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Post by glennz01 on Apr 22, 2015 18:03:42 GMT -5
Glenn, we are back to the very same lesson in one of your first threads about your improved tumbling technique. You are new and those that have walked this planet decades longer than you have qualified opinion. When they offer kind and gentle advice, it is time to take notice and listen. IMHO I don't see one $0.25 slab in any of your images. If you see similar stuff selling for your asking prices it must be a local phenomenon in Alaska. Take the sage advice offered here and reconsider your presentation. Advice taken, there is probably nothing (that I can get at) in which I could obtain a large amount of for lapidary purposes apart from blizzard stone which noone wants most likely due to its black and white nature and all my colorful stuff is common in the lower 48 as i'm informed. |
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jamesp
Cave Dweller 
Member since October 2012
Posts: 36,612
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Post by jamesp on Apr 22, 2015 19:24:58 GMT -5
I bet you can find great rocks up there.
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Post by gingerkid on Apr 22, 2015 19:31:17 GMT -5
glennz01, maybe you can break down the MFRB of assorted slabs for 140 big ones and place them in SFRB and sell them at much lower prices as we talked about earlier. You may want take photos of all of the slabs wet that will go in each separate box with their identification and with a ruler so people can get a general idea of the size of the slabs. If you have a cabbed example of any of the slabs, maybe place it in the photograph with its corresponding slab, and state that the cab is being used to show what the slab can look like if cabbed (same with tumbling rough). Selling can be frustrating, and you may have to price some of your lapidary goods lower than you would like to sell them. But, please do not get discouraged. If selling on here is not successful, then you could try to sell from your Facebook page or your website if you can set it up to sell from it. Most people are not familiar with the materials found in Alaska. I've seen pictures of Alaskan materials that you and Geoff ( Geoff) have posted - some very nice cabs and self-collected minerals (and Geoff's gold). I think even though Alaska has some of the same materials as other places, some people would be interested in them because of locality (especially mineral collector nerds like myself). Along with your prehnite specimen, I have a "Black Diamond" pendant that Rick's grandmother purchased when she visited Alaska in 1950. The Black Diamond is possibly hematite or it may be glass. I have not performed a streak test on it, which should be red if hematite. I also have a billiken that is carved from what is believed to be walrus bone that she purchased in Alaska. We rub his tummy every now and then for good luck, lol. I really would like to have an Alaskan almandine specimen, but the ones I've checked prices on are a bit expensive. Just for fun, here's the "Black Diamond" pendant and billiken:   Glenn, I have cabs that have not sold in years even though they are priced very low, but I do not get frustrated and compare my work to others (ever) that have been successful at sales. Although I admit to pouting a little. Just kidding. My cabs haven't sold in a long time - which could be because my cabs are craptastic, not materials that people are looking for, for example - a Deschutes picture jasper, where I sale, and a number of other factors. So they sit...and sit... But, a friend of mine (@rocks2dust) has been able to sell a few of my cabs on ebay. Instead, I try to look at sellers that have been successful and learn from their professionalism - how they present their materials, what materials they are cabbing, how they interact with customers, etc...
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Post by captbob on Apr 22, 2015 21:27:15 GMT -5
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Post by glennz01 on Apr 23, 2015 1:48:25 GMT -5
I bet you can find great rocks up there. I think they are great, at least if they have met my saw or will meet it some day I haven't got to put my hands on rocks yet today so here is a pic of some of my newer cuts.. probably what some people would say are leavorites but this is decent stuff for my immediate area.. The pink feldspar with epidote I am thinking of taking off a few more slabs for myself and throwing the rest in a box to sell but i'm not sure what i'll do. The rhyolite I already slabbed the whole rock up... its really hard to come by in that quality and grade. gingerkid Thats exactly what I was thinking, if there is no interest here i'll list on facebook probably  |
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Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,991
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Post by Tommy on Apr 23, 2015 7:25:59 GMT -5
The rhyolite I already slabbed the whole rock up... its really hard to come by in that quality and grade. I'm not trying to pile on Glenn - I've been following this thread feeling pretty uncomfortable with some of the treatment you've received - BUT you have also received sage advice from some well-meaning and intelligent folks who are just trying to help. What I'm having trouble with is your apparent disconnect between perceived value and reality. For instance in my experience and opinion this piece of rhyolite is VERY low quality. I have a lot of this stuff and if I put that on my saw and my first cut looked like that both the slab and the rough would come off the saw and get tossed in the garbage or at best the ground in the garden ... literally. I've got a 5-gallon tuberware container in my garage that I labeled "junk" and it is filled to the top with stuff that resembles or exceeds the value of what I've seen offered here. This is the same container that I pulled about 5-lbs of slabs out and sent to you last year because I wanted to help you get started cabbing and have a blast on cheap material and not blow a lot of money practicing. My advise would be to take a step back and try to see what almost everyone else is seeing. The quality is not there for that kind of money. If you can break it out and sell it on Facebook that is your right of course. I see a lot of 'crap' sold on FB every day that I wouldn't have given a wooden nickle for. Just my two cents... |
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Post by captbob on Apr 23, 2015 9:45:28 GMT -5
Finally! I've stayed out of this because tact is not one of my strong suits. I couldn't have added my 2 cents any better than this. Nice job on the truth as gently as possible. Probably to no avail. I'm not trying to pile on Glenn - I've been following this thread feeling pretty uncomfortable with some of the treatment you've received - BUT you have also received sage advice from some well-meaning and intelligent folks who are just trying to help. What I'm having trouble with is your apparent disconnect between perceived value and reality. For instance in my experience and opinion this piece of rhyolite is VERY low quality. I have a lot of this stuff and if I put that on my saw and my first cut looked like that both the slab and the rough would come off the saw and get tossed in the garbage or at best the ground in the garden ... literally. I've got a 5-gallon tuberware container in my garage that I labeled "junk" and it is filled to the top with stuff that resembles or exceeds the value of what I've seen offered here. This is the same container that I pulled about 5-lbs of slabs out and sent to you last year because I wanted to help you get started cabbing and have a blast on cheap material and not blow a lot of money practicing. My advise would be to take a step back and try to see what almost everyone else is seeing. The quality is not there for that kind of money. If you can break it out and sell it on Facebook that is your right of course. I see a lot of 'crap' sold on FB every day that I wouldn't have given a wooden nickle for. Just my two cents...  |
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Post by glennz01 on Apr 23, 2015 11:33:28 GMT -5
The rhyolite I already slabbed the whole rock up... its really hard to come by in that quality and grade. I'm not trying to pile on Glenn - I've been following this thread feeling pretty uncomfortable with some of the treatment you've received - BUT you have also received sage advice from some well-meaning and intelligent folks who are just trying to help. What I'm having trouble with is your apparent disconnect between perceived value and reality. For instance in my experience and opinion this piece of rhyolite is VERY low quality. I have a lot of this stuff and if I put that on my saw and my first cut looked like that both the slab and the rough would come off the saw and get tossed in the garbage or at best the ground in the garden ... literally. I've got a 5-gallon tuberware container in my garage that I labeled "junk" and it is filled to the top with stuff that resembles or exceeds the value of what I've seen offered here. This is the same container that I pulled about 5-lbs of slabs out and sent to you last year because I wanted to help you get started cabbing and have a blast on cheap material and not blow a lot of money practicing. My advise would be to take a step back and try to see what almost everyone else is seeing. The quality is not there for that kind of money. If you can break it out and sell it on Facebook that is your right of course. I see a lot of 'crap' sold on FB every day that I wouldn't have given a wooden nickle for. Just my two cents... Like I said to most people it is probably junk... For alaska that is about the best you can get... I have even had the local geologist say that was a stunning piece for Alaska. I can't compare what I have to outside material as I don't have much, but for local material I can tell the difference when comparing in state material. |
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,504
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Post by Sabre52 on Apr 23, 2015 14:31:42 GMT -5
Interesting thread that just goes to show you how your perspective changes depending on where you live. I have one jasper slab from Alaska somewhere in my type collection. It's basically just reddish crap jasper and in Texas or California it would be leaverite but it is my "only" Alaskan jasper. Shoot, now that I think about it, I may even have culled it our when I thinned my collection for the Texas move. I guess my point is, if it's from somewhere you do not have an example from and you want a complete type collection, even substandard material might be desirable. However, if one is selling nationwide to cabbers for example, who desire fancy colors and patterns more than location collected, one has to be realistic and remember you are competing with worldwide sources when you post your prices and in that case, your price has to be realistic and depends on what "cutting grade" you are selling comparable to other similar materials on the market....Mel
PS: Again, Alaska has some of the best, non agate, fossil coral in the country and cutters pay huge prices for it. If you get a supply of that, cutters and collectors will be beating down your door
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Post by glennz01 on Apr 23, 2015 15:41:21 GMT -5
Interesting thread that just goes to show you how your perspective changes depending on where you live. I have one jasper slab from Alaska somewhere in my type collection. It's basically just reddish crap jasper and in Texas or California it would be leaverite but it is my "only" Alaskan jasper. Shoot, now that I think about it, I may even have culled it our when I thinned my collection for the Texas move. I guess my point is, if it's from somewhere you do not have an example from and you want a complete type collection, even substandard material might be desirable. However, if one is selling nationwide to cabbers for example, who desire fancy colors and patterns more than location collected, one has to be realistic and remember you are competing with worldwide sources when you post your prices and in that case, your price has to be realistic and depends on what "cutting grade" you are selling comparable to other similar materials on the market....Mel PS: Again, Alaska has some of the best, non agate, fossil coral in the country and cutters pay huge prices for it. If you get a supply of that, cutters and collectors will be beating down your door there is other colors with jasper but it is really really hard to find in good silica content. |
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