rockinmom
spending too much on rocks
Member since January 2007
Posts: 481
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Post by rockinmom on Jan 16, 2007 19:06:38 GMT -5
Hi there. I have some slabs but I have no idea what they are. Could someone help me in identifying them? Thanks so much! I hope I get this right... 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. \ 6. That's it.. for now! lol Tammy
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Post by ladyt on Jan 16, 2007 21:40:15 GMT -5
Bump, wish I could help....
Tonja
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,456
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Post by Sabre52 on Jan 16, 2007 23:53:27 GMT -5
OK those are pretty tough *L* The first could be almost anything. Sometimes agate from the Big Diggins in New Mexico has that look but I flat don't know. Pic#2 looks like maybe some type of pet wood, pic#3 Orbicular jasper of the sort found on the Woodward ranch and other ares in west Texas and both sides of the Rio grande. Pic#4 another toughie, maybe pastel dendritic jasper from the Burro Creek area of AZ or even chapinite from the Calif. Mojave Desert. Could be a lot of other things too. pic #5 Don't know the hardness but I'd suspect a serpentine or serpentized marble like Verde Antique. Lots of other green things around though. Last pic is blurry but looks to be fossil coral as I see regular depressions that look like the pits left by coral polyps...mel
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erbojones
has rocks in the head
Member since October 2006
Posts: 659
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Post by erbojones on Jan 17, 2007 10:56:58 GMT -5
#5 looks a bit like some tumbled stones I once bought called Chrome Melanite...
Doubt if it is - but it just reminded me of them!
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Post by lonewolfrockhound on Jan 18, 2007 22:30:27 GMT -5
#6 is definitely a peanut.
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Post by puppie96 on Jan 19, 2007 4:00:07 GMT -5
There is a life lesson here. Most of the rocks we are interested in are quartz family; agate, jasper, flint, chert, and variations. The distinctions between these groups aren't always clear. In addition, there are vast numbers of specific names given to rocks within these groups, and some of those are local names as well. I really think that probably making fine distinctions among varieties depends a lot on what you see locally -- like I wonder sometimes whether what I believe is mozarkite might be a flint somewhere else, and I'm pretty sure whether I'm looking at a Missouri or a Mexican lace agate -- interesting because I have been told that a lot of Missouri lace agate has been sold as Mexican. It isn't all about patterning, either, since some of the most spectacular patterning you will ever see is in Flint Ridge Flint, the hands down fave of all my gadzillion tumbled rocks. BTW, I share your pain. I used to always think that somebody would be able to ID my rock, either here or at the shows. Then I bought stuff at the shows and they didn't know what it was. Our board is really good with the ID business, but sooner or later you have to accept that you aren't going to get your answer, for now. Set them aside and keep asking.
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yogi
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2006
Posts: 175
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Post by yogi on Jan 21, 2007 12:29:03 GMT -5
Puppie, you are so right. Sometimes I feel that the name game helps with marketing; a unique piece needs a unique name to catch a buyers eye. Not that there is anything wrong with that, the average prospect may not care, but they have a good story and we all want to classify things. I know I have bought more then one piece on the net, based in part on a name; hoping it would have the same beauty as an example I had seen in the past. On the other hand, if your are collecting, it is very important that a specimen is identified. The pedigree of your sample is part of the act of collecting. Knowing the source location is part of knowing if the piece is a rare specimen for that area. I guess my point is, even though a piece comes from a well known bed or source, there can be vast variation; and similar processes occur at different locations. Some are just lovable mutts, and we love them even though they don't have papers. Bill
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