gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 24, 2020 0:17:13 GMT -5
mohs, you're about to give me cardiac arrest! Great jobs with your new rock stash.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 23, 2020 13:38:20 GMT -5
For those interested in gemology -- and who would post here if they weren't -- I strongly recommend the free on-line gemology course presented by well-known facetor and college professor Barbara Smigel. It's presented in very appealing and easy to understand form and is well illustrated. If you're serious you can even formally enroll for college credit.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 19, 2020 20:33:17 GMT -5
Good on yer beefjello ! A great selection of stones donated to a very worthy person!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 18, 2020 20:28:09 GMT -5
You'd notice a 5.7. Kind of unusual for Utah, I think. Salt Lake City sits right smack on top of the Wasatch Fault -- a very dangerous earthquake zone. It's been very quiet for a long time but in the distant past there have been horrendous earthquakes in the region. When I lived there I always got a bad feeling when I drove up the hill on 13th East near the U. of Utah. The "hill" is an ancient slip fault that elevated the eastern section about 50 feet as I remember. I just read that this quake did some damage to the LDS Temple and dislodged the trumpet from the statue of the Angel Moroni on its top. I have a daughter there and am worried because I haven't been able to reach her by phone.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 18, 2020 1:26:36 GMT -5
mohs , it's magnificent material and quite easy to work. It's a very hard chalcedony but if you've cut Montana agate it has much the same "feel" on the wheels. It's hard to find the old Aussie Marlborough material without the tiny white quartz inclusions I find on a lot of the current rough from Oz. But there are new deposits in Brazil, Indonesia and Africa that may have different properties. It's one of my very favorite stones and here are a couple I cut not long ago, both ring or pendant size, worthy of gold settings. Both are eye clean and translucent. Chryso oval side view Oval front view Round shape Round side view Happy cutting and happy St. Paddy's day (what's left of it!)
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 16, 2020 0:10:19 GMT -5
A very classy result. I like the texturing, which I think adds a desirable complexity to the piece. Nice work.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 11, 2020 0:29:15 GMT -5
It just doesn't quite look like Peruvian blue opal to me. It lacks the translucence and the fracture seems a little off to me. Opal fractures are generally much shinier and not so blocky. I think Robin is on the right track: density. If you have a known piece of common opal, simple heft should give you a general comparison.
If it's heavier/denser than opal that still doesn't ID it for sure. I'd guess it's definitely a copper family mineral but they are manifold. It doesn't have the luster I associate with gem silica but you can't tell too much from an image. Whatever it is it should be great cutting material. My guess that this point would be chrysocolla.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 7, 2020 15:33:12 GMT -5
I've used it successfully for years. I use oil in my saw, don't know how water would work.
1. As mentioned above, let it cure at least 24 hours. I prefer 2 or 3 days' curing time, especially on large surfaces that might take longer to dry.
2. Do your sawing within a few days' time of cementing. I've noticed that after a month or so the sodium silicate begins to desiccate and crumble, weakening the joint.
3. To remove the end cut just toss the board into a bucket of water and let it soak a day or two. It should release very easily.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 3, 2020 14:20:21 GMT -5
Pat , I'm pretty sure #6 is Willow Creek. I have some brecciated slabs that are almost identical in pattern and color. Nice haul! Love those quartz xls.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 1, 2020 18:00:33 GMT -5
Wish I could find some MH with Kaiser coverage. Nearly all of mine are fractured and uninsured.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Mar 1, 2020 15:37:37 GMT -5
Welcome from Southern California. I LOVE your screen name. Wish I'd thought of it. I've been rollin' those rocks up and down the hill for many years. Hope you find the answers you're looking for here.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 28, 2020 23:47:47 GMT -5
Good stuff 1dave. Wish I'd known all that when I collected at Glass Buttes years ago.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 25, 2020 10:51:43 GMT -5
Good report. Hogg Mine rose quartz cuts exceptional star cabs if oriented properly. I have a few primo clean pieces from a friend I need to cut one of these days.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 22, 2020 23:13:48 GMT -5
We were taught: Tall Girls Can Flirt And Other Queer Things Can Do (But that was back when Queer = Odd) We were also taught that our job was to determine the difference between a common ore and a virgin metal:) Did they teach you to stay away from ore houses?
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 20, 2020 18:06:14 GMT -5
DominicK , I messed up and posted the wrong link, but this is Michael Sage's listing and I'm sure he could help you if you PM's him. The proper link where you may find some worthwhile stuff is:
It's the Lapidary Equipment Buy, Sell, Trade group.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,799
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 20, 2020 17:58:09 GMT -5
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 15, 2020 21:42:56 GMT -5
McDevitt's also a jerk. I ordered an expensive parcel from him but after a few days he emailed that he'd decided not to sell it. OK. But he did it in such a snarky, arrogant way he's gone permanently onto my "do not buy from" list.
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gemfeller
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Member since June 2011
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 14, 2020 22:04:25 GMT -5
Welcome from Southern California. I'm curious about the tourmaline you mention. Color? Can you post images? I've never heard of tourm from S.D.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 14, 2020 19:23:48 GMT -5
There's a few places around the Lake George area here in Colorado that you can find Topaz in. I have found a clear and colorless piece in an old tailing pile. There's one place I know of where you can setup a time to meet with the guy and you can help him work the site. Supposedly you can find pink, blue, and clear topaz there. Caveat though is that you give him all the topaz, he'll sell it to you at wholesale prices, and you're also supposed to buy a bag of gravel to sift through. I guess if you're a city slicker looking for the experience or have kiddos to entertain, it could be alright. Personally, the business model doesn't sit well in my gut, but anyways... That region has produced some spectacular gems. From what I can gather it's also color-stable. Topaz mining there was featured a couple of years ago on a TV show, can't recall the name at the moment. It also produces fine terminated smoky quartz and spectacular amazonite specimens.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Feb 14, 2020 17:57:37 GMT -5
Topaz mining in Utah. I think it’s very expensive and you can’t mine at the source, just in a rubble pile from the blast. topazmountainadventures.comI have a few tiny pieces of Utah topaz. Mine is colorless though. It probably faded if it was exposed to sunlight. That's common for Utah topaz and some from other locations, especially Russia and Asia. Even the famed (and expensive!) Imperial topaz from Brazil can fade over time if exposed to the sun.
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