firstrune
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 156
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Post by firstrune on Feb 18, 2009 10:11:23 GMT -5
Does anyone here have a pic of some girasol opals which they've worked? I have some from the Rock Shed and have been tumbling them for a couple of weeks, they've smoothed out very nicely, but they seem cloudy with lots of occlusions. I've tried researching them to see what they're supposed to look like tumbled, but not much out there. I'd like to see if mine are progressing as they should or not. (I know, I should have taken a pic the last time I had them out..  ) Sometimes I like them when I look at them, and other times I don't. Bonnie |
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Post by frane on Feb 18, 2009 15:08:53 GMT -5
I have tumbled the stuff before and have more in with some quartz now. They are really more like quartz with mica inclusions for the most part. Sometimes you have a little blue or rainbow effect inside but I haven't seen too much in mine. I will try to take a pic later of the stuff that I finished as soon as I remember where it is.
Some will stay cloudy but shiney and others will be very clear looking. They chip pretty easy so need cousioning or a full tumbler towards the end.
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firstrune
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 156
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Post by firstrune on Feb 18, 2009 17:03:01 GMT -5
Thanks Frane, I'll check back in later to see if you have pics. I do have one that will catch some rainbow effects if held up under my skylight, and it has a good clarity. The majority of them are rather cloudy and I can't really detect color. It's an interesting rock, just not sure if I'm crazy about tumbling several of them. Somewhere I read that they're supposed to look like they're holding water. I read that and thought if I wanted that effect I could just get the ice cube tray out and forget about the rocks .. ;D
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Post by frane on Feb 19, 2009 10:29:54 GMT -5
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firstrune
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 156
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Post by firstrune on Feb 20, 2009 16:30:56 GMT -5
Frane, thanks so very much! That whole batch is absolutely gorgeous! I think my opals are coming along the way they're supposed to looking at your batch of finished ones. Looking at the ones you've finished I can only hope mine will be even half as nice, that will make it worth the while.
Thanks again for taking the time.
Bonnie
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randy
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since August 2008
Posts: 117
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Post by randy on Feb 21, 2009 3:35:53 GMT -5
Sad to say that mine were a flop. I tried tumbling the Girasol's with some labradorite, sodalite, and moonstone. All should have been about the same relative hardness. All were flops.  |
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Post by MyNewHobby on Feb 22, 2009 21:25:10 GMT -5
I think I got a few in the different rock mix bags from The Rock Shed ... They are (anyone ... please correct me if I am wrong) described as possibly being clear to cloudy with possible coloration/rainbow effect. I have been tumbling them .... however I do not think that they will come out with really any idenifying marks of being an opal. However ... I did find several sites with decent pictures ...     |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2009 14:30:17 GMT -5
Hi Julie, they look like opaque quartz (Moh's 7.0) to me, i can get 5 tons quartz delivered to my door for £10 ($15)!
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Post by frane on Feb 26, 2009 16:11:03 GMT -5
Yes, the girasol Opals are really not opals. They are quartz with inclusions that cause a rainbow effect pretty much. Mine were as hard as the quartz and did quite well with amethyst and citrine. That may have been the problem with Randy's batch. The girasol probably beat everything else in the batch up. Since it is quartz, treat it the same. It will chip easily so it needs cousion in all stages after the first grit and keep the barrel pretty full.
Fran
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 26, 2009 22:44:13 GMT -5
Bonnie, here is a list of online full books, some do have pictures,some do not, your 1st pic is opaque quartz with mica, the rest appear to be just opaque quartz. Frane i agree with you that your Girasol Opals are translucent quartz with mica, however the bottom right corner are more like Girasol Opals as in the Mexican fire opal! The World of Opals - Page 170 Gem Minerals of Idaho: With Field Trip Maps - Page 44 Dictionary of Gems and Gemology - Page 93 Manual of Mineralogy: Including Observations on Mines, Rocks, Reduction of ... - Page 139 The Encyclopedia of Crystals Precious Stones in Nature, Art and Literature Online Google Books: Girasol Opalswww.opalshop.com.au/ |
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firstrune
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since January 2009
Posts: 156
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Post by firstrune on Feb 28, 2009 10:36:39 GMT -5
Julie, thanks for sending the pics. Those look very much like mine before tumbling. I have 6-8 tumbling right now, and I think they're turning out the way they should, but I had no idea how they were supposed to look as they progressed. They do smooth and shape up very nicely, but are cloudy. Fran mentioned they may have a rainbow effect, but of all the ones I have going, only one shows any promise of doing that, and you have to tilt it all around to find the color. I like them more as they come along, they're an interesting rock in kind of an uninteresting way..  Randy, I'm sorry to hear yours were a flop. I was wondering if mine were flopping the first time I looked at them after seven days which is why I came here to ask questions. ASI, great links! Thanks for sending those along. Bonnie |
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Feb 28, 2009 19:44:43 GMT -5
Hi Bonnie, firstly sorry for ignoring you & you are welcome!
There are more full books further down the list, just locate "Precious Stones in Nature, Art and Literature", then try the links after that, some links are just reviews.
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) Sometimes I like them when I look at them, and other times I don't. 
