Gold can be found in unusual places. One such place is the Ironstone Vineyards estate, which is home to the world’s largest piece of crystalline gold leaf, weighing in at 44 lbs. The “Gold Pocket” was discovered on December 24, 1992, at the Sonora Mining Co. mine in Jamestown, California. The gold was originally 66 lbs, however, when it was purchased by the Ironstone Vineyards owner, John Kautz, it was etched to remove the extra, visible quartz leaving behind a 98% pure piece. The piece is now suspended inside a vault safe that visitors may walk into and view during regular operating hours.
Ironstone Vineyards also include a small heritage museum with additional contextual pieces on the gold rush. In addition, outside near the parking lot, there are some examples of old mining equipment.
Claims Near Ironstone
