Largest gold nugget in Britain worth £80,000 found in Scottish river as expert reveals people are taking up hunting after watching Youtube clips
The largest gold nugget in Britain has been found in a Scottish river, as experts reveal that members of the public are taking up hunting after watching YouTube clips.
The diver, who wishes to remain anonymous, discovered the £80,000 "doughnut-shaped" nugget using a method called "sniping", in which a prospector uses a snorkel and hand tools to scan the riverbed for treasures.
The 22-carat lump, found in two separate pieces ten minutes apart in an undisclosed river in May, weighed a total of 121.3 g.
It earned the name of the Reunion Nugget after the two lumps- weighing 89.6g and 31.7g each- perfectly fitted together, leaving a small hole in the middle.
The specific location of the discovery is being closely guarded amid fears that its revelation could lead to Scotland’s biggest gold rush in years.
Experts have reported an increase in enthusiasts taking up the hobby after watching videos of others mining for gold on online platforms such as YouTube.
It is estimated that there are around 50,000 rivers in Scotland, with many unexplored because they are so difficult to reach by car or train.
Leon Kirk, from Gold Planning Supplies UK, told The Telegraph that many of these river beds are "jumping" with valuable gold for those with the means to access them.
He said: "The chances are that the gold was found in the Highlands as they are mostly virgin rivers that no one has been to. People are getting into the hobby and using new technology and methods like 'sniping' to get 20/20 vision under the water- this is the way of finding the big stuff. They are always more people who try and come into the hobby for the fast buck. People look at gold and its worth, but most miss the point of the lifestyle.
"There is more gold up North now. There are around 50,000 rivers in Scotland and very few have been looked at so far. Scotland's terrain is very hostile and difficult to get too because there often aren't any roads. This means there are Scottish rivers jumping with gold but no one can get to them unless they have helicopters."
The finding comes just over a year after the previous record was broken, again in Scotland, with an 85.7g finding called the Douglas Nugget.
Dr Neil Clark, author of Scottish Gold: Fruit Of The Nation, said of last year’s record breaker that “the size of the nugget suggests that it probably did not travel far”, predicting that there was more gold to be found nearby.
In 2015, a £10,000 nugget, which weighed approximately 18 grams, was found near Wanlockhead, in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
Under current law, gold and silver are classed as Mines Royal, meaning that in most cases they belong to the Crown.
Permission from the Crown Estate is required to take away any gold that is found, regardless of the method used to find it.
