RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 18, 2016 23:49:23 GMT -5
Thank you all for your replies and best guesses so far. I know it's tough to ID a rock just by pictures, but it's kinda fun to try sometimes. Just remember: Without data, it's only an opinion.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 18, 2016 22:40:49 GMT -5
I'm splitting this hair because we have a generic mineral. If you could say that is the turquoise marketed by the bigshit mine in elbonia. So be it. Generic rocks get generic names. So to be turquoise in this context we need it to be blue. Without an XRD or XRF analysis it could be variquoise, variscite, chalcosiderite, etc. If you're ever in Albuquerque, you should go visit Joe Dan Lowry at the Turquoise Museum.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 18, 2016 21:46:12 GMT -5
#2 definitely NOT turquoise. Turquoise is a bluerock and yours are green. Still probably copper,just not phosphate. #5 I'm thinking dendritic opal we have been seeing cabs of recently. Never have I seen rough, so I cannot be certain. Well I have to disagree with you on #2 and agree with you on #5. There are several locations, primarily in Mexico, that produce green turquoise. Most notably Rattlesanake Ranch and the Alicia mine. Heck, even some of the natural turquoise from the Burtis Blue mine near Cripple Creek, CO is more green than blue. I sold a bucket of Campitos turquoise last week in Tucson that certainly wasn't blue. It's always very problematic to definitely provide a positive i.d. of any material based on pictures alone especially when all of our computer monitors aren't color matched/synchronized, etc. It's even more nebulous without knowing the exact location. No hardness test. No streak test. No XRD.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 18, 2016 20:04:26 GMT -5
#1 Might be astropyllite.
#2 Probably turquoise.
#5 Yellow feather jasper from Utah?
#11 Sugilite (low grade)?
#12 Fossil coral.
FYI Mtorolite contains chromium. The chromophore for chrysoprase is nickel instead.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 18, 2016 16:12:33 GMT -5
Any chance it's Jade? I've heard that can be found in Nevada, but not sure about that far south. FYI: The guy selling Nevada "jade" at the rock shows in the western U.S. high graded his friends claim after his buddy took him out there as a favor. A real scum bag in my opinion.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 17, 2016 21:39:49 GMT -5
Ooh! RocknCritter, which was your booth? I swear I visited just about every vendor there - I went both Friday and Sunday. My booth is/was C3. It's the third booth on the right in the center aisle after you enter from the north door. I'm next to Orca Gems (killer opals) and PG Gems - the large Chinese bead vendor and across from the Brazilian vendor Ouro Preto. I'll be in the same location for 2017. The last three days of the show are always the busiest. So there is a real possibility you stopped by but we didn't connect the dots. After 18 days of nine hour shifts, I admit I was a little tired. Yet, each year gets easier and easier. I'll try to post some pixs tomorrow. I have a new smarter-than-me phone and have to figure out how to download the pixs. Love your report along with the one from DirtCleaner. Keep smiling!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Feb 16, 2016 20:27:09 GMT -5
Wow! You scored and what a great report. I know this sounds a little funny yet I definitely remember your friend Lily (and probably you) walking past my booth at the 22nd Street Show. Dyed green hair is "in" right now. Next year I'll reach out before the show so we can hopefully meet.
That looks like gem silica to me.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Jan 10, 2016 10:31:01 GMT -5
For #3, maybe rose quartz or moonstone. It's a little hard to tell from the pix. I'm going to go with epidote in prehnite for #7.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Jan 7, 2016 9:40:29 GMT -5
Hey everyone,I have been out to Quartzsite many times, so my advice would be to go there when the Pow Wow show is open. I know many vendors that will only do that show. Just a question though, Why not just go to the Tucson show? More accommodations and 20 times the size. Vendor space is triple the cost so the price must go up, the shows are scattered through out the whole town so it makes it harder to find what you are looking for. It is also a bucket list thing to do, but in my opinion but if you are looking for rough Quartzsite is a much better deal. Tony I would say that Quartzsite and Tucson are different horses. As a vendor (and mineral collecting hobbyist) Quartzsite seems to attract more of the rockhound and jeweler hobbyist while Tucson appeals to the folks more interested in gemology, mineralogy, paleontology and high-end jewelry. If someone is looking for quantities of affordable rough, Quartzsite is the place (and Tony's aka Idaho Rock Shop usually has one of the best selections at very fair prices). If your looking for rare, peculiar or unusual rough, someone can try Tucson. There is certainly a mind-blowing selection at times along with some mind blowing prices. Yet, Tucson still has plenty of deals if you look. As far as selling expenses go, while Tucson is more expensive for booth space, etc., the total expenses as a percentage of sales is actually lower for me than in Quartzsite. So while Tucson costs more, it's actually a more profitable show and a better return on my investment.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Jan 7, 2016 9:27:14 GMT -5
Awesome! You seem to have an eye for picking nice rough.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 30, 2015 12:52:53 GMT -5
#1 Montana Moss Agate
#2 Eudialyte (Russia)
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 21, 2015 21:36:47 GMT -5
I don't know how much experience you have with such small bits,from my past experience it's like trying to drill a hole with a diamond crusted piece of hair.slow process,especially when drilling MOH 5&up,I'd look for larger findings,just my two sense Dave I'm with Dave. The difference between 1 mm (the smallest core drill available) and your findings (.8 mm) is about the same thickness as two sheets of paper. Since the manufacturing tolerances on the findings likely vary quite a bit combined with a little room for whatever adhesive your using, a .2 mm difference is insignificant. I really doubt anyone can even distinguish the difference between .8 mm and 1 mm without magnification. Trying to drill a multitude of tiny holes in harder gemstones seems like a recipe for endless frustration.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 20, 2015 19:12:57 GMT -5
Core drills from 1 mm to 3.5 mm. link
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 20, 2015 9:41:24 GMT -5
Those core drills are made mainly for field geologists who need cores for a variety of reasons. I've seen films of them being used and if IIRC they didn't use water. You can see the connection for the water feed here.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 11, 2015 22:30:41 GMT -5
A lot of sellers don't know squat about where their stuff comes from or, for that matter, what the heck it is. Or for that matter, they just pull ID's and locations out of their arses.....Mel And this year's award for straight talk about the industry, DRUMROLL, goes to, MORE DRUMROLL, Mel aka Sabre52!!!
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 9, 2015 10:04:29 GMT -5
You can find handheld XRF for around $10,000. Seen some on Ebay in the past in the $6,000 range. The only thing about eBay (and Wal-Mart) that doesn't surprise me is that you can't buy a $3 Chinese pacemaker. The less expensive portable XRF units are not designed or intended for geochemical analysis and read a few number of elements.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 9, 2015 0:14:13 GMT -5
Raman Spectroscopy vs. XRF sounds like the next UFC event. Seriously though, does anyone know which of the two is more accurate? Or do they measure different properties? I have access to an XRF analyzer but are there any universities or commercial services that offer Raman Spectroscopy besides SGL? The top of the line GemmoRaman-532SG found here will set you back almost $22K. Definitely a tool for the full time professional at that price. While a handheld XFR analyzer like this one is only a cool $40K. The advantage of Raman Spectroscopy seems to be you can compare results from an online database while the XRF is portable. Just curious.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Dec 5, 2015 23:02:14 GMT -5
Nice material and I appreciate the post.
However, opal is generally recognized as having a hardness of Mohs 5.5-6.5 (Mindat, Webmineral, Wikipedia, Schumann, etc.). Since the boiling point of water is 212 degrees Fahrenheit (at sea level), a lot o gemstones will crack at that temperature and there really isn't a justifiable reason for any gemstone to get that hot anyway. Crazing occurs when the opal has lost a significant portion of the water content and the amorphous silica begins to decay. A similar comparison can be made when your skin becomes dehydrated, begins to crack and feel rough to the touch. While we can add a moisturizing lotion, no such solution exists for opal.
I want some of this material! Thanks for posting.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 30, 2015 11:58:39 GMT -5
talked to my partner. We decided to do a 180, and start getting rid of all the turquoise we already have. both getting old, time to wind down, plus the stuff we have is worth some big bucks. Thanks tho! No problem. Donnie (from Donnie's Rocky Treasure's) took everything. Yup, turquoise is pretty popular right now. Heck, maybe the whole situation goes 180. Let me know if you have any rough you want to unload.
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RocknCritter
spending too much on rocks
Member since November 2008
Posts: 489
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Post by RocknCritter on Nov 26, 2015 18:35:44 GMT -5
I have no idea about what type of stabilization was used. There's no odor during cutting or residue on the outside of any of the pieces. At first, I thought it might be natural but the supplier insists otherwise. I've cut over 50 cabs and everything is solid with a great polish. There's also a nice variety of blue tones.
Stabilized turquoise seems to range from $125 to $450 per pound versus $250 to $2500+ for natural. I sell the cabs for $2 per carat.
$175 for all four parcels with free shipping.
Send a pm if your interested and I'll let you know the PayPal address, etc.
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