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Post by washingtonrocks on Jun 1, 2014 15:57:59 GMT -5
I found this rock in my yard! It really is some of the nicest black jade I've discovered as a collector. Scattered throughout this stone are chatoyant "grains" that are next to impossible to pick up with my camera, unfortunately, but it's amazing to see when it's in your hand. I usually take my photos outside in natural light, but this time I thought I'd try it indoors with sort of a make-shift light box...To varying degrees of success. I was able to get a fairly accurate capture of the color and pattern, but the focus is a little wonky for some reason. Oh well. Pictures don't do this cab justice anyway. Thanks for looking. From this angle you can almost make out the chatoyant features.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 1, 2014 16:59:58 GMT -5
Wow, that's pretty! I've got some kind of similar looking nephrite out of Darrington, WA that was sold to me as snowflake jade but the whitish green snowflakes do have a small amount of chatoyance. Wonder if mine is jadeite rather than nephrite and the two materials are similar in composition?......Mel My example:
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 1, 2014 17:10:35 GMT -5
WOW!!! How incredible is that? I think you did a great job with the pictures. This is some jade I can get behind. Very nice. It reminds me of ... the name escapes me- the stuff that people electroplate.
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jun 1, 2014 17:24:17 GMT -5
Mel, my stone could very well be Nephrite, but I'm really doubting it. SG test gave me 3.32 and looking at the fracture of the parent rock through a loupe, I could see a very distinct granular crystal structure. Most of the black stuff I usually find around here is definitely Nephrite with that distinctive felted texture and lower SG which is why I was so excited to find this specimen. That's some pretty snowflake you've got there. It does look like Nephrite to me from the picture...Have you had a chance to run any tests on it? SG?
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jun 1, 2014 17:25:28 GMT -5
rockjunquie Thanks! Are you referring to the Porterville jade with Magnetite?
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 1, 2014 17:27:47 GMT -5
rockjunquie Thanks! Are you referring to the Porterville jade with Magnetite? Yes, I think so, though I didn't know the location. It's great that you found that in your own yard.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jun 1, 2014 17:36:29 GMT -5
Very sweet!!
I wanna say Nephrite with actinolite inclusions. Actinolite can be quite chatoyant.
I have a hunk of tremolite very similar. I'll try to photo the sphere.
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jun 1, 2014 17:42:08 GMT -5
Thanks Scott, you may very well be right. This will probably make a good candidate for my next lab analysis send-in.
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Good Earth
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2010
Posts: 155
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Post by Good Earth on Jun 1, 2014 18:46:56 GMT -5
Looks amazingly like a material that I've gotten from my buddy (RainshadowBeads) that he had x-ray id'd as Enstatite. I've seen it with both large (my photo) and small (yours) chatoyant crystals. Beautiful stuff! I'm looking for someone to make a sphere on trades with me.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 1, 2014 19:55:16 GMT -5
Nope, haven't run specific gravity tests on it. Just going by what the seller told me. The black nephrite they electroplate is the stuff from out Victorville way. The Porterville jade magnetite is usually in small rod shaped crystals and is well scattered in the jade so as not to lend itself well to any kind of cool looking electroplate pattern.....Mel
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Post by pghram on Jun 2, 2014 10:46:55 GMT -5
Nice find, nice cab.
Rich
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jun 3, 2014 9:36:27 GMT -5
@good Earth - Nice Enstatite. Is that sourced from Washington? I've got some specimens similar to yours that might be Enstatite.
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Good Earth
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since November 2010
Posts: 155
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Post by Good Earth on Jun 3, 2014 22:22:25 GMT -5
That is from the Cascades in Washington. Like I said, I've seen pieces with big and small chatoyant crystals.
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ilickrocks
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since April 2014
Posts: 133
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Post by ilickrocks on Jun 4, 2014 22:38:31 GMT -5
Love those backyard finds
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