The New Gold Rush ; Scots Turn to Panning As Price of Metal Soars

By ALAN SIMPSON

SCOTLAND could be on the verge of a new gold rush after the price of the precious metal hit record levels on world markets.

Gold from Scotland is highly sought after because it is extremely pure at 22 carat and sells for Pounds 282.50 an ounce, three times the global market rate.

The price has prompted a new generation of panners to descend on Scotland’s hills, with the lucky ones making up to Pounds 14,000 a day.

The best spots are around the Birks of Aberfeldy in Perthshire, at Wanlockhead in Dumfriesshire and in the Strath of Kildonan near Helmsdale, Sutherland, where in 1868 Scotland had its own mini-gold rush, complete with shanty settlements.

Over the past few months, panners have been finding sizeable nuggets and selling them to jewellers to meet the soaring demand for items made from local gold.

The price is so high because of the scarcity of Scottish gold it takes several months to find enough to make one wedding ring.

There are no active gold mines in Scotland, so all the gold has to be panned for, which has led to a lengthy wait for customers.

One jeweller has 2,000 Americans on his books keen to buy items made from Scottish gold.

David Milne of Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, who made the wedding ring for Sarah, the wife of Liberal Democrat leader Charles Kennedy, said he had ‘an endless’ waiting list of people wanting wedding rings from Scottish gold.

He said: ‘Apart from the 2,000 Americans, there are tens of thousands of people out there who want Scottish gold.

‘ It is difficult to work with because the metal from every burn is different. But the average is 21.7 carat.

‘My two main panners have just retired and we need a new generation to take over. Because of Scottish gold’s rarity, panners can make a lot of money.’ A ring made from Scottish gold sells for about Pounds 780, compared to as little as Pounds 60 for one made from overseas gold.

The Scottish parliament mace contains Scottish gold donated by panners and the Scottish crown jewels are made from gold mined in Dumfriesshire.

Recently an Edinburgh jeweller struck it lucky again after bagging his second huge consignment of Scottish gold.

Alistir Tait, who previously hit the jackpot with a massive 13- ounce haul, secured a further two-and-a-half ounces after a mystery prospector walked into his Rose Street shop.

The last working goldmine in Scotland, near Tyndrum in Perthshire, is mothballed. However-as the gold price rises, it may be reopened to meet demand.

The biggest find in the past 60 years was in June 2003 in the Moness burn, which runs through the Birks of Aberfeldy in Perthshire.

It weighed a fifth of an ounce and was worth Pounds 500.

Its discovery sparked so much activity, Perth and Kinross Council had to step in because it is illegal for the public to pan in the area, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Barbara Copley, president of the British Gold Panning Association, said most panners find grains that are the size of a pinhead, but experienced prospectors have found chunky nuggets.

‘It can be very lucrative if you know what you are looking for,’ she said.

a.simpson@dailymail.co.uk

Rich pickings in the past

GOLD prospectors have made as much as Pounds 14,000 a day from plundering Scotland’s rivers, experts estimate.

There have been gold mines in Scotland in the past, but the precious metal is difficult to extract so none has been commercially viable in the long-term.

Scotland’s most famous gold rush started in 1868 when theDuke of Sutherland gave permission for prospecting onthe River Helmsdale, near Kildonan.

Local man Robert Gilchristsparked the rush when he found a nugget, which was made into a ring for the Sutherland family.

Large reserves were discovered and within six months,600 prospectors had arrived and setup home in two temporary villages, Baille an Or, on the Kildonan Burn, and Carn na Buth, on the Suisgill Burn.

In April, 1869, the duke introduced a licence system, costing Pounds 1 a month for each claim measuring 40 feet.

Each prospector was also required to pay 10 per cent in royalties on any find.

The largest nugget found in Scotland was in 1502 when a2.5lb specimen was discovered in the fast-flowing river at Wanlockhead, Dumfriesshire.

It sparked a gold rush all on its own.

Mineral rights in the UK are owned by the Crown Estates anda licence to mine for gold must be obtained.

Permission must be granted by any landowner before prospecting can take place on their land.