Angler catches ‘gold’ fish

An angler on the Isle of Wight has come across a gold ring in the belly of a fish.

The fisherman discovered the item when preparing the animal after catching it while fishing off Fort Victoria, near Yarmouth.

He took it to a gold dealer in Newport, who described it as one of the strangest jewellery discoveries he has come across.

Jamie Bowley of Gold Rush explained that the fish is likely to have been attracted by the "sparkly" nature of the item.

"This was the craziest story we'd ever heard but 100 per cent true … Goodness knows how long it had been in its belly," he said.

Meanwhile, the Canwest News Service has reported that a gold sports ring dating from 1893 has sold for more than C$60,000 (£33,834) at auction.

The item was presented to a member of the Montreal Hockey Club when the side won the first Stanley Cup.

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Nanoparticles ‘may help identify tumours’

Nanoscientists at the University of California, San Diego have reported the discovery of a potential new means to detect cancer.

To date, technology designed to identify tumours by making them glow has not been used in humans because of harmful effects.

But the team has developed biodegradable fluorescent nanoparticles that appear to have left no evidence of toxicity in the mice they were tested on.

The development has been described as a potential step towards nanotechnology - which often involves the use of gold - being used in mainstream.

And one of the team, chemistry professor Michael Sailor, remarked: "The important conclusion from this work is that the materials are nontoxic at the concentrations we need to use to see tumours."

Last month, a team at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology - part of Singapore's Agency for Science, Technology and Research - announced the development of gold nanoclusters, which may advance medical research by allowing sub-cellular imaging.

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Kyrgyz parliament ratifies Centerra-Cameco agreement

The Kyrgyz parliament has ratified a new agreement with Cameco and Centerra Gold signed earlier this month.

Intended to resolve any outstanding issues with relation to the Kumtor gold mine, the Kyrgyz parliament has passed legislation that implements all the terms of the deal and forwarded it to the country's president for his signature.

All parties concerned have agreed to apply "reasonable efforts" to finalise the transaction by May 25th 2009, as it is subject to certain conditions being met.

Cameco forecasts that the new agreement will "further align the parties' business interests and provide additional certainty for continuing operations and future development of the Kumtor project".

Listed on the Toronto stock exchange, Centerra is focused on gold properties in Asia, the former Soviet Union and other emerging markets.

The firm aims to become a senior gold producer and owns a 100 per cent stake in the Kumtor mine and a 100 per cent interest in the Boroo mine in Mongolia, in addition to a portfolio of exploration prospects in Mongolia, Nevada, Turkey and Russia.
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Timberline Resources files underground exploration plan for Butte Highlands

Timberline Resources has published a project overview and filed a new underground exploration plan for its Butte Highlands gold property.

An application to the Montana Department of Environmental Quality covers work aimed primarily at advancing the deposit towards "near-term development and production", including 60,000ft of underground drilling.

Timberline Resources has also acquired an additional 150 acres of private land adjacent to the property for the Butte Highlands gold project in order to reduce development and mining costs by improving access to the site.

Paul Dircksen, Timberline vice-president of exploration, commented: "In addition to the underground exploration plan, we have been advancing geologic modeling, geologic targeting for resource expansion, mine modeling, engineering design, property consolidation and permitting."

The Butte Highlands property is located 15 miles south of the town of Butte in south-western Montana and was sold to Timberline in 2007.

Based in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho Timberline Resources is a mining services and mineral exploration company with contract drilling subsidiaries in the western US and Mexico and an exploration division with a number of gold projects under development.
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Gold sports ring discovered in Canadian attic

A gold ring dating from 1936 has been sold for over C$60,000 (£33,834) via a sports memorabilia website.

The jewellery item was originally presented to a member of the Montreal hockey club that won the first Stanley Cup in 1893, the Canwest News Service reported.

Quebec-based Classic Auctions described the ring as the "earliest and most significant piece of Stanley Cup history" ever put up for sale.

A simple gold band, the ring is inscribed with crossed hockey sticks on the outside and the letters MHC - representing Montreal Hockey Club - and GS Low on the inside, along with the dates 1888-93.

The 116-year-old ring was found in an attic in Vancouver and was authenticated before the auction.

Just two of the historic rings are known to be in existence and the recently sold item was owned by sharpshooter George Lowe.

The other remaining ring was owned by Billy Barlow and is on show at the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto.
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Marriage boom ‘could boost Chinese gold jewellery market’

People born during a birth peak in China during the mid to late 1980s will be of marriageable age from 2009 to 2014, potentially boosting the gold jewellery market, analysts have suggested.

A new report available from Reportlinker.com indicated that the Chinese jewellery market was worth around $17 billion in 2008.

More than ten million couples are expected to marry each year in China, possibly pushing up sales of wedding jewellery.

The study of the Chinese jewellery business to consumer ecommerce market also revealed that the globalisation trend for jewellery looks set to continue, providing the Chinese sector with an opportunity for expansion.

Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly affluent and the report explained that many are looking for a way to demonstrate their wealth that maintains its value, such as gold.

In related news, China has revealed that it has become the fifth largest holder of gold bullion in the world after almost doubling its gold reserves to 1,054 tonnes since 2003.
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Saint-Gaudens gold coin sales ‘top 60k’

Over 60,000 Ultra High Relief Saint-Gaudens gold coins have been sold since the start of the year, new figures have revealed.

Fewer than 1,000 of the pieces, which has a face value of $20 (£13.50), were sold in the US last week, but this has brought the total figure to 60,366 for the year so far, Numismaster.com reports.

Investors have spent between $72 million and $80 million on the precious coins, the news source noted, promoting speculation that sales could rise to £100 million in the near future.

This would be possible through a "large increase in the price paid for each coin going forward or a stable price environment that prompts collectors to jump in and buy large numbers at reasonable prices", the website claimed.

In related news, coin expert David Albanese recently told Forbes that purchasing gold currency is an ideal alternative to buying shares in the present financial turmoil.
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Eagle Hill enters into finder’s fee agreement

Eagle Hill Exploration has signed a new agreement with Union Securities through which it will pay for assistance in finding a gold exploration project.

Under the terms of the finder's fee deal, consistent with TSX Venture exchange policy, Eagle Hill will retain sole discretion on entering into any transaction in connection with the project.

Eagle Hill will also be responsible for deciding whether to fund, amend or abandon a project and agrees to pay Union Securities an aggregate finder's fee as compensation.

Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Eagle Hill Exploration is listed on the TSX Venture exchange and recently purchased the Fran property in the Mount Milligan area of northern British Columbia.

The company announced earlier this month that it had entered into a letter of intent with Yankee Hat Minerals to earn up to a 100 per cent interest in the Fran prospect, shifting its focus to gold and precious metals.
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Adventure Gold discovers new showing at Pascalis-Colombiere

Adventure Gold has conducted a new drilling programme at Pascalis-Colombiere and discovered a new gold showing on the project.

The Canadian firm stated that the 4,000m exploration drill scheme included 681m around the Senore property's Zone 16, which was discovered earlier this year.

An exploration team found a new gold showing with grades of up to 12.4 g/t gold, while historical showing sampling returned up to 73.5 g/t gold.

Adventure Gold is currently conducting a 2,000m drilling programme designed to test for near-surface gold showings at the Pascalis-Colombiere property.

Furthermore, a 1,400m exploration scheme to test for anomalies and identify gold structure extensions is also planned for later this spring on the company's Meunier-144 project.

Listed on the TSX Venture Exchange, mining exploration firm Adventure Gold has properties in the Val d'Or region of Quebec and the Timmins region of Ontario.
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Pandora Jewelry targets travel retail with gold bracelet

Pandora Jewelry has appointed a new travel retail director to market its gold collection.

Julian Mullins states that he will help it to expand the Danish jeweller's travel retail presence, according to the Moodie Report.

A "unique take on the charm bracelet" will be the focus for travel retail, with gold chains and a range of about 500 screw-around charms available.

"The company has grown dramatically since 1999, but has yet to develop in travel retail," he told the news source. "My role now is to expose the vast world of travel retail to the great success of Pandora."

Bracelets can be built up by purchasing charms and completed high-end items can retail for $6,000-$7,000 (£4,030-£4.704).

Pandora Jewelry currently has 15 retail concept stores and is carried in a further 2,500 independent jewellery outlets, with plans to expand into Asia and the Middle East.

Meanwhile, designers will be showing a range of fine gold items during Coutts London Jewellery Week in June this year, including collections from Stephen Webster, Amanda Brighton and Assya.
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