fireforged
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since December 2015
Posts: 215
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Post by fireforged on Apr 12, 2016 9:54:11 GMT -5
Looks like fun with the kiddos! Pic #3 doesnt seem to contaon jade. Based on your description, you are calling the top shiny one jade. It has clear conchoidal breaks on the edges. Almost as though someone was toying with knapping. I'm sticking my neck out, but that sure seems like a greenish chert to me. No matter what, fun times indeed! You are probably quite right on the knapping part. I found a bunch of sharp obsidian flakes in there too. So all that green stuff just looks like green chert to you? OK I bow to your superior knowledge. I don't really know. I am like the gem sellers at the market, if it is green and rock it is jade (OK, OK, bad joke I know) It has been fun going through the rocks. I collected about 350 lbs and there is at least that much more there. I will see if I can go back in the future. What do you think the last rock is? Looks like a fairburn to me.
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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 Apr 10, 2016 16:27:19 GMT -5
Got a lead on some rocks that might be available. So threw the pick shovel and buckets in the pickup and went to look. Right away I saw a 5 lb lump of chrysocolla and a chunk of jade. Decided to pick up all that I could. Seems to be some old timers collection that was used to fill mud holes in the back yard. Only scratched the surface. Here are some pics of the effort and finds. We are all out gathering the rocks. I did not look much but just grabbed and threw in the bucket. The little girls of the family living in the place came out to help. We all had fun. The chrysocolla and jade that I spotted right away. Two more chunks of jade and some agate. Lots of pet wood and montana agate in the mix
And this showed up along the way......what do you think this is?
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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 Apr 9, 2016 21:28:46 GMT -5
Very nice work. Obviously you had a good teacher.
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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 Apr 9, 2016 18:36:17 GMT -5
Hackly-I learned a new word today
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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 Apr 9, 2016 18:24:50 GMT -5
What happens when you whack it with a hammer? Try to break a corner off. Negative to obsidian. It's not glassy at all. I'm leaning on rhyolite. Not wonderstone but rhyolite nonetheless. Betting the break is hackly. OK I hit it with a hammer and broke some chunks off. Lots of little pieces and a few 1 to 2 inch pieces. broke along the "flow" lines. Lots of fractures appeared in the rock and seems porus in spots. I guess that is what you mean by "hackly". After reading about rhyolite I am pretty sure that is what it is. Now I wonder where they found it.
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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 Apr 9, 2016 15:53:45 GMT -5
Agate scratches it but steel does not. I will have to do an acid check but doubt it will react. More pictures on the way. Acid not required. Scratch test rules out marble It has some "flowing" characteristics. Maybe some type of obsidian.
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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 Apr 9, 2016 12:54:53 GMT -5
Need more info. Fallon wonderstone, perhaps. Does is scratch with a knife? React with acid? Can we see more pictures? All sides... Sabre52 , gemfeller Agate scratches it but steel does not. I will have to do an acid check but doubt it will react. More pictures on the way.
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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 Apr 9, 2016 7:41:09 GMT -5
Well let me be the contrarian here. I like the jump ring. I thought it was a central part of the design and a perfect termination of the top of a killer pendant.
The pendant would still be killer without the jump ring.
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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 Apr 8, 2016 15:29:19 GMT -5
Ok did a quick rock hounding trip in my brother-in-laws back yard to recover rocks that he and my dad had collected over the years. I found a number of old friends that I recognized from years ago but I also found a huge hunk (around 50-60 lbs) of something I can't identify. Here is picture what do you think. The chunk is windowed on the right side of the rock. I think the gray colors reflect the true color and the reds are from surface varnish.
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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 Apr 8, 2016 9:39:34 GMT -5
Very nice. That design is killer and so is the cab. As I look at it, there is so much going on. No way I could come up with a design like that.
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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 Mar 29, 2016 9:57:44 GMT -5
Really nice, makes me want to play with fire agate also.
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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 Mar 29, 2016 9:56:07 GMT -5
The asymmetry is wonderful. Like the way it all holds together.
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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 Mar 29, 2016 9:53:12 GMT -5
I like both of them. They really look nice and delicate. Plan to steal a bunch of design ideas from these.
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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 Mar 29, 2016 9:49:12 GMT -5
Love the design and the stone.
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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 Mar 22, 2016 19:16:27 GMT -5
I was thinking of you and had to return to this thread to see how you are doing. Oh man it still really hurts to look at those pictures. I hope your fingers are starting to heal and you will be back at 100 % soon.
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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 Mar 12, 2016 14:03:18 GMT -5
Oh it hurts to look at that!!
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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 Mar 11, 2016 14:39:16 GMT -5
These images (dry, direct sunshine) represent the more common types of agate and jasper we find. Many of the colors are the pink, purple, and reds that remind me of the prairie sky at twilight. There are also some yellow, brown and oranges that remind me of the of the fall here that I find attractive. Most of the rock in these two pictures is agate (translucent) and there are also a couple of pieces that look like jasper to me with a few translucent spots. I don't see many people using this type of rock for jewelry. I guess I wonder if they don't find it attractive for some reason or if they don't have it available to use.
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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 Mar 10, 2016 22:05:01 GMT -5
Chassroc do you mean like this??? I never find them. The only way I get them is to inherit them, buy them or steal them. I will post some pictures of some more jasper/agate slabs from this trip tomorrow.
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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 29, 2016 22:20:08 GMT -5
When the sky is dark so am I. Production goes down and internet usage goes up. The glow from the forge helps somewhat.
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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 29, 2016 22:14:23 GMT -5
Tim yep it looks good. Just keep at it and try to make small improvements each time. along the way you will find things that really work for you and then you build on them. The process of finding, cutting, polishing, and turning the rock into jewelry is very rewarding.
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