I have been collecting precious and semi-precious gemstones for many years, now. Sadly, a lack of judgement (and too much trust) has caused me to lose about a third of my collection, my more valuable stones. They were neither valued nor insured. My bad. But on the other hand, the insurers would not have paid out for stupidity, anyway.
That same level of too much trust has also cost me a ruby ring, at the time one of my most prized possessions. Grrr....
In plain language, that means that if I ever want decent bling again, I'll have to start collecting stones and pieces of gold all over again, have the jewelry made up as soon as I can and then have the pieces properly appraised, insured and locked away.
If God is willing and everything works out right, I plan to move down to the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast during the course of 2020, or early in 2021. One of the first purchases that I plan to make after I've secured a proper place to stay and develop, is a decent beach gold metal detector. And if you wonder why I'm so specific, there's a good reason for it.
Salt (the stuff we put on food and one of the elements in sea water) is made up of two ions, Sodium and Chlorine. Sodium is part of the Alkali Metals group and per definition would trigger a "land" metal detector, causing it to beep uncontrollably. Salt water beach metal detectors are configured to ignore sodium.
The reason why I specifically want a GOLD metal detector, is because I don't want to waste time and energy digging up fishing tackle and pull tabs. If I find some in the process, it's good. But - more importantly - gold metal detectors are designed to catch small pieces of gold, such as earrings, that other metal detectors might miss.
I'm looking at this machine, from KellyCo Metal detectors in the USA. The reason why I'm importing it myself, rather than buying it locally, is because at KellyCo I can purchase the necessary accessories as well. If I buy the machine here, I still need to find a set of waterproof earphones and a good scoop. It all adds up in shipping, so it's better to buy everything once and for all. As it is, I will pay just over $1000 to have the whole kit bought and delivered. That said, hopefully the first few finds make up for the expense and after that, it should be an asset (a machine that makes me money, not costs me money) in my hands. The extra income stream would be nice, especially if it means that I can fund my projects without having to look for a salary.
That's also my main goal. I'd like to have an income, but not be at the whim of an employer. Working for the local government and being shunted around from one position to the other has gotten old long ago. No burocrats. Thank you, kindly, Sir. I can't imagine the private sector to be much better. Better to fly solo, then, methinks, and generate my own income wherever I can do so legally and ethically.
And if that means I can have some serious bling on my fingers again, then all the better!