unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Sept 25, 2014 20:00:59 GMT -5
Howdy Y'all- I recently scored (among other treasures) a quart size jar of rocks that were covered with water, and there seemed to be quite a bit of rust and/or organic matter covering the rocks. A little shake and by God I thought I was having an acid flashback. That whole jar is filled with FIRE AGATE!!!!!!!!!!! My question is, why would they be stored in water and is it safe to take them out and rinse them off? Yes, I will take photos tomorrow if y'all give me the all clear. Thanks for any help.
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Sept 25, 2014 20:48:13 GMT -5
Lucky you! They're often stored in water for display. A lot of the Mexican fire agate I used to get at Quartzsite came that way -- carefully arranged so the stuff with the best color was on the outside with mostly junk in the middle. Water also magnifies the stones which can be slightly misleading. It's perfectly ok to remove them and store them dry if you prefer.
"Fire agate" is a form of chalcedony that's structurally very sound. Some people store their precious opal in water in the belief that if removed it will craze. Some will, depending on the source but I always store mine dry -- if it's going to craze it will after cutting anyhow so just as well get it over with and take my losses. But opal and chalcedony are two entirely different minerals with significantly different physical properties. Looking forward to your pictures.
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,681
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Post by Fossilman on Sept 25, 2014 21:27:00 GMT -5
SCORE!!!!
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Post by snowmom on Sept 26, 2014 18:23:38 GMT -5
really wanna see pictures of these! (subtle, huh?)
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Sept 26, 2014 22:20:23 GMT -5
Snowmom, you're so hot to trot you could melt! LOL! I had some setbacks today, wanna photo them in the sun. I did peek, and they seem to be windowed rough, with incredible potential in skilled hands. Sorry bout the delay.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Sept 27, 2014 18:29:58 GMT -5
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Sept 27, 2014 19:40:47 GMT -5
Looks like someone's spent a lot of time carefully windowing those pieces. But it looks like you have some serious work ahead of you turning the windows into finished cabs. Nice find!
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Sept 27, 2014 20:43:05 GMT -5
I don't think I possess the skills for Fire Agate. I sure don't wanna %$ it up. I'm thinking of selling it,hoping for skilled hands though not sure of best venue or to sell the lot or individuals. I'm gonna borrow a carat scale and try individual photos, to answer any questions. Suggestions? (other than the obvious "Send it to ME!) LOL!!!
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,775
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Post by gemfeller on Sept 27, 2014 22:17:39 GMT -5
I already have more FA than I'll ever have time to cut. I hope others take you up on your offer. While finished stones of high quality sell by the carat, windowed stones are usually priced by the piece, depending on size, colors present, overall quality etc. I'm sure you can get some idea of current pricing by checking around the internet. New Era Gems used to sell windowed pieces. I'm sure there are plenty available on EBay.
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Post by snowmom on Sept 28, 2014 16:29:48 GMT -5
sure is beautiful, thanks for posting the photos!
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Post by kk on Sept 28, 2014 17:57:35 GMT -5
You got some nice pieces there. Why not give it a try with a piece or two that you dont like that much and see where it leads. The practice will get you the confidence to try the better ones. While the pics dont give away much, I think there might be some nice colours in there.
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
|
Post by unclesoska on Sept 29, 2014 21:26:41 GMT -5
I'm still sorting my most recent treasure haul. There was a lortone QT66 with the deal, and it's last run the barrels popped open and I had a Gritty, nasty mess. Most of the contents were assorted agates, but I pulled out a large handful of Turquoise, -AND- 2 handfuls of low grade fire agate, partially tumbled. Now that I have some practice pieces, I'm not so worried about ruining the nice ones pictured above. I just need to pray for patience in this new endeavor. Thanks all for your suggestions.
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Post by snowmom on Oct 2, 2014 17:50:17 GMT -5
don't forget to keep us posted, we can all learn from what happens!
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Post by wireholic on Oct 3, 2014 17:43:07 GMT -5
following!
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Post by roy on Oct 3, 2014 20:08:05 GMT -5
oh come on cut one ! its not that hard really just go slow and check it often !
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Post by roy on Oct 3, 2014 22:53:26 GMT -5
just went out and ground on one to show you they can be a lot of fun !
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unclesoska
freely admits to licking rocks
All those jade boulders tossed in search of gold!
Member since February 2011
Posts: 934
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Post by unclesoska on Oct 4, 2014 21:03:01 GMT -5
Now that's what I'm talkin' 'bout. Thanks for the prod Roy! So here's the thing- with my most recent estate sale haul, there were several saws and machines and 15 buckets of rocks to sort. I have for my shop a 10x20 Costco portable garage, so until I can reduce some piles and recreate some workspace, and setup a cab station, it's gonna be a spell before I can "play". Tell me how this sounds. In an effort to "pay it forward", any newbs out there that have equipment access, I will send you a practice piece, and a windowed piece that shows "fire", if you agree to show us photos of before and after. Progress pix would be great also. Let's say a newb for these purposes is a person that has been on the forum under 1 year, and has never tried working fire agate previously. This way we surely can all learn together, and not have to wait on my sorry _ss. So who's in? Send me a PM with your shipping address and I'll send a small padded envelope. I only get to the Post Office once a week or so, so stay calm! I'll send out 5 of these parcels, so 1st come, 1st serve. Mike.
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