Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 9, 2009 11:09:40 GMT -5
Howdy folks, Just wanted to give a big ole thank you to our member rockmanken for these really pretty slabs he sent me just cause he's a generous fellow. A couple of them are real stumpers too. Jade lookalikes but I kinda think more of a quartzite in composition. The other two, well they're just awesome, a different kind of lazulite in quartzite than I have and a nice slab of unakite. I have one tiny slab of this somewhere but this one is a corker. Anyway, again, thanks so much for the great additions to my collection Ken! Here are the pics:......Mel Lazulite in quartz with pyrite. The other Graves Mtn variety I have is white and has no pyrite. A picture can't so this specimen justice as the sparkle is really cool. Unakite from Virginia. Really a dense solid example: Mutton fat jade lookalike. Really, if I saw it cabbed, I say jade but the hardness and texture is a bit off and under the lens, it looks more quartzy. Absolutely beautiful material though! Another jade lookalike. Boy, so many things look like jade! This one is almost agate hard but does not have the fibrous waxy texture I'm used to seeing in jade. Somewhere I have something exactly like this except slightly lighter in color from the California foothills near Linsey. Again, I think more of a quartzite but dang fine green color and looks as if it'd work up real nice. I almost like it better than jade.
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Post by Bejewelme on Jul 9, 2009 12:05:25 GMT -5
Mel: I know your excitement, I loved that mutton jade form Ken, it is soft, but it polished nicely ,and his lazulite was totally different from the stuff that Kap sent me! I wonder if it is just different areas of the mtn where they collect?? It is my favoirte material! Now you are cabbing, so we expect to see some cabs of these!!!! Amber
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Post by rockmanken on Jul 9, 2009 14:39:54 GMT -5
Mel, sure glad that you liked them. The light green one has clear quartz running through it. The lazulite is different because I found a special boulder of it that is gray instead of white. When I broke it up(about 3 foot by 4 foot) I am sure that I gave Keith some. In all, 18 five gallon buckets came off the boulder. Have found only one other smaller boulder with the same intensity. Tom Leary also found one with good intensity of lazulite and pyrite. Most of them also have light green kyanite in it also. For those that want to see pictures of Graves Mtn., go to Bob's Rock Shop page and scroll down the index to Graves Mtn. www.rockhounds.com/It is about a mile walk to where the boulders are from where you park and is uphill half way (both ways).
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Post by rockmanken on Jul 9, 2009 14:42:48 GMT -5
P.S. My avitar shows me at Graves Mtn. with 6 buckets in my car.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 9, 2009 20:14:34 GMT -5
Holy smokes! Eighteen five gallon buckets! What a find that was, certainly a beautiful and unusual variety of that material....Mel
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Post by frane on Jul 9, 2009 20:43:27 GMT -5
Wow! These are really nice slabs Mel! I love the lazulite. It is so much prettier in person! That was a really nice gift! Fran
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Post by NatureNut on Jul 9, 2009 21:02:36 GMT -5
Oh man. Mel you are one lucky dude. What is that woven wood used as the background in your pics? Ken, you sure gave him some primo material to clear out those cabbing cobwebs! WTG!
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,466
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Post by Sabre52 on Jul 10, 2009 7:24:46 GMT -5
Jo: The background is actually the bottom of a plastic TV dinner tray . Classy huh? *L*......Mel
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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 Jul 13, 2009 11:17:48 GMT -5
What a nice surprise! The lazulite is wonderful. Looks like it would make a beautiful silver wrapped cab! I have a very small piece of something that looks like the unakit that I have been wanting to find time to cab......must find time, must find time..... Color me gone! Susan
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