piggman1
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2009
Posts: 2
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Post by piggman1 on Oct 29, 2009 7:36:37 GMT -5
I noticed while polishing some Apache Tears that I gathered in Arizona, some streaks that seem to be gold in some of them. I have even used my Dermal tool on these spots, and it still looks like gold. Am I imagining this, or can gold actually accrue in these stones?
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Post by Toad on Oct 29, 2009 7:54:58 GMT -5
Its a gold shimmer - it occurs in some types of obsidian, don't see why it couldn't happen in Apache tears. Likely not gold, but has something to do with arangement of minerals as the obsidian cooled - light refraction and stuff like that.
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Post by johnjsgems on Oct 29, 2009 8:58:58 GMT -5
It is called "gold sheen" which is really nice in obsidian but maybe not what people expect in their Apache Tears. If it is a sheen it will change when turned in sunlight. If it stays the same it is probably an iron or other mineral staining rather than a sheen. Good news/bad news, you either have really nice Apache tears or....
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Post by Toad on Oct 29, 2009 9:07:28 GMT -5
Sheen - that's the word I couldn't come up with. Thanks, John.
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piggman1
off to a rocking start
Member since October 2009
Posts: 2
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Post by piggman1 on Oct 29, 2009 18:32:26 GMT -5
It's not a sheen, and when I said streak, I really meant speck. It is denfinately some other impurity, and the few specks there are, are smaller than a pin head. It is not in all of my tears, in fact very few. I have prospected gold for around 20 years throughout Arizona. I have never heard or seen it in obsidian, and the only reason I wrote was because it looks so much like gold.
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Post by Toad on Oct 29, 2009 20:48:51 GMT -5
Well, If you have prospected gold for 20 years, you'd know better than I. Sounds interesting in any case. Do you have pictures?
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