lbs
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2008
Posts: 4
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Post by lbs on Mar 6, 2008 14:31:29 GMT -5
Hey you ID experts out there! I have a slew of rocks here that I want to tumble, but I don't want to curse myself on the initial round by not being able to correctly ID these minerals. Any help is appreciated! First rock: back Second: back Third: back Fourth: back Fifth: back Sixth: back Seventh: back side Eighth: back Ninth: back side I hope these photo links work. It's been a long time since I've tinkered around with HTML tags. Thanks for your help and interest!
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Post by sbreed on Mar 7, 2008 9:52:05 GMT -5
In my humble opinion, the third and seventh are green calcite, fourth is clear quartz, sixth is chalcedeny.
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Post by Michael John on Mar 7, 2008 11:46:06 GMT -5
1 & 2 look like chrysocolla in quartz. 3 & 4 look like granite.
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 7, 2008 11:47:37 GMT -5
Can you scratch any of them with a knife? If so they are in the calcite/serpentine hardness range and shouldn't be mixed with any quartz related pieces. Bob
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lbs
off to a rocking start
Member since February 2008
Posts: 4
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Post by lbs on Mar 7, 2008 15:06:06 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice!
1,3,5, and 7 all can be scratched by metal.
Can you recommend any methods of load balancing to prevent me from destroying these rocks, or perhaps what other rocks to tumble them with? Are there any books I could reference?
Thanks again. The advice is much appreciated!
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bouldergal
freely admits to licking rocks
Glacier Meadow
Member since July 2007
Posts: 783
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Post by bouldergal on Mar 8, 2008 17:23:58 GMT -5
No guarantee on what type of shine you will get, however, if you tumble rocks together that are close in hardness you should have some success. If they're too soft, tho, you will be wasting your time. I'd split what you have into two groups and tumble away! It really wouldn't hurt to put them in together for the first tumble, then split them up. By then you'll be able to tell which stay wet and slippery and those which dry almost immediately.
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agatemaggot
Cave Dweller
Member since August 2006
Posts: 2,195
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Post by agatemaggot on Mar 15, 2008 19:54:14 GMT -5
#6 & #8 look like Lake Superior Agate but I am almost positive that a Glaicer didn't push those all the way to California. Have you a cousin in Minnesota ?
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Post by bobby1 on Mar 16, 2008 0:44:03 GMT -5
1,3,5 and 7 look like Bowenite (a serpentine related stone). Its hardness is similar to serpentine at 2.5 to 3.5. Frequently carved in China and passed off as jade carvings. Bob
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