tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,519
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Post by tribeunited on Jul 26, 2024 15:34:22 GMT -5
RWA3006 - Thank you for providing that link :0) I'm going to follow it right after I reply to all of you fine folks. gemfeller - If you don't mind, I would love to see images. I'm curious and would love to look at your beautiful work. It may also help me narrow down a location on some of these. So if it's not too much trouble, yes please ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,998
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Post by gemfeller on Jul 26, 2024 17:41:19 GMT -5
My collection shows some good examples of what’s NOT good! One has a well carved area, but so little of it. The back to are both ground through the fire layer in some places. The final pic you showed looks like the fire layer is already damaged, so the “usable” area ends up being much smaller. edit: btw I didn’t carve these, but tossed some bits into the picture to show what kind of tools are used to do so. ![](https://res.cloudinary.com/forum-rocktumblinghobby-com/image/upload/v1721861871/ydklg1vpm3wobqnzbvaa.jpg) Those stones had good potential before they were ruined. One or two still might - hard to tell from images. They need special handling because the iridescent layers are quite close to the surface. The tools you show would destroy them quickly. They need very gentle abrasion and polishing with bristle brushes/diamond compound and felt buffs. Hee's an example of a similar type stone I partly polished in the rough to illustrate the technique. All I need to do to make a cab is saw off the polished part and finish polishing it. Caution! They aren't all that easy!
![](https://rockshow.rocktumblinghobby.com/i.php?/upload/2024/07/26/20240726153522-4f62b78f-me.jpg)
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Post by cabby on Jul 26, 2024 17:52:41 GMT -5
gemfeller I haven’t looked to purchase any… do some locations come with more exposed area? Or is that more standard these days? All of the rough I inherited have thick layers of chalcedony on top that need to be ground away. The examples I took pics of are ones that had already been cut/ground down to the “fire” layer (just not well). Of the two in the back the left one can have a smaller cab cut from the middle (edges are all ground too far). The one on the right is unlikely to be worth salvaging but I could still use it as practice for exposing different color layers.
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,519
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Post by tribeunited on Jul 26, 2024 18:03:04 GMT -5
gemfeller - that's something special there - thanks for sharing ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,998
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Post by gemfeller on Jul 26, 2024 18:08:21 GMT -5
tribeunited I'll try but the internet and Microsoft are conspiring against me. I have a terrible problem staying on-line (modem problem or something I haven't figured out yet) and an MS update that wiped out my image search function. The fire agate samples you posted look pretty generic to me. I've seen similar structure in FA from all sources I'm familiar with. If my life depended on a decision I'd say Mexico but that's based on fragmentary evidence. It's really hard to know unless you witness it being mined. There are some things that indicate sources pretty strongly in general but none are truly conclusive IMO. I'm posting an image of a Deer Creek carving I think his absolutely remarkable. Fire agate has a bubbly stgructure defined as "botryoidal." The common definition of botryoidal is "like a bunch of grapes." So this master cutter/jeweler Steve Watson created just that: a FA pendant that looks exactly like a bunch of grapes in lovely purple -green. ![](https://rockshow.rocktumblinghobby.com/i.php?/upload/2024/07/26/20240726160148-dbe1b6d0-me.jpg)
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,998
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Post by gemfeller on Jul 26, 2024 18:23:04 GMT -5
gemfeller I haven’t looked to purchase any… do some locations come with more exposed area? Or is that more standard these days? All of the rough I inherited have thick layers of chalcedony on top that need to be ground away. The examples I took pics of are ones that had already been cut/ground down to the “fire” layer (just not well). Of the two in the back the left one can have a smaller cab cut from the middle (edges are all ground too far). The one on the right is unlikely to be worth salvaging but I could still use it as practice for exposing different color layers. The ones with white chalcedony "caps" are real keepers. They suggest Deer Creek origin (but not conclusively). Very careful removal of the chalcedony should reveal the color layer. There are videos now that show how others do it. They didn't exist when I was learning. There may be several color layers below the first. Before doing anything wet the rough in bright sunlight and use magnification to inspect it. You may be able to determine which way the color runs or additional layers. Before tackling expensive rough, practice and practice some more on cheap stuff. There's a lot to know about FA. Better to sacrifice junk than a potential $500 or more gem. Lots of videos to help nowadays.
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Post by cabby on Jul 26, 2024 18:32:25 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! All of the vids I’ve seen have that “cap” as well so didn’t realize that not ALL fire agate have it. And yes, most of mine is deer creek. Have a bag of “tumblers”. Not sure where the rest came from but most look the same. When I looked them over I could see signs of each and every piece, even in the bag of tumblers, having been tested for fire. Don’t think I have any great pieces but I won’t mind practicing on “tumblers” as long as they have SOME fire
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,998
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Post by gemfeller on Jul 26, 2024 18:39:07 GMT -5
Thanks for the info! All of the vids I’ve seen have that “cap” as well so didn’t realize that not ALL fire agate have it. And yes, most of mine is deer creek. Have a bag of “tumblers”. Not sure where the rest came from but most look the same. When I looked them over I could see signs of each and every piece, even in the bag of tumblers, having been tested for fire. Don’t think I have any great pieces but I won’t mind practicing on “tumblers” as long as they have SOME fire Good plan!
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,519
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Post by tribeunited on Jul 29, 2024 16:41:13 GMT -5
tribeunited I'll try but the internet and Microsoft are conspiring against me. I have a terrible problem staying on-line (modem problem or something I haven't figured out yet) and an MS update that wiped out my image search function. The fire agate samples you posted look pretty generic to me. I've seen similar structure in FA from all sources I'm familiar with. If my life depended on a decision I'd say Mexico but that's based on fragmentary evidence. It's really hard to know unless you witness it being mined. There are some things that indicate sources pretty strongly in general but none are truly conclusive IMO. I'm posting an image of a Deer Creek carving I think his absolutely remarkable. Fire agate has a bubbly stgructure defined as "botryoidal." The common definition of botryoidal is "like a bunch of grapes." So this master cutter/jeweler Steve Watson created just that: a FA pendant that looks exactly like a bunch of grapes in lovely purple -green. ![](https://rockshow.rocktumblinghobby.com/i.php?/upload/2024/07/26/20240726160148-dbe1b6d0-me.jpg) Thank you. I appreciate you fighting through the technical difficulties to help out. I suppose I just have one question left at this point. Is knowing the location important for fire agates?
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gemfeller
Cave Dweller
Member since June 2011
Posts: 3,998
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Post by gemfeller on Jul 29, 2024 18:07:49 GMT -5
tribeunited Hard to say. Depends on which market you're trying to appeal to. I think it is for the sophisticated FA fanciers. Frankly I don't think it has a lot of appeal beyond that -- it's new to most people and requires some understanding of its nature to motivate sales. I guess I answered in this explanation -- yes, probably. But there are always people who love beauty and don't care about technical stuff.
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,519
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Post by tribeunited on Jul 29, 2024 18:09:33 GMT -5
Answered perfectly - thank you. Sometimes I think I put too much effort in the labeling part - I try and get as much info as possible and it's more than likely unnecessary ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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