sugarskull7
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2023
Posts: 3
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Post by sugarskull7 on Sept 21, 2023 14:47:34 GMT -5
 Hi all! I’m a SoCal rock hound and have finally gotten my tumbler up and running after a few years. I have a piece of known, unpolished Big Sur jade I’m about to tumble, but noticed one of the rocks from a previous batch might be jade as well. Under a loupe it looks fibrous. It’s very hard, took a long time to polish. In the pic (if I can manage to upload it this time) the known piece is the top stone, the mystery piece is the polished one beneath it. Thoughts? |
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dillonf
fully equipped rock polisher
Hounding and tumbling
Member since February 2022
Posts: 1,190
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Post by dillonf on Sept 21, 2023 20:25:28 GMT -5
They look like the same material to me!
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller 
Member since March 2009
Posts: 3,892 
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Post by RWA3006 on Sept 21, 2023 22:20:50 GMT -5
Might need to do a specific gravity test to find out. It needs to be around 3.3 specific gravity. Looks similar in the photo except for the luster. I notice the bottom stone appears to shine more than the top which makes me wonder. Jade usually has a waxy luster like the top stone.
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sugarskull7
off to a rocking start
Member since September 2023
Posts: 3
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Post by sugarskull7 on Sept 22, 2023 9:41:26 GMT -5
The bottom stone is tumble polished, the top one is not, that’s why the luster is different.  |
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Post by Mel (PrettyGritty) on Sept 27, 2023 14:27:01 GMT -5
Looks like jade to me; you can rub it against a porcelain tile and if it leaves a colorless streak, it's jade. If it leaves any color, it's probably serpentine. Can also try rubbing the 2 pieces together.
If it's serpentine you'll get kind of a white streak, which you won't get with jadeite/nephrite.
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Rock likes waves...waves like Rock