Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 7, 2015 6:29:51 GMT -5
How in the hell did 1983 get to be vintage when I am twice that old and not vintage? Jim
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 7, 2015 6:41:34 GMT -5
How in the hell did 1983 get to be vintage when I am twice that old and not vintage? Jim Didn't see that in the listing until you mentioned it. Don't know, @wampidy.
|
|
|
Post by captbob on May 7, 2015 10:09:21 GMT -5
Hi Jan, That piece from Lake Chub is from a location that I search for often, but not the type I'm after. There is a bladed hematite, often with beta quartz on it, from the Tessmer Farm on Lake Chub that I have been after. The Tessmer family closed their property to collecting years ago. Here's the only decent picture I could find of what I'm after- There is a guy in out local rock club that had a display case of only these specimens and the best I've ever seen. LARGE, undamaged pieces that you just can't find anywhere - ever. He won't sell yet, but I'm still working on him. I believe you can find something similar out of China, but I don't buy/collect Chinese specimens. Have you seen the hematite after marcasite pseudormorph in stellate form from Egypt? You talking about the star shaped stuff that looks like a Christmas tree ornament? Yes, I have some of those, from the White Desert I believe. My favorite hematite is from the Cumberland/Cumbria area in England. Here's an example from my collection: Got a bunch of these specimens, just no quality pictures. Your framed sandstone, is that the Kanab stuff? I love it! Have a couple of their 5" spheres, but nothing framed yet. I search for that once or twice a month just for fun. Have a spot reserved for a nice framed slab. The walls are about the only place around here with any display space left, might as well fill them up with rocks too!
|
|
|
Post by rockpickerforever on May 7, 2015 10:21:45 GMT -5
One of the signs of a hoarder - all horizontal surfaces are covered, lol. I know from firsthand experience!
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 8, 2015 16:37:00 GMT -5
captbob!! Here's some bladed hematite from Lake Chub, but the descriptions do not say if they were collected from the Tessmer farm. A few of them were collected by Michael Walter in 1998. The seller of the specimens may be able to share with you whether or not any of the specimens were collected at Tessmer farm. www.geologicdesires.com/chub%20lake%20hematite%20and%20quartz.htmThis one is beautiful: #OKJ-572 and no damage www.geologicdesires.com/Jan%202013%20pics%20260.jpgMy favorite hematite is from the Cumberland/Cumbria area in England. Here's an example from my collection: Got a bunch of these specimens, just no quality pictures. Holy smokes, that is gorgeous! I sure wish you would take some pics of your specimens and post them on the forum. Do you have any pics of your Kanab sandstone spheres? I'm not sure of the locality of the sandstone, but I will take a pic of it and post it in your thread, if that's okay with you. Maybe you can tell where it came from. I'm a bit sketchy about buying minerals and lapidary materials, such as slabs, from China, too. But I have a couple of the Chinese spessartine and smoky quartz specimens, and a demantoid on layaway. Should have the demantoid by next month. ROFL, yes, the star-shaped Christmas tree ornament hematite is the one I asked you about. Do you have any pics of yours? There's a package in our mailbox with one waiting for me (and darned garnets, too). I was not supposed to buy it, so I am hoping Rick will take a catnap so I may get it out of the mailbox and smuggle it inside.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 16:50:35 GMT -5
Wow, I had no idea hematite came in such beautiful packages. Really nice stuff ya'll. The best I can do is a joke in comparison. Jim
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 8, 2015 17:05:35 GMT -5
That's a beauty, @wampidy! I love the colorful swirl patterns in it. Is it tiger iron? Was it messy to work?
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 17:18:35 GMT -5
Hematite and jasper as near as I can figure. I find quite a bit of it here but very few (2) that good. It wasn't messy at all to work but it seems a mite heavy for a pendant but would probably work. Don't have the heart to slice it but I have had it laying out to slice several times then ended up putting it back. It is at least 1/2" or more thick. The other piece. Jim
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on May 8, 2015 17:22:20 GMT -5
It looks like it was laid down in layers of hematite and yellow then brecciated and filled with the red. Totally awesome in hand. I tried wire wrapping the second one but it sucks. I have given some thought to grinding a girdle around the first one and groove wrapping it. There is plenty of thickness in both for that. Jim
|
|
|
Post by 1dave on May 9, 2015 16:25:56 GMT -5
I've never been a fan of haggling, but it's a necessary evil of buying and selling. What frosts my fritos is when you set a price, and the 1st question that comes from the buyer's mouth is "What the least you'll take?" That question or others like it just enrages me. I set a price (too high), and it should be up to the buyer to counter offer. Not give you both my high and low price. Now when someone asks how low will you go, I respond with the price and ask them how much they wanna pay. When asked "how low I'll go", I feel like they just wanna steal from me. I know I went a bit off topic, but I've been selling on Craigslist lately and needed to vent. Thanks All. I was about to say... That sounds like CL and not Ebae. Then I read the rest. Ha ha. I get it too. I've also had stuff listed for say $200 and someone offered me $125 I held into it thinking I was going to get the 200 and it never sold. Relisted for 150/125 and never got a hit. Weird market sometimes. If it's not too far off my asking price I'll usually take it. captbob yeah the feeBayer seller has a piece of "junk" in my opinion. He def has smoke dreams with that price. He's hoping his description snags someone who is clueless. His piece looked like something from Hogg Mine. The wire wrap was cringeworthy to say the least.
|
|
|
Post by 1dave on May 9, 2015 16:44:37 GMT -5
Here's one I found for you, captbob, from Lake Chubb Lake, New York. Location is closed now. . . . Your framed sandstone, is that the Kanab stuff? I love it! Have a couple of their 5" spheres, but nothing framed yet. I search for that once or twice a month just for fun. Have a spot reserved for a nice framed slab. The walls are about the only place around here with any display space left, might as well fill them up with rocks too! This Kanab stuff? Or is this too small?
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 11, 2015 8:51:17 GMT -5
Wow, that is a beautiful piece, too, @wampidy!!
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 11, 2015 8:55:15 GMT -5
"or is this too small?" ROFL, 1dave! captbobHere's the framed sandstone that I accepted the ebay seller's counteroffer. Kanab?
|
|
|
Post by captbob on May 11, 2015 8:58:15 GMT -5
I'd sure think so. Like 99.9% think so. Most pieces from there have a sticker on the back. If yours doesn't is there a spot where it look like there was one? Good looking piece!
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 11, 2015 10:34:46 GMT -5
Thank you, captbob! Sure would like to see your sandstone spheres and hematite "Christmas ornament." It may have a label underneath the paper that covers the back of it, and it has hooks with wire for hanging. Guess it belonged to someone in your neck of the woods at one time. It has a label saying it was "Custom Framed by Patt's Frame it Yourself, Inc. Maitland - Pine Hills - Orlando PFRA member". -> Did you see get a chance to check out the bladed hematite specimens I posted a link to for you a couple of posts up?
|
|
|
Post by captbob on May 11, 2015 11:12:06 GMT -5
Here ya go Jan. The spheres are 5" each. Another piece of hematite from the Cumberland area in England. I could tell you the exact mine if I dug through records. And one of them Christmas tree thingies. shoulda rotated the spheres - duh. here's a shelf with more hematite specimens along with other stuff. Another of the Christmas tree thingies on the top. Yes, I checked out your links for the bladed hematite. Thank you for posting that. Beautiful specimens! But... thumb nails. I don't do small rocks My local guy has pieces that nice in the 6 to 8 inch by 3 to 4 inch range. I'll not give up working to get one!
|
|
|
Post by gingerkid on May 11, 2015 15:09:31 GMT -5
Wow, that's a spectacular collection of hematite and I love your sandstone spheres, captbob! I really like the iridescent piece, too. Is it Brazilian? Maybe one of these days you'll please give us a tour of your collection? I don't blame you for trying to work with the guy that has nice cabinet-sized specimens and hope you may talk him out of one (or a couple) his specimens.
|
|
|
Post by captbob on May 14, 2015 22:14:09 GMT -5
Listing for the $4,999.00 piece of hematite from the link in the OP ends in 3 hours. I just offered $15.50 That's almost meeting half way... right?
|
|
peachfront
fully equipped rock polisher
Stones have begun to speak, because an ear is there to hear them.
Member since August 2010
Posts: 1,745
|
Post by peachfront on May 15, 2015 11:02:52 GMT -5
When I post with a ridiculous price on something and say it's really just there for people to look at it, it's a nice way of saying I don't want to sell it but you're welcome to drool on it. I personally wouldn't have wasted my time with a Make Offer after reading that. Maybe this person needs to know about Instagram. It doesn't sound like from the description that she wanted to sell the item. It's also possible a spouse etc. is saying, "OK, we're out of room here, you have to try to sell something," so she's trying. But not real hard. Not that I would know anything about that...
|
|
mikeinsjc
spending too much on rocks
Member since June 2010
Posts: 329
|
Post by mikeinsjc on May 24, 2015 10:09:17 GMT -5
I use reserve price auctions on expensive items for several reasons. First the ebay market can be very fickle, timing-wise. I have had, say a $100 item receive zero bids during the duration of the listing, then have immediately relisted it and had it sell for the asking price. With a reserve auction I can "test the waters" to see if the timing of my listing is good. Not everyone trolls ebay on a daily basis. I sometimes use the reserve feature to find out what an item is worth. I am willing to pay the higher fee of a reserve listing to find this information. Sometimes I don't really care if I sell it or not- just fishing for info.
There is another feature about reserve auctions I like. Reserve auctions get more bids. An item with twenty bids attracts more attention than an item with zero bids. People reason "hmmm, zero bids, must be overpriced", vs. "twenty bids, wow a lot of people are interested in this item".
Reserve auctions are also more likely to create a "feeding frenzy". You have seen the offers on an item quadruple (or more) in the last hour of a listing. The more people you attract to your listing, the more likely this is to happen.
|
|