This Alaskan gold nugget whale tail pendant is set in 14k white gold. The whale tail has gold nugget overlay on both tails. This piece is 16mm tall, including the bail, and it is 17mm wide. The pendant comes with a sterling silver chain in a nice box. It shows up ready to give to someone special, even if that special someone is you. On any given day, local gold miners will come into our shop throughout the year with the gold nuggets they mined that season. We look through their stash and choose the very best nuggets to make into pendants. Miners extract these natural pieces of “placer gold” from the rivers and streams around Alaska. Otherwise known as the “Klondike”. Finding gold nuggets in their natural state is very rare. In fact, gold nuggets constitute only 2% of all found gold. These nuggets themselves will vary in purity from about 75% to 95% pure gold, or 18k-22k. Other minerals, such as silver and platinum, can sometimes mix in with these completely natural pieces. Big machines crush rock in “hard rock mining,” separating small particles of gold, which constitutes most of the gold mined in the world. Large corporations mostly undertake this process as it requires a significant amount of startup money. With a shovel and gold pan, one can engage in placer mining, enabling the average person to become a gold miner. In fact, these are the miners that we love to buy from, hardworking men and women that find gold using basic tools. We have one of the largest selections of gold nugget pendants in the world. Look through our collection today and find one that speaks to you!