Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2007 2:07:49 GMT -5
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2007 3:03:59 GMT -5
Not sure how this post went from 0 to 299 in 10 mins, very weird stuff going on.
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Post by Michael John on Jul 4, 2007 3:13:06 GMT -5
Nicely done! They came-out great! You managed to capture it's nuances beautifully. When you cab more, please post the pics!
Indeed, I did get VERY lucky to find this material. When I first discovered and started to work my claim last year, it was pretty disappointing. It was a fresh find of Chrysocolla, and the outer material was very low grade. As time went on, and I got deeper, the quality improved. Finally, this May, I found what I only recently confirmed is gem silica. For those of you who don't know, finding gem silica in a chrysocolla mine is akin to "hitting the motherlode" in a gold mine. In fact, the chance of finding gem silica is very rare, as it is found in only a very small percentage of chrysocolla mines. Value? Professionally cabbed, it is often more valuable than gold bullion. It's common to see cabs in the $200-300 range, and I've even seen them as high as $500+.
Next week, I'll start to sell this gem silica rough on eBay, in order to fund a cab machine, a 20" saw, and some supplies. Once I see what price the market will bear, I'll offer the rough to this forum's members at a considerably lower price.
Thanks again, Tony! You're The Man!
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Post by Lady B on Jul 4, 2007 9:13:45 GMT -5
Oh I can't wait to be able to get some of this gorgeous stone. I didn't think I particularly liked blue stones except for the unique color of aquamarine (I'm a Pisces) but after seeing some of the blue stones posted on RTH I think I'm changing my mind. And this gem silica is a major factor in that change.
Beautiful cab, Nephrite. And thanks Michaeljohn for persisting in your mining and bringing this gem to light.
Please post your eBay link when you set up the sale, okay?
Lady B
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2007 12:04:30 GMT -5
Ok I am seriously tripped out. I posted this last nite and within the first ten min, it went from 2 to 299. Now when I woke up today it was at 800 plus, what is going on? ??
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Post by Michael John on Jul 4, 2007 15:48:20 GMT -5
As you can see in Tony's slices, the rough material has quite a bit of variance/character to it. On some chunks, rather than slice it, it would be better to carefully "dissect" it in order to take best advantage and get the nicest cabs.
As you can see in Tony's pics of the cut slices, there is an area in the vein where banding has occurred. This is a phenomenon I've never seen before. Looking at the banding closely, it is definately layered gem silica, and it's likely to be worth a small fortune due to it's rarity. Tony, if you read this, I'm very interested to see a cab or two of that banded area, when you have the time. They'll undoubtedly fetch you a fortune if you choose to sell them.
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Post by Lady B on Jul 4, 2007 16:17:39 GMT -5
Nephrite,
I think the number of visitors has something to do with the word "killer" in the title of this thread. It's amazing what links show up on search engines when a single word or a short term is used for the search.
Lady B
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Post by Michael John on Jul 4, 2007 17:24:42 GMT -5
I was rather proud of the monicker he gave it. ;D
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Post by catmandewe on Jul 4, 2007 21:04:16 GMT -5
WOW some fantastic stuff there, Nice cabs Tony.
Michaeljohn, Count me in when you start selling the stuff, my wife would love some of that.
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lndcrz47
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since June 2007
Posts: 153
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Post by lndcrz47 on Jul 4, 2007 22:46:07 GMT -5
very cool,thanks for sharing your pics
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Post by freeform on Jul 5, 2007 12:43:18 GMT -5
Nice cut and color for sure there Tony, and cool find for you MJ. I dont mean to brust anyones bubble, But I have to point out, in my professional experince. That is not Gem silica, but rather Chrysocolla Silicate. And becasue of its brceiate appearance, i would go as far as saying its Chrysocolla in Quartz without testing any. The worth is still up there, but not as much as ture gem silica. These often are cross confused in the market and i am only pointing out this becasue of experince. Having grown up seeing my uncle and grandpa cut tons of chrysocolla, i have come to understand most label gem silica on the market is in fact, chrysocolla silicate or Chysocolla in Quartz. The difference is unclusions and mixture. Ture gem silica will have no inclucions or mixtures in the blue of any kind, but 5% of inclusions is acceptable in my opinion so long as the rest is true gel material. I recently cut a piece that i know most would call Gem silica, when in fact its Chrysocolla silicate. Its as hard as any fine agate, but with inclusions in the silica, and half of the rough was a red jasper. And a member on my forum posted this recently, which is a prefect example of what Gem silica should always be compared to, no matter were its mined. As the inspiration material still probley the best example of gem silica ever being mined. www.forums.freeformcabs.com/viewtopic.php?t=903Notice her frist cabs look like dyed agate and a couple wouldnt be Ture Gem silica, but most are. Scroll down to see the piece she recently cut up. Notice how you can see through it, that is Gem silica, which is compared to other "gel" chalcedonies like Chrysoprase. Inclusions and mixture will always detract from a resale value of gem silica. And if the inclusions are over 5% of the stone, its a Chrysocolla silicate. Now, i am in no way trying to say MJ material is not worth what he will sell it at. But since value and term has been stated. I feel complelled to share what i know so people understand the common confusion around the material. When rarity is a factor, so is value. And since often when a material comes to a forum that may be new to over 90% of the users. People may feel like its something they want to give a try. And reguardless of what one may think i am trying to say, confusion often takes the riens and people can be hurt. Without testing it, just by the photos Tony has provided. I would value that material around $15-20 per pound. If more blue gel, larger blue gel areas. I could see the value go up to $30 per pound no problem. The insperation example on my forum i would value in a carat range similar to cut diamond. just my 2.99999 cents.
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Post by Michael John on Jul 5, 2007 15:11:54 GMT -5
Freeform, thank you VERY MUCH for sharing your expert knowledge. The person whom I consulted is the former president of the now-defunct local Gem & Mineral Club. Although he's an elderly gentleman with a lifetime of experience under his belt, you obviously have more knowledge and expertise in this area. I'll adjust the material's description accordingly.
As far as value goes, he said to test the waters on eBay. His advice was, selling it as rough, to start at $50 a pound. His reasoning was that even the cheapest of turquoise will fetch $50 a pound, and that this material is much nicer than any cheap turquoise. Given your estimates, I'll start at $30 a pound and see how it goes. Besides, I'm only going to sell enough rough to pay for a cabbing machine. I don't want to be competing to sell my cabs with other people selling cabs made from MY material, so I need to keep that to a minimum.
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Post by texaswoodie on Jul 5, 2007 19:02:16 GMT -5
Whatever it is, it looks great!
Curt
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Post by Michael John on Jul 6, 2007 2:06:21 GMT -5
I agree, Curt. "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet."This has been bugging me all day. I looked at the link in Freeform's post, and I see the point. The pure gem silica looks like a piece of blue-green glass. Then again, as he mentioned, the market seems to use the term in a much more general sense. Here's some links: cgi.ebay.com/STUNNING-INSPIRATION-MINE-GEM-SILICA-COLLECTORS-GEM-CAB_W0QQitemZ140073894244QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10187QQcmdZViewItemcgi.ebay.com/RARE-TOP-BLUE-RAY-MINE-GEM-SILICA-TRILLION-FINEST-YET_W0QQitemZ140073894240QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10187QQcmdZViewItemcgi.ebay.com/AMAZING-RAY-MINE-FACETED-GEM-SILICA-COLLECTORS-CABOCHON_W0QQitemZ140073895829QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10187QQcmdZViewItemcgi.ebay.com/STUNNING-INSPIRATION-MINE-GEM-SILICA-FACETED-SHIELD-CAB_W0QQitemZ140087742036QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10187QQcmdZViewItemcgi.ebay.com/AMAZING-INSPIRATION-MINE-GEM-SILICA-FACETED-FLAME-WOW_W0QQitemZ140034325401QQihZ004QQcategoryZ10187QQcmdZViewItemJudging from those pieces, and many others, it doesn't seem that the market is quite as concerned with semantics, and although these are not priced like diamonds, $200-300 a cab isn't chicken feed. A pound of rough will make a LOT of cabs, so after careful consideration, I think I'll start at $50 a pound and see how it goes. It doesn't seem (to me) to be an unreasonable amount to ask, and I'll see if buyers agree.
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rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
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Post by rollingstone on Jul 6, 2007 2:56:39 GMT -5
Freeform definitely knows his stuff, and is not someone who has ever tried to "stir the pot" on this board. So I'm certain that the information he has offered is both well informed and well intentioned, and is an accurate reflection of the lapidary market. That said, ebay can be a very different beast, and what people are willing to pay on ebay can sometimes seem quite out of touch with reality. So if you can get $50 per pound on ebay, go for it. If it doesn't sell, then you can always drop your price. If it doesn't even sell at a price like Freeform suggests is its true value, then I think you might be wise to move away from ebay into some of the markets Shain (freeform) deals in, rather than continuing to drop the price until you are selling it at bargain-basement prices. And I guess I'd also like to point out that those links to the $300 cabs are all from one seller (stupendousgems), and as best I can tell, he doesn't actually sell any at that price. If you review his selling history, his gem silica cabs actually seem to sell for $35 or less. For example, check out this nice one that sold for $20. cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140126708928Anyhow, I'm just trying to add to the discussion here, not challenge anyone or anything like that. Good luck on your sales, hope you score top dollar! -Don
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Post by Michael John on Jul 6, 2007 4:56:23 GMT -5
Not trying to score top dollar, nor be ripped-off. Just fair price. I won't know what that is until I get buyers. If $50 is too high, I'll know soon enough. I'd much rather NOT sell it than sell it too low.
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181lizard
Cave Dweller
Still lurking :)
Member since December 2005
Posts: 2,171
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Post by 181lizard on Jul 6, 2007 13:13:42 GMT -5
I've seen pic's of what was called "gem silica" and it IS truely beautiful. Calling it glass like fits perfectly.
Only person I've ever bought the Chrys from was Jamie. When I opened the box, I was astounded at the color. LOVE it! Turquoise is beautiful...never met one I didn't like...but it can be soooo expensive. The right person gets their paws on the Chrys and uses it instead of Turq in jewelry...I believe your gonna see a whole new market open up. It's more vibrant...less expensive and has even better range of colors.
Go for it buddy!
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Post by Michael John on Jul 6, 2007 15:28:36 GMT -5
Turquoise, chrysocolla, and variscite have many similarities, and they're all commonly used in southwestern jewelry. All three are beautiful and distinctive, although there is sometimes some confusion, such as in the case of the monicker "variquoise".
All three can be found dirt cheap or very expensive. It really comes down to the beauty of the individual piece, and what people are willing to spend for that piece. Popularity and "fad" also come into play, to a point. The name of the mine which a piece comes from can also add value, especially if it is a mine which has been depleted, or if it's a new mine which is known to be producing in very limited quantity. However, these issues are minor compared to the bottom line ... what does the piece look like?
Turquoise, in general, is in increasingly short supply. Most of the famous big mines of The Southwest are thoroughly depleted or are being worked on a very small scale to mine the little remaining material. There are new discoveries, and a few of them are producing some awesome turq, but they are miniscule in size and production in comparison to their predecessors. A lot of turquoise is now coming out of China, but the majority of it is of mediocre quality, and it often must be stabilized in order to be used for jewelry.
As turquoise becomes increasingly short in supply and expensive, people are turning to chrysocolla and variscite as very acceptable and beautiful alternatives.
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creativecabs
off to a rocking start
Member since July 2007
Posts: 7
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Post by creativecabs on Aug 14, 2007 21:41:21 GMT -5
Hi everyone, I'm the person who posted the gem silica cabs shain pointed out. I've since gotten some better material and some with chatoyant malachite in it...so I figured I'd share the pictures so you can see how it looks. I'm also waiting on two chunks I just picked up on ebay that were mislisted as turquoise but are gem silica of potentially good quality. As to ebay as a selling place. You will have a hard time getting a good price for the material because everyone is looking for a bargain...and bargains can be found. I buy off of ebay with great success, but I won't sell my jewelry or stones there. I am considering trying to sell off some Norwegian mineral specimines via ebay as they are taking up space and collecting dust in my studio. Anyway, the lighter cabs came from a bunch of 7 slabs I got in a misc. green/blue estate lapidary lot. The darker ones and the ones with chatoyant malachite I got in a large, 28 oz chunk which I paid nearly $400 for but someone on one of the lapidary lists told me if I'd bought it in Bizbee, it could have cost me in the thousands. The latest ones are about 2 lbs total and were also mislisted as turquoise and I got them for a very low price, but I suspect it may be some of the most even material I've gotten so far. I should get it this weekend, and will try to post some better images. That being said, here are some images of the rough and cut materials: Here are the cabs I've cut out of the first two batches...the light slabs and some of the $390 chunk: Here's a picture of the big chunk before I cut it up(original ebay image): Here's the two chunks I'm waiting for now, the flatter one weighs about 22 oz, the other about 10 oz. Look at the evenness of color in these: fyi, if you want to see how expensive good rough can get, take a look at gram cabbing's 20.8 gram inspiration mine slab: www.cabbers.com/rough/gem_silica/inspiration_gem_silica_rough.shtmlJeanne
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Post by stonesthatrock on Aug 14, 2007 23:15:43 GMT -5
We have these pieces of maimi chrysocolla. we werer told its worth alot. The dark blue area we were told is a very good quality of gem silica.
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