20lb batch (mostly chert) finished 12/14/2022 w photos

Polish alum ox; no burnish.  Most of this I collected myself.  Put a black plastic background instead of white in the light box which looks better I think.  But still getting terrible reflections from overhead lights even though there is a layer of white fabric that is supposed to prevent that!  Also cellphone shots are lousy, going to have to get out a real camera.  Still learning but figured posting something is better than nothing.  Shine is just so so because I'm not doing burnishing right now.

3/6/2023 update:  If you see a post below that I made this morning, you'll know I did a burnish run and took some photos.  I'm going to edit this post to include the after burnish matching photos as time permits.   In other words, to put the after burnish photos right after the original photos so comparison is easy.  I might be able to do one/day.  The exact same rock might be be available after burnish for two reasons.  After these photos were taken, I might have found a flaw and put it back in process before polish to redo.  Or, less common, a flaw will show up in the burnish process.  This is usually a chip or something that gets banged out.




A chunk of psilomelane from California desert.  A bit over 2 lbs.

and after burnish



And after burnish


Vesuvianite from Oregon.  Very hard and very hard to tumble.  The surface is very uneven.

and after burnish


Not sure what it is, probably some kind of chert.  Is very common in SW Oklahoma.

 and after burnish



and after burnish


That dark on is green moss "agate".  Beside it is rutilated quartz.

and after burnish, though I could not find that same piece of rutilated quartz


Petrified wood from Oklahoma, including a gorgeous piece.  PW this pretty here is rare.  That one end grain lower left not from Oklahoma, forgot from where---probably New Mexico.
and after burnish


The left whitist ones are from the banks of the Yangtze River in Wuhan, China.  I tried to photograph one backlit, but the photo is lousy.  Inside are "bubble-like" structures.  The metallic places in that one rock look like silver.  Is there anything else that can look like that?

and after burnish



and after burnish





I really like this rock and have never found another one like it.  It came either from shore of Lake Superior or from the Fraser River.  It is very hard and took almost a year to get done.  Must of the white stuff looks like pits, but it's not.

and after burnish


Misc.

and after burnish


From shores of Lake Abiquiu in New Mex.  This is rather delicate and brittle.

and after burnish


Quartzite that came out decent.  Never have found another piece that looks like that one with the dark pattern.

and after burnish


More chalcedony from Cerro Pedernal in New Mex.  This comes in many colors.

and after burnish


Chert from western Oklahoma, including some closeups of extra pretty pieces.

and after burnish



and after burnish








and after burnish


You probably know I almost always post some pics of stream chert too.  Have a lot of it but never have gotten tired of it.

and after burnish



and after burnish



and after burnish



and after burnish



and after burnish though not great comparison pic


The left one is aventurine, possibly first really strongly aventurescent one I've found.  Nephrite in bottom middle.  That blue tiger eye seldom comes out very good.

and after burnish



and after burnish


Spider woman jasper, think I may finally have it all done.

and after burnishing