Bits of high karat placer gold adorn this statement ring.
The origin of the placer gold granules in this ring is North Carolina and the karat ranges from 20 to 24. Placer gold is frequently found in alluvial deposits—deposits of sand and gravel in modern or ancient stream beds, or occasionally glacial deposits. The metal, having been moved by stream flow from an original source such as a vein, is typically only a minuscule portion of the total deposit. Since gold is considerably more dense than sand, the granules tend to accumulate at the base of placer deposits. Panning is the most common method of separating the gold bits from the sand.