The most beautiful thing - my 1st gold.

About a month ago, my many prayers have been answered and it finally happened: I did find my first tiny piece of gold! I had been restlessly panning at my local river all day in the scorching heat and without much success. Then, I decided to pan out some moss that grew on the big stones, as I had read that sometimes, small flakes get caught there. I went through about six pans and in the first pan, I saw it:

It was tiny, half a milimetre maybe - and it didn't look glittery-golden, but yellow. However, it just did not budge. It stayed right there at the side of the pan. I very, very carefully took it out with a brush and put it in a glass vial. As soon, as I looked at it at home under the microscope, I knew that it was gold. It looks so different that everything else I had found before - it looks just like a stereotype nugget, doesn't it? Mind you, though - this image is blown up to 200 times. I did find another piece, even tinier... but I don't mind that. Small or not, it's gold and it's mine. My first piece - after almost a year of no success, but thankfully never giving up. This feels damn good!