How to Pan Gold Dust

Fill your pan three-quarters full of gravel, then submerge it just under the surface of the water. Shake it vigorously a few times back and forth then side to side. This will create a "slurry" out of the gravel in your pan and begin settling the gold to the bottom of the pan.

Use gentle, circular motions after vigorously shaking it to dissolve the dirt and clay. Pick out any large rocks from your pan. Repeat Steps 1 and 2 to get smaller rocks to the surface of your gravel pile while settling in the gold to the bottom.

Hold your pan under the water's surface and tilt it away from yourself slightly to wash off lighter sand and gravel. Swirl the water from side to side, using a tiny forward-tossing motion. Repeat this step until there is approximately 1 cup or less of heavy materials left.

Raise the pan out of the water, but leave an inch of liquid inside the pan. Then tilt the pan a little toward yourself and use slow, swirling circular motions. Pick out any gold nuggets or pieces that you see during this process.

Repeat Step 3 to remove the final concentration of gravel and other materials. Then remove the gold pieces that are visible. Use magnets to pull the gold out, or tweezers for small flakes or dust, and place them in glass vials.