In this guide we’ll look at the best metal detectors for jewelry.
We’ve compared frequency, ground balancing, modes and cost
to give you our top recommendations.
What is the Best Metal Detector for Jewelry?
More Detailed Jewelry Metal Detector Reviews
Minelab Equinox 900 Metal Detector
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Minelab Equinox 900 Metal Detector Review
The Minelab Equinox range boasts serious pieces of kit and their 900 model is the best metal detector for finding jewelry.
Minelab detectors utilize multi-frequency, which is a range of frequencies pulsed into the soil all at the same time.
This means you can search all metals simultaneously, but if you prefer to search for one metal in particular you can set it to a single frequency.
The 900 has four search modes: park (trashy areas), field (historical sites with little trash), beach (wet, dry, underwater), and a specific gold mode for mineralized ground.
It only takes the push of a button to switch between modes. These work to perfection with the manual/automatic ground balancing.
Eight custom search profiles work with these modes – that’s two custom search modes on your ‘field’ setting for example which makes life easier if you like to search the same areas.
Top-of-the-range metal detectors use wireless audio and the Equinox 900 comes with fast wireless audio on ML85 Low Latency Bluetooth headphones.
The whole detector is waterproof up to 10 feet, which is essential if you’re searching near a water source, and a large LCD highlights target ID numbers.
The Equinox 900 has an 11-inch DD smart coil, and a 6-inch smaller coil, a USB charging cable, and it only weighs 2.8 lbs.
This is the best metal detector for jewelry in my opinion because it has everything you need to simultaneously search all types of ground and all the metals that jewelry is crafted from.
Garrett AT Max Metal Detector
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Garrett AT Max Metal Detector Review
Garrett is a force to be reckoned with in the detecting world. They produce a range of first-class detectors and the AT Max is their best metal detector for finding jewelry.
The AT Max uses a 13.6 kHz frequency which will pick up the majority of jewelry and when it’s used with the top-notch iron audio target separation is excellent. The Max can pick up a buried ring next to a coke can for example.
The AT Max has four pro audio modes. True all-metal, coins, zero discrimination, and custom.
There’s a superb target depth indicator that reviewers say is spot on with an easy-read backlit LCD that makes hunting into the evening and dusky quiet times a pleasure.
The whole detector is waterproof to 10 feet and it’s sold with Garrett’s MS-3 Z-Lynk wireless headphones for blissful wire-free existence.
Of course, there’s automatic and manual ground balancing too so you can navigate highly mineralized ground and sand with ease.
The AT Max also has a ground balancing window so you can keep an eye on your ground – many comparable machines don’t have this handy function.
The AT Max comes with an 8.5 x 11-inch DD PROformance coil and is adjustable from 43 to 56 inches. It weighs 3.03lbs and takes 4 x AA batteries.
This is a reliable choice and certainly one of the all-round best metal detectors for finding jewelry with its excellent target separation and all-terrain capability.
Minelab Excalibur II Metal Detector
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Minelab Excalibur II Metal Detector Review
Minelab is one of the best detecting brands and the Excalibur II is perfect for hunting jewels on land and sea as it’s waterproof to 200 feet.
The Excalibur II has Minelab’s multi-frequency tech. It pushes out 17 simultaneous frequencies to uncover all metals on land and in the ocean. It’s one of the few that will hunt jewelry at depth and is very popular with wreck divers and snorkellers.
Excellent variable discrimination capabilities work alongside automatic ground canceling and sensitivity controls that can be adjusted to suit your environment. It’s easy to make this detector suit your preferences.
The Excalibur II has 5 preset modes: coin, relic, jewelry, beach, and dive mode to find exactly what you’re after and the all-metal pinpointer means you won’t miss anything, even if you’re under the waves.
This machine has a round DD wide scan hardwired coil and diving specific Koss 8ohm headphones. The NICad 13 V battery system is leakproof and will last 14-19 hours.
It has an adjustable shaft, a dive shaft measuring up to 91 cms, and it weighs 5.1 lbs.
The Minelab Excalibur II is one of the best metal detectors for finding jewelry on a beach and the best for wreck diving, but don’t forget it’s a great land detector too – scanning fields and parks with ease.
Nokta Makro ANFIBIO Multi Metal Detector
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Nokta Makro ANFIBIO Multi Metal Detector Review
Nokta are a new kid on the block offering great detectors at a good price.
Their Makro ANFIBIO Multi is one of the most competitively priced best metal detectors for jewelry on the market.
As you might guess, the Anfibio is an amphibious metal detector suitable for land and sea up to a depth of five meters. That’s more than enough to scuba and search the shoreline.
It utilizes multi-frequency kHz of 5/14/20 to search out the majority of metals that jewelry is crafted from.
One of the real plus points for Nokta is their backlit and simple-to-use single screen menu that saves time and frustration.
This simple interface quickly finds the mode you want from nine offerings: GEN Delta, 2 tone, 3 tone, 4 tone, 5 tone, 99 tone, beach, deep, and cache.
It has three target depth levels for an accurate ID on targets, and vibrates when it detects metal – this is great for hard of hearing.
The Nokta ANFIBIO Multi has an 11-inch coil and a new EUD function – that’s ‘extra underground depth’ to detect metal masked by ground conditions.
It comes with 2.4GHz wireless headphones to free you from wires – though these are not submersible. You’ll have to upgrade for those.
The built-in LiPo battery is charged via USB and the shaft is retractable.
Nokta’s ANFIBO Multi is well worth considering even though it’s not as well established a name as some.
It’s packed with features and is on its way to becoming the best metal detector for jewelry, overtaking household brand names that have built detectors for decades.
Teknetics T2 Metal Detector
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Teknetics T2 Metal Detector Review
The Teknetics T2 metal detector is one of the best metal detectors for jewelry – a classic machine with modern upgrades.
This machine was loved so much it’s become very hard to purchase. It’s one of the best metal detectors for jewelry and buyers know it.
The T2 uses a 13kHz frequency and has a large easy-to-read screen with a classic 0-99 numeric target indicator telling you what you’ve hit before it’s time to dig.
The audio has five pre-set tones and another 1-99 tones with volume control.
Ground balancing and top-class discrimination modes on the T2 are what detectorists love about this machine. It has a double filter that excels in trashy areas with trigger FASTGRAB instant ground canceling to beat highly mineralized ground.
The large display reads a constant ground monitor with bar graph to indicate what ground you’re walking across, and the target separation capacity is second to none.
It finds exactly the target you want – if that’s buried jewelry the T2 will uncover it.
The T2 weighs 3.5 lbs, has a waterproof 11-inch open-frame bi-axial coil, and runs on 4 AA batteries which Teknetics say lasts 40 hours – that’s a lot of detecting time on a few batteries.
The Teknetics T2 is a metal detector that detectorists clamored to bring back and it’s proving just as popular against newer technology. It works with no fuss whatever you ask it to find.
How to Decide on The Best Metal Detector For Finding Jewelry
We know there’s lots of options out there – but don’t worry, we’re here to help you find the best metal detector for jewelry that’s right for you!
When you’re on the hunt for jewelry there are some features your machine will need.
Frequency
First is the capability to search across a spectrum of metals because jewelry is made from mixed base metals to pure gold. You need a machine that can find them all.
Most jewelry is found between 10 – 15 kHz. Choose a machine within this frequency or go for a multifrequency machine.
Discrimination
Discrimination is really important.
When you search for jewelry you’ll be searching for a range of metals and will need to filter out the trash.
Coke cans, nails, and bottle tops will all sound out and drive you round the twist. Good discrimination will focus on the metal that matters – silver and gold for instance.
Visual Target Display
Jewelry-packed trashy areas need a visual target display so you can see what’s down there before digging yet another pointless pull tab.
It helps to have a good idea of the depth and metal content in front of your eyes for confirmation it’s not a waste of time.
Go for a machine that can read depth to at least 6-8 inches.
Ground Balance
Lucrative areas to search for jewelry are beaches and lakesides. This is because rings slip from cold fingers and necklaces or bracelets are broken by sports, swimming, and vigorous ‘I’m freezing’ towel rubs.
Searching on the beach and mineralized soils can put your detector in a spin if there’s no ground balance.
Canceling out all signals from wet mineralized sands will save headaches. The best metal detector for jewelry will have excellent ground balancing – this is sometimes called ground canceling.
Waterproofing
If you’re searching in or near a water source you need waterproofing.
At the very least the coil should be waterproof and preferably the whole machine, just in case you slip.
Even small waves can knock you off balance and a soaked machine isn’t likely to enjoy a resurrection.
Search Modes
A jewelry specific search mode is handy especially if you’re starting out or just don’t want to spend your time adjusting your machine.
Custom modes are good if you regularly search the same area, such as the bleachers after a match or your local shoreline.