Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 27, 2013 23:25:51 GMT -5
The mother-of-all-rock-sales continued today. An older couple from my club is selling off most of 40 years of collecting and moving to Oregon to be closer to family. Today was not an advertised sale - I just showed up uninvited and was able to help the family move furniture for a while and spend a few hours happily digging in piles of rocks all by myself. I had a little more trouble showing restraint today than I did last weekend. I ended up with a milk crate overflowing with 120 lbs of flame and other agates and chrysocolla, a beautiful 40 lb blue moss agate, and 60 lbs of Las Vegas purple agate. The yard... The piece I need help ID'ing is a 40 lb blue mossy agate. 60 lbs of Las Vegas purple agate... 10 lb and 5 lb flame agates... Owyee I think? Chrysocolla (I'm told) Thanks for looking
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Post by helens on May 27, 2013 23:35:01 GMT -5
Wow... so many estate sales lately!! Beautiful stuff:)!
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kewlimages
having dreams about rocks
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Post by kewlimages on May 28, 2013 10:34:46 GMT -5
Very nice finds. I love it when I get to dig thru things by myself.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 29, 2013 23:18:43 GMT -5
Here's a few more pictures of the haul from Monday - hope y'all aren't getting sick of me yet. Without my own saw to cut this stuff up I feel like a toothless kid in a candy store... This is a 12lb piece of what I believe to be jadeite. It's VERY dense and heavy for it's size. Maury Mountain I'm told I cut a little end piece off one of the Las Vegas purple agate with my trim saw just to get a preview of what's to come - I was surprised how much color emerged. Around 15 lb banded rhyolite
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Post by helens on May 30, 2013 0:46:02 GMT -5
Tommy... hide the purple everything OUT of the sun... purples and blues in rocks fade in UV (which is why the outside is so much duller than the inside).
That purple was near VEGAS?! Gaahhh!!! I was just there and no one told me that:(...
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 30, 2013 8:18:19 GMT -5
Thanks for the tip Helen I will begin doing that. According to the old rockhound the las vegas purple was only found in one location and a mining company claimed and completely depleted it many years ago. I don't know if this is true and I can't find any information about it.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2013 13:38:14 GMT -5
Purple agates tend to fade in the sun. Hide it in the dark to preserve color! I did this with the burro creek Beef & Tim gave me.
The one you labelled owhyee is most like Fallon Wonderstone. It is also a rhyolite.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 30, 2013 15:36:20 GMT -5
Thanks Scott! Any ideas on the location of the 15 pounder rhyolite? Probably can't see enough of it to tell.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 30, 2013 16:00:38 GMT -5
Thanks Scott! Any ideas on the location of the 15 pounder rhyolite? Probably can't see enough of it to tell. could be wonderstone too. That mountain has a huge variation in quality. Perhaps Mel will have further input. Those stones are all nice. You have a good eye. I keep looking at the maury mtn and the nevada purple.
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Post by helens on May 30, 2013 19:01:54 GMT -5
Looks like hickorite to me, (a mexico rhyolite, but can come from all over I think). Reason I think it's Mexican is the pink and yellow, since I have some like that.
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 30, 2013 20:05:08 GMT -5
I keep looking at the maury mtn and the nevada purple. I'm finding conflicting information about the Maury mtn. do we think it's an agate or a jasper? I can't find much on the Nevada purple agate at all so if anyone runs across information about it please lay it on me. My geologist friend from the club actually brought the it to my attention and said that rockhounds who know about it would "kill for it." Being the obsessive type that I am I bought the whole pile hahaha ... maybe he just wanted to make a sale LOL.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on May 31, 2013 9:45:52 GMT -5
The purple agate is known as Henderson Purple and comes from a mine site, now closed outside of Henderson which is adjacent to Vegas. Ron from Ron's rocks used to go out there and mine it from the mine tailings and I got my examples from him. Some of it is very deep purple, probably due to beryllium content but of that I'm not sure. I can't remember him telling me what kind of mine it was.
Maury Mountain can be pretty densely mossy but it is generally thought of as a form of moss agate.
Your flame agate looks to me to be Pata De Gallo, Roostertail Agate out of Mexico..Mel
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 31, 2013 12:47:18 GMT -5
Thank you Mel. I was very much hoping you would chime in too - I figured that if anyone had held it and licked it (am I the only one who does that?) and knew what it was it would be you. I'm wondering now if this is the same stuff that this site says they have researched to an original name of "Henderson Amethystine." Is there any real correlation to actual amethyst or is this just a made up name? www.finegemdesigns.com/henderson11.htm
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 13:59:31 GMT -5
I figured that if anyone had held it and licked it (am I the only one who does that?) Nope! We have a member here. If memory is good, he goes by agate licker. You have to earn a name like that! Change your name to Tommy - The Agate Licker haha!!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on May 31, 2013 14:02:00 GMT -5
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on May 31, 2013 14:41:50 GMT -5
Change your name to Tommy - The Agate Licker haha!! No chance! I'm an equal equality licker - I lick jaspers too hahaha Thanks for the picture link!
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Tommy
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Post by Tommy on Jun 1, 2013 8:29:58 GMT -5
Well in case anyone cares I fixed up my 7" trim saw last night with a fresh blade and cut up the smallest piece of the Henderson material. It's really a lot darker inside than I thought it would be. I've got a lot of work on my plate today trimming a tree and leveling a spot for a shed but I'll try to bang out a cab or two this weekend.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Jun 3, 2013 23:48:51 GMT -5
NICE!!!
Purple always makes me happy.
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Post by vegasjames on Feb 10, 2014 8:37:43 GMT -5
Purple agate can still be found around here. The gem club just went out to collect some about a year ago. I did not go on the trip though so I cannot say where it is located. I am sure they will make another trip out there one of these days.
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Post by pghram on Feb 10, 2014 10:47:58 GMT -5
Nice, I'm hooked on purple rough.
Rich
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