RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
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Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 21, 2023 14:32:46 GMT -5
I bought this on a whim at a rock show. It was in about a 25lb chunk with a masking tape label that said "Some kind of jasper?" (with the question mark and everything!) I like blue stuff, so I bought it. I've just started slabbing it, and have no idea what it actually is. Not all of it has this much blue veining - but the best parts are pretty brilliant. Does anybody know what this might actually be? Pictured below wet and dry.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 21, 2023 21:08:51 GMT -5
So...do me a favor...send that to me for closer inspection! LOL
Google "Needles Blue Agate" and check out the images. I can't tell for sure from the pics...but the matrix looks right...and the blue looks to be pretty close. Compare the pics on Google to what you're seeing in person...and let me know if you think it's a match. If so...you may have hit the jackpot.
I just can't tell for sure...
EDIT - Be sure to look at as many pics as you can stand. Some Needles Blue has more gem silica than others...and if yours is Needles Blue, the gem silica content may increase further into the rock...
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Post by Peruano on Jul 22, 2023 6:58:09 GMT -5
Check for hardness. It can guide you to some less likely candidates.
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
|
Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 23, 2023 9:15:39 GMT -5
let me know if you think it's a match. If so...you may have hit the jackpot. jasoninsd Wow! I'm a bit stunned right now because I think you're right! And I very much feel like I hit the jackpot!
I looked at a bunch of pictures because the substrate seems to have a lot of variety. The blues look really close, but some of the substrates seems like it has bigger chunks of conglomerate, and mine is a bit finer grained (still conglomerate looking - just finer) But this one looked dead on - like sister-stone matched! I think this is likely it. I haven't cut or polished any yet to get a real feel for hardness, but I use a gravity-fed slab saw, and it cut a bit softer than jasper or pet wood, but harder than sodalite. (Then again I just sharpened my blade, so I could be misreading that). I'll know for sure after I cab up a piece today. Thank You for your insight!
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 23, 2023 9:22:29 GMT -5
let me know if you think it's a match. If so...you may have hit the jackpot. jasoninsd Wow! I'm a bit stunned right now because I think you're right! And I very much feel like I hit the jackpot!
I looked at a bunch of pictures because the substrate seems to have a lot of variety. The blues look really close, but some of the substrates seems like it has bigger chunks of conglomerate, and mine is a bit finer grained (still conglomerate looking - just finer) But this one looked dead on - like sister-stone matched! I think this is likely it. I haven't cut or polished any yet to get a real feel for hardness, but I use a gravity-fed slab saw, and it cut a bit softer than jasper or pet wood, but harder than sodalite. (Then again I just sharpened my blade, so I could be misreading that). I'll know for sure after I cab up a piece today. Thank You for your insight! Woot Woot!! I sure hope it is NBA!! If it's not a pain, any chance of posting a pic of the chunk you picked up? If you search on the forum, Tommy posted a HUGE chunk of NBA quite some time ago...
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
|
Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 23, 2023 9:37:01 GMT -5
Check for hardness. It can guide you to some less likely candidates. I'm going to try to cab up a piece today so I'll have a better idea of hardness then. I use a gravity fed saw, so it gives me a bit of an idea of hardness as I cut. When I slabbed it I had the impression it was a bit softer than a jasper and a bit harder than the sodalite and script stone I've been cutting. But I've also sharpened the blade recently so I may be misreading. Should know better today after I cab up a piece.
Are there stones that seem like likely contenders?
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 23, 2023 9:44:42 GMT -5
On the Needles Blue I've worked, the matrix is about a Mohs 2...but the gem silica area is maybe a 7 or 8.
If this is indeed NBA, watch for undercutting on the matrix areas...if you include them as a part of the cab.
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
|
Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 23, 2023 20:16:58 GMT -5
jasoninsd Here's a pic of the rough: I cut the chunk in two because 1) I wanted to determine the guts before slabbing possibly the wrong way, and 2) If I made it smaller there would be the option to cut it in my more refined saw with a thinner blade. I've got about 8 slabs taken out of it now, but this gives you an idea of what the original looked like. It was faced on 4 sides, so haven't had a lot of waste yet. Here's a cab I made out of part of an end cut. I haven't been able to bring myself to cut into the slabs yet, and kind of wanted to know how it would handle before I got into it too far anyway.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 23, 2023 20:33:53 GMT -5
Wow. I honestly can't tell from those pics.
That's an amazing polish you got on the cab. The reflection is fantastic at showing the polish...but sucks to see the details in the cab! LOL
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 23, 2023 22:41:01 GMT -5
Don't know about the blue part, but the rest looks a lot like some stuff I have found in Southern Nevada, that I am pretty sure is some form of rhyolite. Not sure where the pics of my slabs are, but here is a pic of the rough.
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RocKingRuralMo
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2022
Posts: 109
|
Post by RocKingRuralMo on Jul 24, 2023 11:42:17 GMT -5
Don't know about the blue part, but the rest looks a lot like some stuff I have found in Southern Nevada, that I am pretty sure is some form of rhyolite. Not sure where the pics of my slabs are, but here is a pic of the rough. wow - that does look really similar! Have you worked any of it up? How was it?
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 24, 2023 16:43:17 GMT -5
Don't know about the blue part, but the rest looks a lot like some stuff I have found in Southern Nevada, that I am pretty sure is some form of rhyolite. Not sure where the pics of my slabs are, but here is a pic of the rough. wow - that does look really similar! Have you worked any of it up? How was it? Yes, polished a piece several years ago. Polished really well.
The stuff is abundant in a couple of places around Southern Nevada, including just outside of Las Vegas. Mainly though I have collected it further North, about 110 miles from Las Vegas where it is really abundant and comes in several colors and patterns, including blue and white striped. I will have to check my other computer and see if I can find the pics of some of the slabs I cut showing the differences in patterns and colors.
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Post by vegasjames on Jul 25, 2023 10:39:08 GMT -5
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