fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 17:07:10 GMT -5
I set out to make the cab. I am a hot glass artist (lampworker) in another life.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 15:58:22 GMT -5
This is a pendant that I made from a glass cab that I created in my studio. Hope that you enjoy the eye candy.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 12:33:12 GMT -5
Yep. I think we are on the same page on this. Etsy is just short for BOHICA.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 11:16:20 GMT -5
As far as I can tell... it is effortless on our part. They will automatically include our items for double exposure. Can't hurt. Everything Etsy does is effortless on our part in the beginning. It is the downstream work that we can't see right now that worries me. You are the optimist here and I am the pessimist. I have too much experience with Etsy to think this is a simple change. Those software programers just can't let things alone.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 10:19:34 GMT -5
Yeah be a rock butcher. That will even things up with the BLM and forest service!!
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 15, 2017 10:15:41 GMT -5
I have looked at it and really don't know if it is to our benefit. Like most things that Etsy does, it will take us about six months of work to react to the change. I am just waiting and not optimistic at this point.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 13, 2017 23:20:53 GMT -5
It is all that I can do to not order all this faceting stuff. STOP!!!
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 13, 2017 23:11:25 GMT -5
A production haul. Wow how'd you do so many in one day? And they all seem flawless. I always have to sort through the ones I do and recycle about 80 percent of them because of scratches I missed.
Very impressive.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 13, 2017 23:05:11 GMT -5
As I thought. Our hobbies just defray our costs and will not make us rich. But still that is just a flat out gorgeous stone. Just think of making a piece of jewelry out of that for a special someone. Talk about a heirloom.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 13, 2017 20:17:54 GMT -5
That is just incredible. What do stones like that go for? Megabucks I guess. I have never seen anything like that for sale.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 10, 2017 23:01:11 GMT -5
Well it was my line up and my rocks so I will tell you what I think the pieces are. Number one is a piece of high quality chinese turquoise. I spent a lot of money on it and a bunch more like it. It is stabilized but not dyed. Number two and number 4 are sonoran chrysocolla cut from the same slab. I stabilized them. Piece number three is very interesting in that it exhibits many of the properties of both chrysocolla and turquoise. I am going to call it turquoise. I put the line up together to see what people would say and try to get more knowledge. My daughter says that she can just look at a piece and tell if it is turquoise or chrysocolla. I tell her she can't and proved it to her with a similar line up that included a variety of varicite also. I thought this would be a good thread to interject the line up into.
The information that Don, vegasjames, 1dave, and orrum gave us was in my opinion some of the best comments and info on turquoise that I have ever heard or seen. I want to really thank them for their comments. I have learned a lot. But I still have more money than brains.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 10, 2017 13:43:25 GMT -5
I am accused of having more money than brains and since I don't have a lot of money......... So here I am a babe in the woods trying to figure out how to buy REAL turquoise at a place like quartzsite without having a portable lab. Since there seems to be tons of "turquoise" material there I would think that some of it is real. I have had a number of people tell me that they can tell just by the appearance of the stones and so I put my picture line up on this board and asked for your IDs. To tell the truth I can't tell the difference now and I don't pretend to. I was hopping that some one would share some hard earned knowledge with me. Oh well.
It is obvious that the Chinese have totally poisoned the turquoise market by flooding it with tidy bowl howlite. They have been aided and abetted in their effort by greedy and dishonest dealers here in the states. I have more than a few pieces that I bought from "reputable" large retail dealers that are very obviously fake.
This forces me to abandon the turquoise market. I feel sorry for the miner that is trying to sell his stash of turquoise.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 10, 2017 9:23:20 GMT -5
Thank you all for your comments and observations. You have reinforced my previous opinions.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 9, 2017 18:33:38 GMT -5
I guess the reason why I am curious is that rocks that I think are chrysocola are identified to me by my superiors in knowledge as turquoise. The above picture shows four stones that I have bought from vendors. Two were identified as turquoise and two were identified as chrysocolla. Which two, in your opinion, are turquoise and which two are chrysocolla? And why do you believe that to be the case? Interesting. I don't see any turquoise here. 1. dyed and stabilized howlite. 2-4. various forms of chrysocolla. Would you care to explain and expand on your assessment particularly how you came to the conclusion that number one is dyed and stabilized?
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 8, 2017 21:08:26 GMT -5
Thank you 1dave. I appreciate you putting your expertise on the line. Is there anyone else? Does anyone else have an opinion?
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 8, 2017 17:58:30 GMT -5
I guess the reason why I am curious is that rocks that I think are chrysocola are identified to me by my superiors in knowledge as turquoise. The above picture shows four stones that I have bought from vendors. Two were identified as turquoise and two were identified as chrysocolla. Which two, in your opinion, are turquoise and which two are chrysocolla? And why do you believe that to be the case?
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Feb 8, 2017 12:33:43 GMT -5
Turquoise streak / swarf is white; chrysocolla is blue-thro-green. I'm sure this has been done before somewhere. Is this test definitive for distinguishing turquoise and chrysocolla? It seems like the best simple way to tell for some one of my skills.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Jan 19, 2017 21:38:14 GMT -5
How much time should I plan for to take in the rocks at desert gardens? Trying to plan a trip with Quartzsite as one of the stops. You could easily spend an entire day at Desert Gardens, or several days, depending on if you wanted to see everything. At the very least, you'll want to take a few hours just to walk around and see the various setups, even if you only browse 1/5 of them. Jeff, I am looking forward to meeting you and getting to see that Thulite rough that you pictured on Facebook. There were some other pictures of rough that look pretty interesting too. I am also hoping to see some of your pietersite rough. Got a long shopping list and will be looking for some deals on some quality rough just like you have sold me in the past.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Jan 19, 2017 14:49:22 GMT -5
How much time should I plan for to take in the rocks at desert gardens? Trying to plan a trip with Quartzsite as one of the stops.
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fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Oct 25, 2016 16:43:08 GMT -5
rockjunquie you are right. I need to improve the bails but ran out of inspiration at that point having nerveousnessed through the construction of the little flowers and silver balls. The bezel mounts are a little screwed up too. Lots of little things to improve and get lined up on the next pendent.
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