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Post by Woodyrock on Apr 21, 2009 17:59:05 GMT -5
About twenty miles, crow flight from Saddle Mountain, Washington there is a small town named George. Underlying that town is a diatomaceous earth deposit. There is a mining operation there recovering this material, and among the diatomaceous earth, there is a real nuisance material (to the mining company) we know as OPAL! The mining company allows rockhounds to come in on the week ends and collect. We, however stopped on Monday on our way home from Saddle Mountain whilst they were working, and asked if by chance there was a safe place to collect some opal. The manager picked up his radio, and told one of the loader operators to dump a scoop of opal from the screening plant away form the working area so we could go pick thorgh it. Then the foreman came by, and tried to get us to take a way two really nice pieces each about the size of a foot locker! Unfortuneatly we did not have room for these pieces! We did pick some nice material including one with fire. Here are the photographs. Woody Some common opal More common opal The fire opal A close up of the fire opal
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Post by Bejewelme on Apr 21, 2009 18:17:33 GMT -5
Woody: That is cool!!! I wondered where you were!!! Man, I would have strapped the big pieces to the roof!!!!
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Post by 150FromFundy on Apr 21, 2009 20:16:36 GMT -5
Amazing mine manager to open up his operation up to collectors given the potential liability. Fortunately for you, that mine manager never studied law. Really impressive haul.
150FromFundy
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Post by frane on Apr 21, 2009 20:21:56 GMT -5
That is fantastic! You sure got some nice stuff there and man, I am looking forward to seeing these slabbed and cabbed! Fran
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