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Post by gingerkid on Feb 27, 2014 17:30:31 GMT -5
Thanks, Don. I hope you feel much better & get your strength back asap!
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 27, 2014 17:40:32 GMT -5
Thanks Jan. Being sick really sux. Don't know which is worse, being sick or cabin fever. On the plus side, in the 3-1/2 months that I've been sick, I've shed 30 lbs of excess weight. Once I regain my strength, I'll be a lean, mean rockin machine.
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 27, 2014 19:19:20 GMT -5
Hey, for you mineral collectors, don't be afraid to share some of your extras with kids who show an interest. These will soon be in the mail to the daughter of one of our members. They're all extras that I had on hand.  |
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Post by beefjello on Feb 27, 2014 19:48:33 GMT -5
Glad you're starting to feel better Don, sounds like you've had a rough ride lately. Some mighty fine thumbnails bud  |
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 27, 2014 19:57:21 GMT -5
Thanks Beef. Gonna drag out the microscope and try some pics. I just got a pack of 25 natural diamond crystals. All about the size of a grain of sand or slightly larger. Through the loupe they all have very nice crystal shapes, but too small for macro shots with my camera. With a little practice I should be able to get good pics with the scope camera.
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 27, 2014 20:30:19 GMT -5
Don't know how many have seen these mini microscopes advertised. One came free with the diamond crystals I ordered, and they really do work. They have 2 built in clear lights, and 1 UV light, and come with a leatherette carry case. Should be great to throw in a pocket for field work.  |
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 28, 2014 13:53:06 GMT -5
Thought I'd throw an unusual one at you folks. It looks like a slightly milky piece of massive quartz. Actually it is quartz, but a rare type. This is irridescent Quartz from the Blackcap Mtn. Quadrangle, NW Crabtree Lake, California. Under the right lighting it displays adularescence similar to moonstone. The rainbow colors aren't caused by internal fractures, as is commonly seen in massive quartz. Rather, the colors are produced by twinning of the micro crystals that make up this type of quartz. Properly oriented, this material can be cabbed or faceted just like moonstone, but is much harder. It's a very rare form of quartz which occures in druse veins in basalts in the area. This particular specimen originally belonged to the collection of the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco, and came with their label.  |
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,723 
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Post by Fossilman on Feb 28, 2014 16:44:00 GMT -5
Great minerals Don! Glad to see you up and about brother...........
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Post by jakesrocks on Feb 28, 2014 17:02:55 GMT -5
Me too Mike. Still not at the top of my game, but at least I can stand up and walk for more than a couple minutes at a time.
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 1, 2014 13:12:16 GMT -5
WOO HOO !! I'll soon be able to take good macro pics. Just won the bid on a Nikon P100 camera. Macro on a Nikon has to be better than my 2 Kodak cameras.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 1, 2014 13:55:52 GMT -5
Congrats on your win, Don, and glad you're feeling better!! Will be lookin' forward to seeing some macro pics soon!  What locality are the diamonds from? Haven't ever seen the mini-microscope before, and that was a very nice freebie!! What brand is it? That's a nice piece of iridescent quartz you acquired. I've seen some on the Colorado Gem & Mineral website. Just checked out their website and thought y'all may find this interesting: "In 1950 Dr. C.V. Raman (father of Raman Spectroscopy) published the discovery of a colorless Quartz that exhibits adularescence, or iridescence. It occurs in druse veins emplaced in basalts, and it has also been discovered in Argentina on the slopes of a volcano." Source: coloradogem.com There's amethyst from Uruguay that exhibits the optical phenomena, too. |
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 1, 2014 14:29:44 GMT -5
Diamonds are from Africa.
The mini microscope is from China , (of course). Don't know how long it will last, but a neat little toy that I can throw in a pocket.
I've seen the article by Dr. Raman.
Wish I could have gotten a pic showing the adularescence in that piece. Try as I might, I just couldn't get it to show. But in hand with a light over my shoulder, it really comes to life.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 8, 2014 12:10:22 GMT -5
Hey, Don, hope you have your new camera ready to snap some pics. Having thumbnail withdrawals here... |
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 8, 2014 12:59:32 GMT -5
LOL. I've taken a couple of practice shots with it. Want to learn the tricks of this camera before I do any serious thumbnail shots.
Got about 50 new minerals to shoot, and another 8 coming on Monday. Once I learn the tricks of this new camera, I'll be busy for a while taking and posting pics.
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 13, 2014 11:49:57 GMT -5
Wow, jakesrocks, that's a lot of photos that you have to take of new thumbnails! Cannot wait to see them! Have you received the camera stand yet? I hope you'll share a review of it. Here's a few, mainly malachite and mimetite thumbnails, that I wanted to share with y'all. Some of them are not in perky boxes. Instead of placing them in perky and small display boxes, I glued the tops to the bottoms for displaying.  Burmese Ruby Trapiche 4mm  close-up of ruby trapiche (hope this pic doesn't make y'all seasick)  Mimetite and calcite on copper  another view of above specimen  Malachite on blue quartz on chrysocolla  above specimen outside in sunlight  Malachite on mimetite  close-up of malachite on mimetite  Plancheite (?) on malachite  zoomed shot of plancheite on malachite  Dioptase on felty malachite  opposite side of dioptase on felty malachite  Azurite with malachite  Wulfenite with mimetite (some of the wulfenite xtals fell off specimen during shipment) this one is a small mimetite specimen   Mimetite  Druzy quartz with malachite and azurite  Malachite crystals  Felty malachite  Rutile and hematite (partial 'starburst') |
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 13, 2014 12:28:23 GMT -5
Wow Jan, you're putting together a nice collection. I've recently acquired a couple of those for my collection. I scored another 7 minerals last night. They should be here no later than next Monday. My copy stand shipped by UPS yesterday. Hopefully it will be here by Saturday. This is what I got. It's just a cheap one. If I like it, I may spring for a better stand. www.ebay.com/itm/130914083632?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649Is that a push pin with the pin removed that you used for the pedestal for the ruby ? Neat idea. I have several very small specimens that need some sort of pedestal. I've just finished filling my thumbnail drawers. The set of drawers holds 200 thumbnail boxes. Time to start filling another set. The top drawer is mostly minerals that I haven't taken pics of yet. |
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 13, 2014 12:48:43 GMT -5
I like the stand you won, Don, and hope you get a chance to snap some pics (now almost 60 new TN specimens?! Wow! ) of your new specimens soon. Have gone into full-blown thumbnail DT's waiting on your pics. Just kidding with you, and will patiently wait. Have you had a chance to attach the camera to the stand? I would love to see your specimen display box full of your pretty thumbnails, too. (edited--Just found your neat box with specimens posted in a previous post, jakesrocks. Your specimens look very nice in it!!) Thank you for your nice comments about the specimens. Yes, @rocks2dust pulled the pin out of the push tack to display the ruby trapiche slice. Pretty cool idea and looks nice, too. Here's a funky rutile specimen that is on a push tack I purchased from Kevin, also, that I thought I would show you.  Rutile |
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Post by jakesrocks on Mar 13, 2014 18:26:02 GMT -5
Hand held with new camera. Not a thumbnail. Small cabinet size freebie from my favorite mineral seller. Epidote / Uralite / Calcite.-- Calumet Iron Mine. Turret District. Chaffee County, Colorado.  |
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 14, 2014 6:59:19 GMT -5
Beautiful sparkly specimen, jakesrocks! Very nice freebie. Had to look up 'uralite.' Is it another name for actinolite? |
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Post by gingerkid on Mar 14, 2014 7:20:33 GMT -5
Glad you finally snapped some specimen photos with your new camera, Don. Does the noise of the shutter bother Jake?
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