tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 10:31:48 GMT -5
LOL no ma'am! I discovered I underestimated the size of the collection - I found out there are still 150 more bins of slabs to go through, plus the specimen collection and precious gemstones. (yes, we counted, there are 150 more!) In all honesty I got a bit overwhelmed and needed to step away from it for a moment. When I started this project I didn't realize what a massive undertaking it would be. But I'm not giving up, just needed a break. I've been doing massive amounts of research trying to nail down some of the mysteries I've uncovered. I've also been going through the 10720 sold owyhee jaspers on worthpoint trying to figure out the 93 named varieties. I'm almost finished going through them  It's just given me more questions. I also wanted to give you guys a break - I feel like I'm spamming you guys with all of my posts! No worries, I already have a bunch of photos of rocks I need help with ....since you're practically begging me and all I suppose i can oblige!  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 28, 2024 10:41:54 GMT -5
LOL no ma'am! I discovered I underestimated the size of the collection - I found out there are still 150 more bins of slabs to go through, plus the specimen collection and precious gemstones. (yes, we counted, there are 150 more!) In all honesty I got a bit overwhelmed and needed to step away from it for a moment. When I started this project I didn't realize what a massive undertaking it would be. But I'm not giving up, just needed a break. I've been doing massive amounts of research trying to nail down some of the mysteries I've uncovered. I've also been going through the 10720 sold owyhee jaspers on worthpoint trying to figure out the 93 named varieties. I'm almost finished going through them It's just given me more questions. I also wanted to give you guys a break - I feel like I'm spamming you guys with all of my posts! No worries, I already have a bunch of photos of rocks I need help with ....since you're practically begging me and all I suppose i can oblige!  Bring it on!
I can't recommend Hans Gamma's book enough. In Treasures of Oregon, he really dives into the Owyhee stuff.
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 10:57:28 GMT -5
LOL no ma'am! I discovered I underestimated the size of the collection - I found out there are still 150 more bins of slabs to go through, plus the specimen collection and precious gemstones. (yes, we counted, there are 150 more!) In all honesty I got a bit overwhelmed and needed to step away from it for a moment. When I started this project I didn't realize what a massive undertaking it would be. But I'm not giving up, just needed a break. I've been doing massive amounts of research trying to nail down some of the mysteries I've uncovered. I've also been going through the 10720 sold owyhee jaspers on worthpoint trying to figure out the 93 named varieties. I'm almost finished going through them It's just given me more questions. I also wanted to give you guys a break - I feel like I'm spamming you guys with all of my posts! No worries, I already have a bunch of photos of rocks I need help with ....since you're practically begging me and all I suppose i can oblige! Bring it on!
I can't recommend Hans Gamma's book enough. In Treasures of Oregon, he really dives into the Owyhee stuff.
You wouldn't believe me, but a copy of that book is practically mine as we speak  |
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Post by cabby on Aug 28, 2024 11:56:16 GMT -5
@tribeunitied I’ve been waiting for more as well 😆. I don’t envy your issue! While I am sad that I am running out of new bins, even the (comparatively) small amount I have has been overwhelming to identify! At least the knowledge you have accumulated will continue to help in the future. Once I get my things all identified and labeled my hard work learning will become useless lol. Since I don’t drive it’s highly unlikely that I will ever get an estate sale collection.
Your posts are great eye candy and I learn a lot while trying to figure out what you have, so I am looking forward to more! Hopefully you can find a good way to balance things before burning out.
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 12:17:19 GMT -5
@tribeunitied I’ve been waiting for more as well 😆. I don’t envy your issue! While I am sad that I am running out of new bins, even the (comparatively) small amount I have has been overwhelming to identify! At least the knowledge you have accumulated will continue to help in the future. Once I get my things all identified and labeled my hard work learning will become useless lol. Since I don’t drive it’s highly unlikely that I will ever get an estate sale collection. Your posts are great eye candy and I learn a lot while trying to figure out what you have, so I am looking forward to more! Hopefully you can find a good way to balance things before burning out. Thank you cabby! Well said! I'm hoping that the knowledge will help not just me in the future. That's part of the reason I started editing the posts to add the ID's (like you also do) - I wanted it to be accessible through google image searches for people like us in the future. I'm not giving up on the hard to ID ones yet. I feel like somewhere in that mountain of bins there will be slabs with IDs. The only problem is in the names - sometimes they change or are very obscure! Sometimes I think it's not that important, but then I come across something with a label and look it up and find out its very rare and valuable...so I won't give up anytime soon. Just sometimes I'll take a little break and work on some electronics to clear my head. Problems I can solve. This weekend I worked on a tv and made a few charging cables for phones (it's good to have spares) I feel at peace. Namaste. Ready for rocks again. I don't think that when you're finished it will be useless. I think with some of the treasures you have, you'll be able to make some awesome things and sell them to fund future projects. Maybe you won't go out and find the auctions, but there are a lot of online auctions - I'm sure you can find a way to restock! |
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Post by cabby on Aug 28, 2024 12:35:09 GMT -5
Once I get labels on things I won’t need to know how to recognize them anymore 😆. One advantage I have with learning these things is that this old stock collection is helping me learn quality as well. THAT will be useful whenever I start buying more. My own acquired “collection” will cost a damned fortune, though… no way I will be able to buy cheap things if I start off learning with better quality!
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Post by rockjunquie on Aug 28, 2024 12:35:46 GMT -5
I think both of you are doing an AWESOME job! What you are contributing to the board is not only invaluable but fun, too. We enjoy the pics and puzzles. AND, we are getting an education, too. |
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 13:08:02 GMT -5
cabby - I'm still having a bit of trouble when it comes to "quality." I mentioned the Rocky Butte - that's one that I still can't figure out. It has so many different looks to it! Some are easy to tell are great, others I just don't know but I seriously research a few hours a day at least. rockjunquie - Thanks for the praise, madame. I am trying to not just take but give too, as far as give out information that I've been able to piece together. It's funny though, a lot of the time I find information through searches, it's from old posts on this forum (back in the 2012 era) Sadly a lot of the photos as well as some members from that time are no longer with us. That's sad to me, but I am glad the posts still exist regardless.
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Post by cabby on Aug 28, 2024 13:21:09 GMT -5
tribeunited I’ve barely scratched the surface with color and picture value, mostly because I have so little of those things! I was referring to material quality… the “standard” quality has changed so much over the decades, both from material being mined out and unscrupulous sellers on the internet. The turquoise, malachite, tiger eye, crazy laces… who knows what else! So many of the rocks I have were standard when they were bought, and now are considered high grade compared to what’s normally sold.
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller 
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,434
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Post by realrockhound on Aug 28, 2024 13:24:35 GMT -5
“Trying not to take but give”.
I know just the right home they can all go to. So they can be reunited with all their lil rock friends in the buckets and barrels outback. To be hoarded and never seen again 😂
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,434
Member is Online
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Post by realrockhound on Aug 28, 2024 13:30:54 GMT -5
tribeunited I’ve barely scratched the surface with color and picture value, mostly because I have so little of those things! I was referring to material quality… the “standard” quality has changed so much over the decades, both from material being mined out and unscrupulous sellers on the internet. The turquoise, malachite, tiger eye, crazy laces… who knows what else! So many of the rocks I have were standard when they were bought, and now are considered high grade compared to what’s normally sold. You wanna know something crazy? When it comes to quality. Most stuff mined out of a deposit, probably only 5% is top tier. 40% is good or standard. 15% is below standard. And the rest is poopoo. At least that’s my general experience. Then you got sellers online promoting crap as a standard at high prices. |
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 13:34:41 GMT -5
“Trying not to take but give”. I know just the right home they can all go to. So they can be reunited with all their lil rock friends in the buckets and barrels outback. To be hoarded and never seen again 😂 I had a thought the other day about the amount of material taken out of your neck of the woods - I feel like Oregon must be a ditch by now. In a few years, we may have a new grand canyon. |
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 13:42:16 GMT -5
tribeunited I’ve barely scratched the surface with color and picture value, mostly because I have so little of those things! I was referring to material quality… the “standard” quality has changed so much over the decades, both from material being mined out and unscrupulous sellers on the internet. The turquoise, malachite, tiger eye, crazy laces… who knows what else! So many of the rocks I have were standard when they were bought, and now are considered high grade compared to what’s normally sold. You wanna know something crazy? When it comes to quality. Most stuff mined out of a deposit, probably only 5% is top tier. 40% is good or standard. 15% is below standard. And the rest is poopoo. At least that’s my general experience. Then you got sellers online promoting crap as a standard at high prices. I try to sift through the massive amounts of caca online and look only at whats sold for how much. For me, that's the only way I can tell what is better than average. It's not a sure fire way though - some people take crappy pictures and it sells for less, others mislabel it and do poorly as well. I tell myself that if these were low quality, they would be face cut and left in the rough pile. i don't see someone cutting into a caca rock and then slabbing it out. Too much material here to waste time on garbage. The rough I have may be the garbage pile. Who knows really... I could be wayyy off on that thought. |
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,434
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Post by realrockhound on Aug 28, 2024 13:50:30 GMT -5
You wanna know something crazy? When it comes to quality. Most stuff mined out of a deposit, probably only 5% is top tier. 40% is good or standard. 15% is below standard. And the rest is poopoo. At least that’s my general experience. Then you got sellers online promoting crap as a standard at high prices. I try to sift through the massive amounts of caca online and look only at whats sold for how much. For me, that's the only way I can tell what is better than average. It's not a sure fire way though - some people take crappy pictures and it sells for less, others mislabel it and do poorly as well. I tell myself that if these were low quality, they would be face cut and left in the rough pile. i don't see someone cutting into a caca rock and then slabbing it out. Too much material here to waste time on garbage. The rough I have may be the garbage pile. Who knows really... I could be wayyy off on that thought. A lot of the stuff you’ve posted is standard to great. Including some top tier. |
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 28, 2024 13:52:11 GMT -5
thank you for that. I'll keep it in mind |
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Post by cabby on Aug 28, 2024 14:11:01 GMT -5
realrockhound I get what you mean! The majority of quality issues boils down to people looking to make a quick buck. But then there’s things like Congo malachite where the good stuff is pretty much gone. Or turquoise where the stuff that used to be too low quality to bother with seems to have become the majority of what’s sold. The way mines operate has changed a ton over the decades. Once the ores are depleted and the best rocks are gone, only way to keep the mines profitable is to start selling the junk. Jaspers and agates haven’t changed as much, but the things sold as side income from mines, especially in areas with few economic opportunities, have suffered a lot more. Erm, guess that isn’t really applicable when we are talking about a collection that is primarily chalcedony slabs 😅
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Post by velodromed on Aug 29, 2024 18:09:25 GMT -5
I've got a bag of rough - it looks like an agate - purple to blue in color. They are beautiful and remind me a little of Balmorhea Agates, from Balmorhea lake, Texas. |
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 29, 2024 20:13:19 GMT -5
thanks @veldromed - I'll look that one up too! It seems like with this kind of agate they can really be from anywhere! I've gotten a lot of different locations to look up. At the end of the day, they are pretty - I guess that's what is most important |
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realrockhound
Cave Dweller
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
Posts: 4,434
Member is Online
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Post by realrockhound on Aug 29, 2024 21:23:32 GMT -5
Hammer down purple agate. Spoiler (it’s blue)
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tribeunited
fully equipped rock polisher
Not all materials look exactly the same. But all exact materials are exactly the same.
Member since May 2024
Posts: 1,976
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Post by tribeunited on Aug 30, 2024 14:31:01 GMT -5
Hammer down purple agate. Spoiler (it’s blue) This is funny - i thought you meant I needed to hammer down - like zero in on purple agate! LOL I looked it up - I could only find one picture online but it is practically a clone of this one. Thank you! |
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It's just given me more questions. 
