I found another nice Silver Ring whilst metal detecting on a Beach in Perth.
Looks like it had been in the water for some time due to the discoloration of the ring, I did not find it in the water, but just on the wet sand where the waves were washing onto the shore. I did not spend much time on the beach, it only took me a few minutes to find it, but if I had more time, I am pretty sure I would have found more rings and jewellery, because the water was so calm, and there were good sand washouts where the tide had been, and thats the spots I have had alot of luck find rings whilst metal detecting on beaches.
Anyhow, it’s always great to find a nice ring, I also found around $10 in loose coins.
Can’t wait to hit the beaches again, probably this week, if all works out well!
Beautiful Silver and Pearl Earring - Beach Metal Detecting Find
Beautiful Silver and Pearl Earring - Beach Metal Detecting Find
Before – After Photo – Cleaning a Silver Ring using Electrolysis
The Silver Ring after Electrolysis Cleaning
The other day I wrote a post on finding a Silver Ring ( <- original post) which had been in a Lake with extremely high Salinity and I promised that I would give the ring a good clean and post some before and after photos.
Well I have finally got my act together and taken the photo of the ring after being cleaned.
I mentioned in the original post that I would give the Tumbling machine a workout via cleaning the ring, well I tried that, and it took too long, so I decided that I would clean the ring using my favourite method, and that is the Electrolysis Method.
It is extremely risky when using this method to clean coins, I would not recommend you clean old copper coins with this method, as I have ruined a few by doing it. However it is perfect for cleaning Silver Rings and Silver Coins, basically anything silver, but it is to be used at your own risk.
Silver Ring - Before and After Cleaning using Electrolsis
To get your silver coins and rings nice and clean, basically this is what I use:
-
- 12 Volt Car Battery Charger
- 2 Table Spoons of Salt
- 2 Cups of hot or cold water
- Few squirts or squeezes of lemon juice
- 1 old stainless steel teaspoon (you will never use it again)
1.Place the tablespoons of Salt in a glass or ceramic dish
2. Pour the hot or cold water over the Salt in the dish
3. Ensuring the Battery Recharger is Turned Off attach the Negative Alligator Clip to the Coin or the Ring, place in the water, emmersing all of the ring or the coin.
4. Ensuring the Battery Recharger is Turned Off attach the Positive Alligator Clip to the Stainless Steel Spoon, place the spoon in the water, ensuring that neither of the Alligator Clips touch the opposite clip, or that the ring does not touch the spoon. Dangerous Sparkies!
5. Turn the power on, and then the water surrounding coin or the ring will start bubbling or foaming, there is no real time limit, sometimes it is quick and sometimes it takes a while, however you will notice alot of dirt and grit coming off the coin or the ring and the water will turn a dark brown colour.
6. When your ready, turn the power off and examine the ring or the coin, wash under some water and clean with your fingers or a soft toothbrush under the running water, and then start over again when ready, by adding new water and bicarbonate soda.
7. You will also notice that sometimes your Stainless Steel spoon will actually dissolve, that’s normal, so make sure you use a spoon that you are not attached to.
8. Give the coins or ring a good clean after using a soft polishing clother and some Silvo, or Goddards Cleaning Cream or another good Silver Cleaning product.
Start of the Electrolsyis Cleaning of the Silver Ring
End of the Electrolsyis Cleaning of the Silver Ring
Metal Detecting Withdrawal Symptoms Fixed! Silver Ring Found!
Rusty Ring? No - It is Silver and Silver does not Rust! Before after Photos Coming Soon!
Over the last week I have not had any time to go out Metal Detecting, due to the Easter Holidays and spending time with my family, so yesterday it was time for me to go out bush to go and find some stuff before I went crazy as I was seriously having withdrawal symptoms!
Winter is not too far away and the days are getting shorter, so I left around 4pm with a couple of hours to spare until darkness, I decided that I would go out to my towns local Lake, Lake Dumbleyung and to some hunting for possible lost rings!
Anyhow I arrived there, covered myself in some insect repellant, because the flies are really bad out there and off I went.
A friend of mine Tony from Sydney Metal Detector Services gave me a few metal detecting tips for when searching in salt water and very mineralized conditions. I have a Minelab Etrac Metal Detector and I set the detector into the settings he gave me and off I went.
The section of the Lake I went to is the old Water Ski Club, at the moment the Lake is near on dry, but very muddy around 50 metres from the shoreline. I just basically detected around the ski boat ramp area and where people would swim when the Lake is full of water. I found the usual lot of pull tabs, and then a old silver coin, I think it is an Australian Six Pence, so obviously that coin had been sitting in the water for over 40 years.
Then I got my self I nice tone, and dug around, the soil was like brick hard clay, and after around 10 minutes of digging around, I found myself a ring!
I have attached the photos of the Ring, I think it is a Silver Ring, as you can see, the ring is very tarnished, which is to be expected with a Silver Ring laying in Salty conditions for a long period of time. And the same goes with the Silver Six Pence I found.
I also went for a bit of a walk on the salty flats, I was amazed to find a beautiful old glass coca cola bottle just laying half buried on the Lake, so I presume that bottle had been there for at least 25 to 30 years or more, it is obviously a bit weather worn, but other wise in excellent condition, no cracks no chips.
I love finding Old Bottles, that is another hobbie of mine. See my Old Bottle Collection
The Old Australian Glass Coca Cola Bottle I found on the Lake bed
As I mentioned above and you can see in the photos I have attached, both the Silver Ring and the Silver Six Pence are very tarnished, so much so, that you would not know they are silver.
So I have decided to do another Coin Cleaning and Silver Ring Cleaning experiment.
Currently I have both the coin and the ring, soaking in an ice cream container, which I covered the bottom with some foil, placed the ring and the coin on top of the foil, then put around 4 big table spoons of Bicarbonate Soda on top of the ring and the coin. Then I covered the ring and the coin in about 2 litres of boiling hot water.
I will let that soak for 24 hours, then I am going to clean them up in my Lortone Tumbler using some very fine tumbling grit and watch the tumbling very closely so I do not do any damage to the ring and especially the coin, which could be of value.
My Lortone Coin - Rock and Jewellery Tumblers
So I will keep you up to date and post some before and after cleaning photos of the Silver Coin and Silver Ring.
Anyhow, It was great to get out for a couple of hours yesterday, there is nothing better that going metal detecting, it always clears the mind and makes you feel great.
Tarnished Silver Sixpence - You can just see King Edward VII's head! Before - After Cleaning Pics coming soon!
