What Is Gold Panning? Pan Gold for Ethical Wedding Rings

Our jewellery business would not be the thriving family-run company without the passion within and behind it. We are so proud to demonstrate that our family have spent the last 30 years developing superior gold panning techniques.

At Jacqueline & Edward it’s our firm belief is that any ring is instantly made even more special as becomes a historical story upon your finger. What’s a bigger fairytale story than a special gold panning adventure in the wilds of Scotland – resulting in your personal gold grains which can be melted into the alloy of your handmade ethical wedding jewellery and rings.

Unusual Wedding Ideas Yorkshire, Ireland and Scotland

Join us for a gold-panning experience. The gold that you pan is kept and foirged together with your choice of materials for your ethical wedding rings and other jewellery. Our handmade rings are forged here in Yorkshire and we have a vast client base worldwide, but not everyone can make it here to the UK for a special and unique, unusual wedding experience. We have 2 packages to choose from: groups of up to 8 people or a tailord and bespoke gold panning experience.

What’s the science behind gold panning? It’s a method of separating the heavier minerals and metals. such as galena, hematite and gold from the lighter rocks such as limestone, sandstone and siltstone by using a gold pan. This is possible because gold is very dense. To put this into perspective, gold has a density of 19.3 g/cm3 and lighter rocks (your typical river gravel) in the region of 2-3 g/cm3 (depending on the type of rock). Water, in comparison, has a density of 1g/cm3. This means that when river gravel, gold and heavy minerals are agitated in a gold pan under the water, the heavy minerals and gold work their way to the bottom, allowing the lighter minerals to be skimmed off the top using a sweeping motion with the pan. Eventually…voila…you are left with just the gold and heavy minerals in the bottom of your pan – that and a big smile.

Unique Outdoor Wedding Experience Yorkshire and UK Gold Panning

How popular is panning for gold? Gold panning is still a thriving, albeit little known, art used both recreationally and professionally across the UK and worldwide. Whilst it provides a source of enjoyment for the amateur geologist or enthusiast, it is still used professionally during the process of mineral exploration to collect river samples and prove potential deposits of gold and other minerals. We are so proud to have learned some very nighe skills ; from reading a river and mastering more efficient and ecologically friendly ways of working, whilst also honing our skills with a gold pan. It was our love for gold and gold panning which led us to creating beautiful and sustainable jewellery – and we’d love to share it with you.

Ethical and Unique Wedding Gift Ideas for Bride and Groom

What does it mean for our family? For Mark, it represents a freedom from the tangles of our increasingly technologically reliant society and a chance to spend more time in nature. It brings good memories of times past during his childhood, connects with his spirit for adventure and most importantly, it provides a mechanism to keep his gold fever under control.

At Jacqueline & Edward, we are proud to gift some of the gold from our family collection within our handmade ethical gold wedding rings and will forever continue to head out into the Great British countryside for our own pleasure.

Gold panning is experiencing something of a resurgence, with The Telegraph delving into the subject here. “For the duration of recorded history, gold has driven men to madness.” states the piece. “It has driven them to distraction and rage and war. More recently, it has driven people to spend rainy days knee-deep in Scottish streams, sifting through bucket after bucket of wet grey gravel.”

Alluvial River Gold UK Sustainable Materials – Handmade in our Yorkshire Forge

For Mark here at Jacqueline & Edward, his love for the hobby – and for spending rainy days knee-deep in streams – is as strong as ever. Working with alluvial river gold, collected from nature throughout the UK and beyond, he uses sustainable materials and ships the company’s rings worldwide.

What’s the reality of this kind of unique, ethical wedding experience? Gold panning, of course, isn’t for everyone as Mark’s wife Jacqueline found out whilst bracing herself against sideways snow finding gold to contribute to their wedding rings. Whilst she would not quit until gold was sparkling at the bottom of her pan, it is fair to say she won’t be found knee deep in a river with Mark at every opportunity. She is however, the beating heart of many other parts of the business. Ronnie on the other hand – the couple’s dog, loves nothing more than to accompany Mark on his adventures and has become the shadow at his side in the wilderness.

Pan Your Own Rings with Us

Such is our passion for gold panning that we’ve extended our offering here at Jacqueline & Edward, to ensure couples like you can experience the tradition for themselves. By joining us on a unique adventure in the stunning wilderness of Scotland – either alone or with your partner, on your own or as part of a larger group – you can learn the skills you need to pan some of the gold for your own rings.

Our customers, past and present, are thrilled with the opportunity to become so involved with finding some of the gold used to make their gold wedding jewellery. Luke, from London, says he and his partner were keen to find sustainable wedding rings – and after an Internet search, found our website.

Making Memories

Luke says: “Mark works with panned gold which really excited us, being Londoners, we had no idea you could find gold in rivers and immediately started to plan a gold hunting trip.
“Mark was amazing and very well organised, and it wasn’t long until we met him at a secret location up in Scotland. He brought all the equipment, kindly lent us a pair of waders and even brought some lunch, which we ate in a beautiful location by the bank of a river.”

David and Liz from Cheltenham loved the experience, too. They said: “A wedding day is a day full of memories and whilst the rings are of course a part of that, working with Mark, panning on a cold dreich, snowy day in the Highlands, earning a little of our rings, is an extra memory that will be with us for a long time. Something you can’t put a price on. “

Want to know more about panning for your own gold or to book an adventure of your own? Get in touch with the team at Jacqueline and Edward today and we’ll let you know how you can get involved too or read more about a gold panning adventure day and book your trip online here.