Native gold nugget

Metallic yellow-gold luster; irregular granular nugget with apparent malleable texture. Mohs hardness 2.5–3, cubic crystal structure, no cleavage, and very high specific gravity (~19.3).

Native gold forms in hydrothermal quartz veins and placer deposits through weathering and stream concentration; deposits range from Archean to modern. The image is consistent with a small natural or partly cleaned gold specimen, though identification requires testing.

Used in jewelry, electronics, dentistry, investment, and mineral collecting. Its value depends primarily on weight, fineness, and current gold price.

Gold is extremely dense, chemically unreactive, electrically conductive, and famously malleable; a streak test is yellow rather than black.

Common in Australia, Alaska, California, Canada, South Africa, and many hydrothermal districts. Confirm with density, streak, malleability, and non-destructive XRF; pyrite is harder and brittle, while gold deforms rather than crumbles.