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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 15:38:33 GMT -5
A while back Dr DG took me to a spot near Ludlow California to collect "Thulite" and this was pink and green so "Thulite with zoisite". Well, hello! We got some. So, a famous rockhound Donald Kasper bought an IR spectroscopy machine. It sees crystals. So he tested this material and posted this online. So I have pink Epidote and green Diopside from Ludlow. Shows to go ya, rocks are hard. wampidytooSabre52gemfeller
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Dr DG
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Post by Dr DG on Jun 7, 2017 17:42:32 GMT -5
all time thought it was thulite, nice to know what it is
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 18:08:18 GMT -5
all time thought it was thulite, nice to know what it is I know Dan. Me too. Perfect proof that our testing of characteristics ain't enough.
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Post by captbob on Jun 7, 2017 18:19:11 GMT -5
Pictures?
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 7, 2017 18:23:11 GMT -5
Hey, that's cool information. Now you've got me wondering about the thulite from Porterville, CA that occurs in the same region with serpentine and nephrite. It's pink and green too but the Ludlow material is much brighter in color....Mel
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Post by Deleted on Jun 7, 2017 19:17:44 GMT -5
Ok. I'll dig out a rock and mail it to you.
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Post by gemfeller on Jun 7, 2017 19:32:22 GMT -5
Testing techniques are continuously evolving and improving. If anyone can spare a small sample I can probably figure out a way to have it tested by Raman spectroscopy. That's the current rage among the gemologists I know. I'm not doubting Kasper's results at all but it never hurts to get two informed opinions. I'm not enough of an expert to say which is the better technique but Raman might help resolve any lingering doubts.
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Dr DG
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Post by Dr DG on Jun 7, 2017 23:09:43 GMT -5
I collected this.
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Post by captbob on Jun 7, 2017 23:51:49 GMT -5
Ok. I'll dig out a rock and mail it to you. I'm good, thank you though. Just wanted to see what you were talking about. Mr. Fish posted one. Never would have guessed diopside.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 9:01:59 GMT -5
Ok. I'll dig out a rock and mail it to you. I'm good, thank you though. Just wanted to see what you were talking about. Mr. Fish posted one. Never would have guessed diopside. The point of the post was that we really cannot identify many rocks by scratches and SG and streaks. We can try. But we will be wrong sometimes. I was going to say a pic wasn't necessary, but now I see Dan's and realise it kinda helps.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 9:03:01 GMT -5
Ok. I'll dig out a rock and mail it to you. I'm good, thank you though. Just wanted to see what you were talking about. Mr. Fish posted one. Never would have guessed diopside. Would you have guessed pink epidote?
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Jun 8, 2017 10:34:25 GMT -5
Scott @shotgunner damn it, do you have any idea how long it took me to remember thulite and now you go and change things up. hahaha just my luck. But now I am wondering why the rings I make are tougher than most other stones with the exception of jade and glaucophane (sp) /blue-G gemfeller if you message your addy I will send two slabs, one from fish and one from Scott, both from same area I think but quite different. Jim
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 11:35:32 GMT -5
Scott @shotgunner damn it, do you have any idea how long it took me to remember thulite and now you go and change things up. hahaha just my luck. But now I am wondering why the rings I make are tougher than most other stones with the exception of jade and glaucophane (sp) /blue-G gemfeller if you message your addy I will send two slabs, one from fish and one from Scott, both from same area I think but quite different. Jim Jim, I believe ours was from the same hole!
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Post by gemfeller on Jun 8, 2017 12:50:46 GMT -5
wampidytoo, thanks, but first let me check with my friend to see if she'll do the test. I'll get back to you with a PM if she agrees to do it. I think it may be the sort of question that will interest her but I'll have to wait for her judgment.
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Post by gemfeller on Jun 8, 2017 15:50:26 GMT -5
wampidytoo, thanks, but first let me check with my friend to see if she'll do the test. I'll get back to you with a PM if she agrees to do it. I think it may be the sort of question that will interest her but I'll have to wait for her judgment. The Raman test is a "go." I'll post any results here as soon as I have them. It will require a bit of mail time since I'll have to wait to receive the material from Jim, then send it on elsewhere for testing.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 8, 2017 17:43:07 GMT -5
wampidytoo, thanks, but first let me check with my friend to see if she'll do the test. I'll get back to you with a PM if she agrees to do it. I think it may be the sort of question that will interest her but I'll have to wait for her judgment. The Raman test is a "go." I'll post any results here as soon as I have them. It will require a bit of mail time since I'll have to wait to receive the material from Jim, then send it on elsewhere for testing. Bad ass!! Thanks Rick
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Sabre52
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Post by Sabre52 on Jun 8, 2017 17:59:32 GMT -5
Wow, I've been reading Sinkankas ( Gemstones of North America) on thulite and what a complicated subject. Since zoisite is in the epidote group, add a little iron to it ( less than 10%) and you have clinozoisite which can be olive green and grades into epidote which is also green. No mention of pink clinozoisite or epidote in Sinkankas at all so pink epidote is kinda weird and neat. Then to top it off, the wyoming "pink jade" which I've always thought was either zoisite and nephrite or zoisite and epidote, is apparently thulite ( pink zosite) and green grossular garnet and maybe even a little rhodonite. All very interesting and confusing. I do know from experience that the pink in thulite is way softer than most of the green areas but can be quite hard if mixed with some quartz.
That pic is awesome and, in my opinion, much pinker than either the Wyoming or Porterville material...Mel
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Jun 9, 2017 2:11:26 GMT -5
I have a pile of slabs so should be able to get some on the road tomorrow. gemfeller since a box is going out I am going to send a couple of other things one of which is what I believe to be WY nephrite. If it would be possible to get a test on a piece of that at the same time I would jump up and down yelling "I love Rich" "but not enough to kiss him". Jim
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wampidytoo
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Post by wampidytoo on Jun 9, 2017 2:15:51 GMT -5
Sabre52 Forgot to mention that the slab in the photo is more pink than any other ??/thulite I have seen too. Jim
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Dr DG
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Post by Dr DG on Jun 9, 2017 6:44:52 GMT -5
I had over 100 pounds of the same quality. collected the thulite around 4 years ago.
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