A love struck Scot proposed to his girlfriend with a very special ring indeed.
Theage.com.au reports that John Greenwood had the ring made from gold he found while panning in the Scottish Highlands.
Mr Greenwood only took up the hobby 18 months ago but claims that his “Midas touch” helped him find 34 grams of the precious metal in just three months.
He had the ring made into a stunning beautiful engagement ring which was then set with three exquisite diamonds. His girlfriend, Morag Shearer of course said yes when he proposed at Christmas this year.
Gold fetches a very high price right now because of external economic and political factors that influence demand for the glittering metal. This put Mr Greenwood in a very good position when he found his 34 grams.
Finding the gold
Mr Greenwood simply used a gold pan and other tools such as a trowel to find his treasure, often spending hours in water below freezing temperature.
He says: ''I've been incredibly lucky to find so much gold to make a ring but I was out there every weekend and in the evenings before it got dark, in freezing cold water”
''I've actually got so much left over I am holding it back to make our wedding rings.''
An increased appetite for gold
Gold is much more in demand at the moment because of the worldwide recession. As a result of this, panning and gold prospecting has really taken off again.
With the news that Scotgold will be opening mainland UK’s first working gold mine, it seems that the increased interest in the precious metal is now official.
People are also selling their old gold more than ever before as well, the trick is to strike while the iron is hot and sell gold while prices are high. Now, the market has been very volatile of late but prices are still high enough for anyone selling gold to make a tidy profit.
Anyone looking to sell gold jewellery or even bullion should take this market volatility into account.
With this in mind, we imagine Mr Greenwood will be looking to continue his lucky streak and panning for more gold in the rolling hills of the Scottish Highlands.
We wish him the best of luck.
Find out how to sell gold for cash by having a look at some of the information on our site!
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