hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on Nov 26, 2014 11:28:43 GMT -5
I know a lot of you are like me... and just are fascinated and nearly or totally obsessed with "pretty rocks"... I know some of you make a living off this or at least a partial living I guess. But Im curious to hear what you all "do" with your rocks?
I have no real plans other than to just look at them, display them, share them. I hope to someday get a saw and a grinder/polisher and actually make some jewelry, Im facscinated with the wire wrapping...
You guys that are producing huge lots of these all the time... you selling them? Every store I go in has "polished" rocks for sale... rock hearts... etc... key chains. Are you guys all part of this industry?
When I go into a gift shop and there is a HUGE bin of rocks and it says you can fill this little velvet bag for 2.99... Im thinking... no way, Im not selling MY rocks for 2.99 a bag! hehehe...
Also... Im wondering to what degree a very well polished rock is more valuable than just a shiny one? I am a wood worker and am well aware that a "good" finish takes a lot of time and work... but to the untrained eye... a guy can slap a finish on a good looking piece of wood and it wont be much different. TO my eye, or a conniseur... there is worlds of difference. This must be too with rock polishing too right?
Anyhow... sort of a goofy post, but Im just curious... what do you do with your polished rocks?
Happy Thanksgiving All!
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hornseeker
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2014
Posts: 268
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Post by hornseeker on Nov 26, 2014 11:39:08 GMT -5
Just to spice up this thread, post a few pics of what you do with your rocks! I met a guy at my work that is a rock junky and he has been tumbling for a while. I brought him a few rocks and he tumbled them for me starting several months ago. He just brought the finished products back yesterday... So, these will sit on a shelf in my house... This is a very "blue" yellowstone agate. Not the norm... the norm is like the pieces above it... This is an interesting Ystone... This rock is simply astounding... its beauty cannot be captured in this photo... the subtle color phases in it along with the fine dendritic patterns... so beautiful... This too is an amazing little piece of agate! And this is the agate below the layered agate in the above pic... this is another Ystone with an uncharacteristicly reddish/brownish color... beautiful subtle banding....
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Post by captbob on Nov 26, 2014 11:49:47 GMT -5
Hand 'em out at Halloween. I had a bowl of candy bars and a bowl of tumbles. I had to refill the tumbles bowl and not the candy. Limit to a few so some brat doesn't empty the bowl. Let the kids pick 'em. If it's real young ones, get the parents okay. You don't want a little one thinking a tumble is candy!
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2014 11:57:45 GMT -5
Cool to see the details of the rock thru the polish. i trade mine like money. Many service people that are interested in rocks. If they don't, their kids often do. Grit, scrap iron, industrial scrap, better postal service(carrier likes them), contract work, gifts, making peace w/inlaws, kids delight when given to them, permission to collect on properties. Permission to collect on private property is a good one. People marvel that rocks from their property look so good polished. Show them to people and you will be surprised how some will warm up to you.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 26, 2014 12:09:06 GMT -5
I sell a pretty good amount of tumbles at shows at some by the pound on our Etsy store but not enough to stop them from piling up. I keep an 8ft table set up in our rock area that has glass bowls full of tumbles on display. Here's a picture of the rocks we finished in 2013 and the link below is to a post about that years tumbles with more pictures. 2013 rock tumblesChuck
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Post by captbob on Nov 26, 2014 12:09:48 GMT -5
Hit garage sales or thrift shops for small "dishes" to put you favorites in. These here are actually ashtrays/coasters I think. Displays well and is easy to move for dusting.
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Henry
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2013
Posts: 452
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Post by Henry on Nov 26, 2014 12:13:30 GMT -5
They're all over the apartment. LOL. I need to do something with them eventually.
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tkvancil
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since September 2011
Posts: 1,546
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Post by tkvancil on Nov 26, 2014 13:00:38 GMT -5
My wife says ... "You need to do something with all your rocks". They're not in her way she just thinks if I make something out of them it'll give me something more to occupy my time.
Most are stored in plastic containers in my hobby room. Have some ash trays and glasses with many of my favorites in them. Can look at them every time I'm doing rock stuff.
I have sold a few. We do a garage sale once a year during a local event. Lots of people look but only a few buyers. I give away more than any thing else. Friends and co-workers mostly. Just a couple weeks ago I found out one of my aunts, recently retired, likes rocks. She had gone to the diamond mine and was disappointed, no diamonds not even any pretty rocks. I put together a small flat rate box for her filled with agates and jaspers, obsidian, moonstone, laradorite and local cherts. She was tickled pink.
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 26, 2014 16:40:55 GMT -5
I want some of captbob's tumbles. some good looking stuff.
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Post by Jugglerguy on Nov 26, 2014 17:19:25 GMT -5
One plate of rocks in the living room. The rest are here:
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FLrockhound
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2014
Posts: 343
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Post by FLrockhound on Nov 26, 2014 18:33:00 GMT -5
Most of my tumbles are displayed in my wife's antique glass bowls that she collects from thrift shops. Some of my favorites are in my display case or in mason jars. It's early in the game for me, so my collection is rather small in comparison to others here. I do't plan to stop rolling barrels anytime in the future muahahaha. I have far more rough than polished that I have on display. Mush of my coral is wrapped and hung from a leather string as goes for other tumbled pieces which are decoration on my pull stings for the lights on my headboard. So, basically I have rocks all over my home displayed in many different ways.
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Post by Drummond Island Rocks on Nov 26, 2014 19:53:08 GMT -5
Hit garage sales or thrift shops for small "dishes" to put you favorites in. These here are actually ashtrays/coasters I think. Displays well and is easy to move for dusting. Is that some russian charoite I see on the bottom left captbob? Chuck
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Post by captbob on Nov 26, 2014 23:47:06 GMT -5
Yes Chuck, I tumbled a barrel of that years ago before people started charging stupid amounts for it. Probably got 5-10 pounds tumbled somewhere around here, just set out a few for the desk display.
Went on a charoite kick for awhile and bought a bunch of the stuff when it was around 10 bucks a pound. Got a 13 pound block of good quality charoite for $103 +shipping about 10 years ago. (Silly how I can remember stuff like that and not recall some things I did last week.) Block might be worth 10 times that now, I dunno... I'll let my wife worry about that someday
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jamesp
Cave Dweller
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,159
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Post by jamesp on Nov 27, 2014 3:47:00 GMT -5
Have seen a display using glass blocks. The glass blocks were drilled with a diamond hole saw about 1.5 inches and filled with tumbles. Then stacked.
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Post by snowmom on Nov 27, 2014 4:58:54 GMT -5
I have seen them used as lamp bases, Kleenex boxes, light switches picture frames... all glued very closely together with epoxy which dried clear. This was in a summer home on lake MI and the family did all of it together when their children were young. Wonderful way to spend those rainy summer days. And of course there are always the epoxy casts...
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RockIt2Me
has rocks in the head
Sometimes I have to tell myself, "It's not worth the jail time."
Member since December 2009
Posts: 668
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Post by RockIt2Me on Nov 27, 2014 7:11:26 GMT -5
I keep the really nice ones. I also use them to 'hopefully' get better service/work from my electrician, plumber, Directv guy. I usually ask if they have kids and them give them a bag of rocks because all kids love rocks.
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blessed
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2010
Posts: 329
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Post by blessed on Nov 27, 2014 12:04:42 GMT -5
I put mine in some type of glass bowl with a candle in the center and give them away. James B
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Post by snowmom on Nov 27, 2014 12:07:58 GMT -5
saw a picture on facebook this morning where somebody had an old fashioned gum ball machine filled with tumbled rocks... very clever idea!
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Post by captbob on Nov 27, 2014 13:45:51 GMT -5
saw a picture on facebook this morning where somebody had an old fashioned gum ball machine filled with tumbled rocks... very clever idea! That is clever! I really like that and will be finding a gumball machine in a quickness. Thanks snowmom!!
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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 Nov 27, 2014 14:36:23 GMT -5
I have shelves full of big plastic jars of tumbles. When I take kids out for fieldtrips here on the ranch, I always bring along a big tub of tumbles and some bags so they can load up after the field trip. Often the parents go home with sagging pockets too. Great fun watching them go through the tub finding treasures.....Mel
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