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Post by snowmom on Jul 2, 2014 6:52:50 GMT -5
Posted some pictures a while back and 1dave told me to look for jade because I find asbestos and serpentine in the lake here. Now I am trying to learn about Jade. Seems there is Jade found to the west in Canada but haven't found anything that says there is jade north of here that might have been brought down by the glaciers. Still, keeping my eyes peeled for good hard translucent stuff.
the black rocks to the right and the little balled up green one bottom middle all seem to be made of the same stuff, can't decide if it is chalcedony/jasper or something else. all very dense and hard ( laughs at a steel knife blade) leaves a pale dark gray to gray-ish green streak, and no visible crystals or sparkle. I can not find very many photos of weather/water worn jade in its original state. None of these rocks seem to allow light to pass through them at all, but they are very dark colored and very thick. non translucency means non jade? I know there are some jade fanatics on this board, and lots of you may recognize the stuff as it is. Still so new at this I am very easily confused if the stuff is not "text book example" and most of what I find is not. Thanks for any input, I'm here to learn!
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Post by snowmom on Jul 2, 2014 7:04:15 GMT -5
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Post by snowmom on Jul 2, 2014 7:36:34 GMT -5
I had never heard of this stuff until I read a new thread just a few minutes ago. Looks like it should if it is basanite (the black stuff). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basanitewe have olivines here in abundance and lots of basalt.. what do you all think?
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 7:50:11 GMT -5
Here are some of the Wyoming nephrite/jade cobbles/micro to mini boulders that I find here in Northern Wyoming. The valley here was filled by glacial push, river wash from mountains on both sides and ash from Yellowstone eruption. I would guess that there also are a lot of missiles from the last Yellowstone blast 600,000 to 640,000 years ago. I do not find any apple green translucent jade here and this stuff just has small areas that have any translucence at all. Many pieces that I find are mixed with a yellowish/tan/salmon feldspar which I have learned is quite common. I have only found a couple of small pieces of black and no other colors at all. There are a lot of wanabees out there which are hard to distinguish from the real thing so I do an SG test on almost everything I find. Some pieces I can tell as soon as I pick them up now that I have been doing it for a while. There is a lot to learn about jade so good luck with that endeavor. 1Dave posted a pretty good article recently. Jim
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Post by Deleted on Jul 2, 2014 8:02:31 GMT -5
I should have said something about the second photo being a real good look alike but the weight is too low for nephrite.
I know nothing about basanite but there are thousands (maybe millions) of rocks that I know nothing about. lol Jim
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Post by Jugglerguy on Jul 2, 2014 8:19:17 GMT -5
Snowmom, Wampidy sent me some of his jade, so if you want to take a look at it in person, let me know.
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Post by Peruano on Jul 2, 2014 10:08:02 GMT -5
Snowmom, Indeed if you believe what you can read in the Lapidary Journal (April 1962), there is Jade to be had in Michigan and Ontario. "Hunting for Jade in Michigan" by Julian Greenlee gives some good info on identification, possible localities, etc. I'd be glad to send a xerox copy by snail mail if you don't have an obvious source of such ancient literature. He says look for smooth rock, ones that look to have been waxed. If there was a definite cleavage, they broke easily, they looked glassy or were easily scratched, they were passed over. The article spans four pages so its probably worth your reading. Cheers, Tom
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Post by Peruano on Jul 2, 2014 13:21:04 GMT -5
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Post by snowmom on Jul 2, 2014 18:01:19 GMT -5
jugglerguy, consider yourself called upon to show that jade to me. ( excited)
Tom, that is so interesting and makes me begin to think I am not on a wild goose chase... I can't wait to look into this deeper. I just sat here and read the whole thing! It is a long time ago,1962, I wonder if those rock displays still exist and what has happened to his collection? Now I have something concrete to research! Can't tell you how encouraging this article is! Lots of good useful info, too. Feeling uplifted and on a better road- knowledge is power!
Wampidy, those photos help a lot, I think I am on the right track. I have (and had) several which look similar on the surface. Today I picked up about 5 smaller pieces, all with the look of having been hot liquid dunked in something cool and the surface is folded and somewhat bubbled in places... waxy looking surfaces, some of them worn... shaped like yours which is marked 2.675 so much to learn, but this is quite encouraging! Seeing photos of worn jade will help me get a feel for what to look for. I understand what you mean by feeling density in a stone... some just feel more dense than others, some you can not see a grain in (like marble or quartzite) and the hardness is just inherent in the feel of the stone. loving the learning. Thanks to everybody who is contributing to my education. what else do I need to know about jade? reading everything I can get my hands on, every link I run across, every image I can call up in a search.
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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 2, 2014 18:35:46 GMT -5
Jade is a fascinating subject. I used to try to never miss the gem club jade field trips back in Commiefornia. I remember back in the sixties here was an outfit that sold collections of jade samples in little rectangular slabs. Each was identified as to type and location and I was amazed to see how many types there were offered for sale. To this day I'm sorry I didn't buy samples of as many types as they had. Would have been a super way to amass a huge jade cab collection.
Lots of the so called jades are mixes or even types of serpentine which is much more common that jade and found in about every state. Tons of pyroxene group jade look alikes too. Good luck on your quest......Mel
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Post by snowmom on Jul 4, 2014 6:38:21 GMT -5
Mel, sorry I missed that, too. I appreciate the photos of the stuff as found in worn condition... but would have loved to see samples like that. as long as I am learning to ID what I find I won't be too disappointed if I never find jade, the learning is the best part of it all... and the hunt!
I did a little search for the rock shops mentioned and both of them are empty, closed. I have yet to do research on the institute mentioned, I think it likely I'll be taking a trip to Detroit if it still exists, I suspect the Jade collection may well have ended up there. thrill of the hunt continues..... look for the next exciting chapter coming soon.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 4, 2014 7:29:26 GMT -5
Oh you need to be so careful my dear. I can see that you have been sucked into the black hole of jade and nobody comes out unscathed. At any time of day or night your brain will rotate inside your head and focus on something "jade". You can watch a movie and not know what it was about because your brain rotated to jade and smeared all other thoughts out into your ears. It is not fatal but the only cure is to attempt to polish a bunch of Washington nephrite/jade. You may come out of it and you may not depending on how much jade and how good of a shine you are trying to achieve. If all else fails contact me directly so I can send a piece of Wyoming nephrite/jade so you can do a simple polish and be cured. Jim
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Post by snowmom on Jul 4, 2014 14:57:35 GMT -5
jim wampidy, I confess I feel a fever coming over me. Thank goodness others have gone before me to make a path for me to follow. Expect a PM from me before long (you can't see me smiling, but I am!)
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jul 5, 2014 12:42:46 GMT -5
Ha ha, I love this thread. Yep, Jade fever is an affliction for which there is no cure. My "Jadar" is always fully engaged. No plot of land is safe! Heck, I even go as far as rummaging through the rock beds that strip malls use for landscaping. That always gets me some funny looks from passers-by. lol.
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Post by snowmom on Jul 6, 2014 7:50:01 GMT -5
Haha Washington rocks, I confess to doing that too (sometimes)... do you have photos of rough that maybe you found or have worked that you would be willing to share?
regarding the article Tom posted for me, I have found out the Cranbrook Institute is alive and well and still has a huge natural history department, I plan to contact them to see if they have possession of the Michigan jade mentioned in the article. If I could get a good look at it, maybe it would help me in my search. (See Jim/WAmpidy, the symptoms are growing worse!)
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jul 6, 2014 11:25:10 GMT -5
snowmom, I have some Nephrite that's been needing to be slabbed up so I'll see if I can't snap off a few pictures in the process... It's pretty amazing to be able to find jade where it's "not supposed to be found". There's a man in the next state over from you in Ohio who, not only claims to have found jade in the local mines, but says he's found gold in it! www.newsnet5.com/news/science-tech/hidden-gold-ohio-entrepreneur-believes-jade-laced-with-platinum-and-gold-could-bring-economic-boost I've found something similar in my "backyard"...The lab results identified this as Jadeite with trace amounts of Gold and other minerals in it. I'll try to post more photos of local jade in rough form when I get a chance. *Edited to say that this man might be finding something other than true jade, maybe a pyroxene like Enstatite, etc...I notice he refers to jade as a "mineral" which, in my mind, calls into question his claims as being somewhat dubious, but it's an intriguing story nonetheless!
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Post by snowmom on Jul 6, 2014 17:17:54 GMT -5
yep, I understand you can not believe everything you read, but it is intriguing and at least a place to start inquiries. Your cab is a wonderful color... how neat that you have it in your own back yard. how does one go about obtaining a chemical analysis/ or lab results? what kind of lab does diagnostic work of this kind, and is it expensive? thanks for posting, would love to see and hear you talk about more.
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Post by washingtonrocks on Jul 6, 2014 18:27:21 GMT -5
how does one go about obtaining a chemical analysis/ or lab results? what kind of lab does diagnostic work of this kind, and is it expensive? I take my samples to Cannon Microprobe in Seattle. He charges $9.00/specimen which is pretty reasonable. GIA performs identification and grading services, but they're a tad on the expensive side for my tastes. They charge $90-$140 depending on the stone and the number of services requested: analysis, grading, etc...I tend to reserve lab services for those specimens I'm really struggling with ID on and/or I feel the stone is valuable enough to warrant certification.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 6, 2014 23:30:57 GMT -5
how does one go about obtaining a chemical analysis/ or lab results? what kind of lab does diagnostic work of this kind, and is it expensive? I take my samples to Cannon Microprobe in Seattle. He charges $9.00/specimen which is pretty reasonable. GIA performs identification and grading services, but they're a tad on the expensive side for my tastes. They charge $90-$140 depending on the stone and the number of services requested: analysis, grading, etc...I tend to reserve lab services for those specimens I'm really struggling with ID on and/or I feel the stone is valuable enough to warrant certification. Seems like this post bears repeating. $9 is beer money. What are his limitations?
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