gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 24, 2024 14:16:35 GMT -5
wargrafix It's hard to beat John Sinkankas's 3-book series "Gemstones of North America." At least one is in print on Amazon and one is better than none. Others may be available used.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 24, 2024 13:47:39 GMT -5
I am fan of the geology series by John McPhee. He's a great writer and makes reading geology a pleasure. Assembling California is a good one. LOVE McPhee's geology books. I've read all of them, some 2 or 3 times. He's an awesome writer too. I'll never forget his description of seeing Winnemucca at night from a distance: "Nevada looks good in neon." It does!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 24, 2024 13:40:27 GMT -5
An amazing and lovely task ahead of you! There are some real beauties in that group. Makes me a bit jealous!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 24, 2024 1:02:46 GMT -5
After the concern last month that the Contest was in trouble I decided to enter this month to support it arafter a very long absence. I actually cut two cabs and it was tough to decide which one to go with. There are some really great entries so far and I'm sure more are on the way. I finally decided on this Brazilian agate. I cut the slab several years ago and always wanted to do something with it. This challenge seemed "right," so here goes.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 23, 2024 19:30:52 GMT -5
Some folks are terrified by the fact Tiger's Eye is silicified asbestos. They mask up. If that's a concern, do it. Some material does have loose fibers as realrockhound mentions. I avoid that type, and it's pretty easy to identify. Meanwhile, I've cut dozens upon dozens of TE cabs easily and with no problems at all. I must be unlucky because probably half of the ones I've cut tended to pull fibers. I have two preformed (one marra mamba) and I hope that they are problem free. Usae a 10-X loupe to inspect the rough. You can usually tell if it's "problem" material. Marrra Mamba's a little different than South African TE. It does tend to have looser fibers in some instances I've found.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 23, 2024 14:18:13 GMT -5
Some folks are terrified by the fact Tiger's Eye is silicified asbestos. They mask up. If that's a concern, do it. Some material does have loose fibers as realrockhound mentions. I avoid that type, and it's pretty easy to identify. Meanwhile, I've cut dozens upon dozens of TE cabs easily and with no problems at all.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 23, 2024 1:23:58 GMT -5
The whole stone just "flows" from one end to the other. That was my hope with that unusual pattern. The rest of the slab was blah.
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 22, 2024 10:56:56 GMT -5
I really like the first two. It's pretty hard to find PNW poppy jasper without any fractures, great looking cabs. The black must be hematite? Thanks for sharing. Thanks for looking. Yes, fractures are almost always a problem with them. But I have one large slab that's entirely fracture-free. Haven 't started cabbing it yet. Not sure what the black is but it doesn't seem to be hematite -- it cuts far too cleanly!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 21, 2024 17:33:04 GMT -5
People are wild. Not that it really matters much on my end, but I’ve had people steal pics of material I’ve posted and use it on their websites claiming as there own 😂 Wosre, I've had images stolen from my old website and offered for sale. People order and pay, and nothing ever arrives. I never realized how many dishonest people there are until the internet and cell phones arrived.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 20, 2024 19:28:42 GMT -5
Now I'm cutting again after a long layoff, I've been exploring some of my old stashes of rough. I ran across some Olympic Poppy Jasper slabs from Washington State I acquired a long time ago that I thought were long gone -- nice surprise! Here are a few of the cabs I've made so far. They have some healed fractures but no new ones. Thanks for looking. Pear Shapes Modified 'Tongue" Cushion
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 20, 2024 18:41:59 GMT -5
I actually really like it! Kind of reminds me of porcelain jasper, the soft colors and smoothness of the blending of the colors. I tend to love anything with those…. cracks, I can’t think of the word. I like it when fractures have refilled with other agatey material. It looks fun to work and I’d probably be trying to get both that pink and green captured all in one cab. Did you dig that or buy it? Ah, brecciated, thanks rockjunquie . It was purchased but I don't know where to get more.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 20, 2024 15:27:39 GMT -5
I totally love it! I love everything about. I think it has a lot of cool stuff going that works together. What are the spots? Are they metallic? Different strokes. Thanks rockjunquie. Under the loupe the spots appear to be non-metallic inclusions, probably iron oxide. I find the stuff subtly attractive. As you say, lots going on.
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 20, 2024 14:31:01 GMT -5
This is Badger Hole Jasper from McDermitt, NV. I cut this test cab and can't decide whether it's worth cutting more. What say you, gang? It takes a great polish and has subtle tints of pink and green along with the "webby" patterns. It's hell for hard!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 20, 2024 13:21:26 GMT -5
Really pretty. I have some polish flint as well that I bought long ago. I’m saving it until I’m really inspired and think I can do it justice. It’s such cool looking stuff and the slabs I have are quite large and I remember them being not cheap. Be gentle when you saw and cut it. I found out the hard way that it's quite brittle and can snap in half if too much pressure is used. It doesn't have the durability of agate or jasper.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 17, 2024 18:53:12 GMT -5
Those are the best Prairies I've ever seen. Anxious to see what you do with them,
As for capping the Dino Bone, I'd suggest you try Xtal first if needed. The stuff is really amazing on porous material. (Apply to both sides - takes a while to cure but worth it). You may have objections to treating rock and if so capping is a great option too.
ETA: My brain took a coffee break while I was typing the above. Search for HXtal, not Xtal. It's pretty expensive but a little goes a long way.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 16, 2024 18:05:27 GMT -5
There are SO many things which are "right" about that cab...not the least of which is the shape you chose works perfectly for that pattern!! Gorgeous!! Thanks. Coming up with the right shape while dealing with the fractured edge was the real challenge. I nearly lost the lovely whorls on the cab's "belly." But all turned out well.
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 16, 2024 13:19:46 GMT -5
I bought a couple of Polish Flint slabs several years ago. One of them had a wonderful pattern but it presented problems. The edge where the most interesting whirling lines appeared was broken and only a tiny amount of stone was left. Once I'd decided on a shape it took some very delicate grinding to both preserve the pattern and create an acceptably deep girdle. Here's the result and I'm pretty happy with it.
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 16, 2024 12:37:03 GMT -5
jasoninsd Glad I finally ran across this post. Well done! (Except for the ill-advised trip itself, that is.) Glad you survived the badger encounter. You write well -- take it from a long-time Patrick McManus fan. I'd detected a bit of his style in your previous posts. In fact I've also mimicked his style in some of my own past stuff. I loved his adventures with his buddy Rancid and like-named others. It's been years since I read his stuff; I'll have to go back for a refresher. One of his yarns that hilariously lives in my memory involved the "excavation" of the car he and his pals used on their fishing trips -- various strata of beer cans, fast-food wrappers, discarded fishing rigs, old boots, unidentifiable nasty objects, etc. Funny stuff!
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2024 20:01:00 GMT -5
Lucky guy! Hornitos is scarce, attractive, and cuts great cabs, as you've shown. I'm sure the plume is GYP. It my be Regency Rose as Rockoonz says, but there are so many different kinds there it's hard to be certain. It's very nice.
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Post by gemfeller on Apr 15, 2024 19:52:22 GMT -5
Looks like Bloody Basin to me too. I think they call it plume, not moss.
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