panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jun 30, 2014 12:54:10 GMT -5
I just read a very interesting blog post. It might be interesting to others here too link hereNow I sure don't want to make anyone mad, and I am definitely not pointing fingers. I am guilty of over-collecting on occasion myself. I think it is innate in all of use when we encounter scarce resources. But the article made me think of my actions. At least lately I have noticed that I am getting much more selective, and quality over quantity, which is a good thing given my allocated storage shed is getting full :-) Anyway, this is something to think about. I wonder what you all think? PS: LOL, who knows someday some people will be going back and "seeding" places with their oversupply of stuff. PPS: I do have a problem with the gov't prohibiting collection of minerals that are rapidly eroding or otherwise being lost forever.
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Post by rockjunquie on Jun 30, 2014 14:10:17 GMT -5
Good read, thanks for sharing And, as a reminder to folks, don't forget to read the comments. I don't collect- no rocks here. But, I was thinking as I read this about a wire wrapper I know of who travels in a truck. She leaves pieces of jewelry for people to find everywhere she goes. Imagine the delight of someone that finds an anonymous gift. They will probably be urged to pay it forward. She leaves a note with it, but I can't remember the details. What if a collector did that with some of the culled rocks? He/she would be thinning their hoard collection and making someone else happy with a pretty or interesting rock. Kids, for sure, would love it. I know this isn't the point of the post. Just thinking....
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Post by manofglass on Jun 30, 2014 14:35:27 GMT -5
When I get to much rock I have a hole next to the house 6 feed deep and 40 feet long that is where I put my rock
Walt
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,687
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Post by Fossilman on Jun 30, 2014 14:43:34 GMT -5
I give a lot of my stuff to family.....Glad I have a small area,so I can't hoard stuff..
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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 30, 2014 17:44:44 GMT -5
Interesting read. I give away a lot of stuff too and every now and then I even sell something. I've always figured jasper and agate do not rot and when I croak over my wife will just call some local rock folks and my "estate" rocks will be redistributed just like a lot of the rocks I have which came from old collections. All my slabs I haven't cabbed, she'll give away or sell and my pretty big rocks she'll claim for her garden. She really knows nor wants to know much about my rocks, so monetary value will mean nothing to her *sigh*. If I'm taking a dirt nap and she ain't interested in learning what stuff is worth or making money, that's on her *L*. You know the leading a horse to water thing. The only time rocks really disappear is when they get cut up for jewelry and then, they're still around, just in another form. One of the cool things about moving every now and then is you get to cull your rocks. My Texas move got me down to the good stuff and a bunch of my rock was again redistributed. A surprising amount went to local Wiccans who are, I suppose, using some of my stuff for good ju ju, healing etc. That being said, I too am much more selective and hunting much less than I used to simply because I have enough rocks to last me.....well....longer than I'm gonna last for dang sure *L*.......Mel
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panamark
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2012
Posts: 1,343
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Post by panamark on Jun 30, 2014 18:22:23 GMT -5
Interesting read. I give away a lot of stuff too and every now and then I even sell something. I've always figured jasper and agate do not rot and when I croak over my wife will just call some local rock folks and my "estate" rocks will be redistributed just like a lot of the rocks I have which came from old collections. All my slabs I haven't cabbed, she'll give away or sell and my pretty big rocks she'll claim for her garden. She really knows nor wants to know much about my rocks, so monetary value will mean nothing to her *sigh*. If I'm taking a dirt nap and she ain't interested in learning what stuff is worth or making money, that's on her *L*. You know the leading a horse to water thing. The only time rocks really disappear is when they get cut up for jewelry and then, they're still around, just in another form. One of the cool things about moving every now and then is you get to cull your rocks. My Texas move got me down to the good stuff and a bunch of my rock was again redistributed. A surprising amount went to local Wiccans who are, I suppose, using some of my stuff for good ju ju, healing etc. That being said, I too am much more selective and hunting much less than I used to simply because I have enough rocks to last me.....well....longer than I'm gonna last for dang sure *L*.......Mel Okay Mel, now you have done it. When you croak there will be a sucking sound as people leave their state heading for your rocks funeral. LOL Make sure you leave your wife the name of someone trustworthy that knows what the rocks are worth.
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bcrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2014
Posts: 418
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Post by bcrockhound on Jun 30, 2014 21:07:29 GMT -5
That was an interesting read. Luckily I'm limited by space and the need to work, so I can't indulge fully. Question for the long timers: do you find good rocks to be on the downswing due to "over-rocking" or have you not noticed that? I would suspect certain types in certain locations, Ocean Jasper I've heard about for one, can quickly go from common to rare, but for cool rocks as a whole? For me, I can't imagine that even if everyone into rocks went out there 24/7 that there would be a natural rock shortage.
On the other hand, what good are rocks in the ground doing for anyone? I respect the person who turns a natural resource into something of use. Jewelry from great rocks is the same to me as gas in my car: a natural resource that is useless to me in its natural state but turned into something that makes me life better.
Just in terms of my local rocks - a few jaspers, flowerstone and others - I already know I could go out there for the rest of my life and never collect everything even in a small radius. There's tons of it. I see no shortage, especially considering most people don't notice a jasper from anything else. But I'm new. Maybe old-timers or people in the future will be maligning that there aren't any pretty rocks around anymore. But I doubt that.
Edit: Further, call me paranoid, but I can foresee a future where my government bans collecting rocks or other natural resources. There seems to be a push to leave things in the ground. Public land isn't public, it's just off limits to everyone. In that sense, I'm glad to collect now.
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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 30, 2014 22:35:57 GMT -5
bc: As you've stated, there are probably some sites that will be good for collecting for a long long time. Natural erosion recharges some sites over the years and man's activities often uncover new stuff. As an old timer though, I as many did, started with Gem Trails type books and quickly became aware materials at many book sites were pretty much extinct, even thirty years ago or more. Sadly, I've seen many sites that were not even in the books wiped out often due to extensive commercial collecting. This situation has really been aggravated since the advent of E-Bay which lets folks market to a large audience. Being a former Commiefornian, I've also sadly, seen many many of our good California sites closed by the government or buried by development. I've also been told that the endless appetite of the Chinese carving industry, has led to the practice of them establishing buyers at many lapidary material sites worldwide and dried up supplies of high quality examples of some of our favorite materials. I've even seen folks at lapidary shows buying up cheaper Chinese carvings made from stuff like African Queen Picture Jasper to slab up for cabbing slabs. One thing for certain, as a collector for more than fifty years, opportunities to collect your own good stuff have definitely shrunken both in the number of collecting areas available and in the number of different good lapidary materials to collect...Mel
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cobbledstones
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 482
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Post by cobbledstones on Jul 1, 2014 10:23:20 GMT -5
When hounding I take chances on stuff that may be cool on the inside, so it is easy to collect faster than I can cut. You just never know until you cut into them, and the uncertainty is part of the fun that keeps me interested. I am trying to develop a better eye, but in my case, not everything I bring home is a real keeper. For this reason, I keep a throw-back bucket in the garage. Anything that I cut that doesn't get me super excited gets washed and put in that bucket (badly cracked, too soft, lacking in color/pattern etc.). On the next trip out, they are 'released' back into the wild.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,600
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Post by Mark K on Jul 2, 2014 13:16:48 GMT -5
My release bucket goes to the monthly gem and mineral club meeting and given to others who like them. A lot of what I give away is great stuff, just not to me.
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Mark K
Cave Dweller
Member since April 2012
Posts: 2,600
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Post by Mark K on Jul 3, 2014 11:11:09 GMT -5
The only reason to stop people from collecting is to stop them for the sake of stopping them. There are a whole lot of people who think that if someone else is doing something that they have no interest in that the activity must be stopped. Put one of these scum bags in a position of authority and they can cause all kinds of trouble. Kind of like if you go to the hardware store and ask the shopkeeper for a #3 thingaamajig. He says that there is one left and you see someone grab it off of the shelf and toss it in his cart just so you can't have it. He doesn't need it. He just wants to be an asshole and cause you a problem. This is the type of people who close down areas. If there are 200 pounds of RTH agate left in a deposit, and there is no more on the planet left, closing it down is not going to make the little agate chips make agate babies. 1,000,0000 years from now there will still be 200 pounds left in the deposit. It will just be burried under the million years worth of accumulated debris that falls over it. But the guy who got the location closed down died happy because he stopped some people from having fun and doing something enjoyable.
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