|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 22:06:40 GMT -5
Unknown brecciated jasper slab acquired at an estate sale, several years ago. I'd love to know what it is:  DSC_1436_Unknown brecciated jasper slab by Stephan Telm, on Flickr Preforms made the way I make most of them these days (especially brecciated jasper), if I have any doubts about the slab's integrity. I dropped it onto concrete from about a 3-4 feet height.  DSC_1438_Brecciated jasper preforms by Stephan Telm, on Flickr Several pieces, especially at 4:00 for the pre-forms, remind me of turkey tail mushrooms. |
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 28, 2018 22:36:25 GMT -5
Can't help with an id, but it was a pretty slab. You should be able to get a few nice cabs out of those pieces.
|
|
|
|
Post by Pat on Dec 28, 2018 22:38:58 GMT -5
Don’t know. Could it be related to the bumble bee jasper?
|
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 22:47:39 GMT -5
Can't help with an id, but it was a pretty slab. You should be able to get a few cabs nice cabs out of those pieces. Thanks. I think I can work very well with what I have.
|
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 22:50:03 GMT -5
Don’t know. Could it be related to the bumble bee jasper? I don't think it's related. The yellow isn't bright enough, and reports are that most of what was in this collection came from CA, OR, WA, NV, UT and AZ. Self-collected in the 60s-80s, for the most part. I believe bumblebee jasper is from Indonesia, and fairly new to the market (within the last 20-25 years?). The patterns look similar, though, don't they? Maybe it's a brecciated calcite, not jasper. The quartz parts are definitely hard, I guess I'll find out about the rest when I start cabbing. |
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 28, 2018 22:54:30 GMT -5
Can't help with an id, but it was a pretty slab. You should be able to get a few cabs nice cabs out of those pieces. Thanks. I think I can work very well with what I have.
I'm sure you will and I would love to see them when you finish some.  |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 22:58:11 GMT -5
Thanks. I think I can work very well with what I have.
I'm sure you will and I would love to see them when you finish some. My plan is to do some cabbing tomorrow, and to work in at least one of those pieces. Let's see what the universe has in store for me.
(Reminds me of the joke: Q: How do you make God laugh? A: You tell him your plans).
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2018 23:06:10 GMT -5
Colors and pattern looks like some of the Sheep Creek Plume (see Tommy's post for a couple cabs)). His show more plume, but I probably have some laying around, tho too dark to search or photo. |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 23:12:32 GMT -5
Colors and pattern looks like some of the Sheep Creek Plume (see Tommy's post for a couple cabs)). His show more plume, but I probably have some laying around, tho too dark to search or photo. I'll buy that. In fact, I was thinking it as a possibility, after I saw Tommy's cab-o-palooza. I didn't want to place a suggestion in anyone's head, though, if I was wrong. |
|
Tommy
Administrator 
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
|
Post by Tommy on Dec 28, 2018 23:12:52 GMT -5
Yep I concur with it being Sheep Creek plume agate (not brecciated). I've got quite a bit of it around if more photos are needed - but yeah too dark till daylight.
That being said there's a lot of arguing on Facebook groups about an Indonesian plume agate that looks identical to Sheep Creek - and I do mean identical - it hits on at least five major points of identification. Allegedly it has been proven that the material came from there. My theory is that maybe someone in Indonesia imported a buttload of Sheep Creek and is now selling it back to the hobby as Indonesian plume agate. It's not that far fetched if you think about it.
|
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 28, 2018 23:16:34 GMT -5
Yep I concur with it being Sheep Creek plume agate (not brecciated). I've got quite a bit of it around if more photos are needed - but yeah too dark till daylight. That being said there's a lot of arguing on Facebook groups about an Indonesian plume agate that looks identical to Sheep Creek - and I do mean identical - it hits on at least five major points of identification. Allegedly it has been proven that the material came from there. My theory is that maybe someone in Indonesia imported a buttload of Sheep Creek and is now selling it back to the hobby as Indonesian plume agate. It's not that far fetched if you think about it. Not far-fetched at all. In fact, I wonder (speaking of Indonesian stuff), how much of their orbicular river jasper is re-sold as OJ.
Thanks for the ID help, folks.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2018 23:37:04 GMT -5
That being said there's a lot of arguing on Facebook groups about an Indonesian plume agate that looks identical to Sheep Creek - and I do mean identical - it hits on at least five major points of identification. Allegedly it has been proven that the material came from there. My theory is that maybe someone in Indonesia imported a buttload of Sheep Creek and is now selling it back to the hobby as Indonesian plume agate. It's not that far fetched if you think about it. A couple rock shops liquidated some big boulders about 5 years ago. I never saw any increase in the domestic supply since, so you could be correct. As Chinese and Indian dealers have been doing similar (snapping up large quantities of agates and jaspers) for the last couple decades and frequently representing as coming from elsewhere, no reason that Indonesian dealers could not also be playing that game. I did find some old slab photos. As with similar plume, patterns vary depending on how cut, where in the seam, etc. ... |
|
Tommy
Administrator
Member since January 2013
Posts: 12,989
|
Post by Tommy on Dec 28, 2018 23:40:29 GMT -5
That's beautiful @rocks2dust! It's an under-rated material if you ask me and definitely one of my favorite materials. I recently bought a LFRB full of big pieces and have only cut just a couple so far. There's one big piece that I think will a lot of the white clouds like in your second slab.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 28, 2018 23:49:35 GMT -5
I agree, it's another one of those materials that didn't get much appreciation until it was gone. Lots of interesting features, and I particularly like the "interrupted" patterns that show in the black+golden plumey orbs in your slab on the right side and in the white+golden plume in middle photo of mine (different color plumes, but same unusual interrupted pattern). One of those things that makes you think, "How'd that ever happen?".
|
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 29, 2018 0:48:19 GMT -5
I agree, it's another one of those materials that didn't get much appreciation until it was gone. Lots of interesting features, and I particularly like the "interrupted" patterns that show in the black+golden plumey orbs in your slab on the right side and in the white+golden plume in middle photo of mine (different color plumes, but same unusual interrupted pattern). One of those things that makes you think, "How'd that ever happen?". Could the interrupted pattern be brecciation before the clear chalcedony deposited? I do see clear signs of brecciation and healing in my slab. |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 29, 2018 2:25:41 GMT -5
Could the interrupted pattern be brecciation before the clear chalcedony deposited? I do see clear signs of brecciation and healing in my slab. I'm not sure. Some of the patterns are perhaps rhyolite that was silicified when, or by the time, the chalcedony filled up the deposit. Some of the plume and dendrite growths are within the chalcedony and would be from minerals trapped inside the chalcedony producing them. Could have been something interrupting the minerals traveling thru the chalcedony while the plumes were growing? Differences in density (from botryoidal build up?)? Not sure. There is some brecciation, but also healed formation/shrinkage fracturing in the pieces I'm recalling. More complicated formation than what one usually sees in most agates. Would have been a substantial void that filled up with agate - some of those boulders hauled off were 4' x 4' x 4' from the ranch SE of Prineville. Judy Elkins was one who had some big chunks among the petrified logs and other lunkers in the rock garden at their shop before everything was hauled off. Don't know where it all went. |
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 29, 2018 23:17:06 GMT -5
Made from the Upper left "pre-form."  DSC_1471_Sheep Creek agate freeform cabochon by Stephan Telm, on Flickr This stuff is hard! And, unlike many plume agates I've worked with, it did not undercut. I can see why people like this. Surprisingly, for a plume agate, the slab was THICK (7 or 8mm, I did not measure). I haven't yet decided if I'll take the dome down a bit. I kind of like it, as is, but I know with plumes, thin can often be good. Maybe I'll play with one of the smaller pieces before I decide. |
|
|
|
Post by hummingbirdstones on Dec 30, 2018 10:38:25 GMT -5
That's a beautiful cab. It's hard for me to tell from the photo, but will taking the dome down a bit expose those darker dendrites/plume at the top of the cab?
|
|
|
|
Post by stephan on Dec 31, 2018 21:24:23 GMT -5
That's a beautiful cab. It's hard for me to tell from the photo, but will taking the dome down a bit expose those darker dendrites/plume at the top of the cab? I’m not sure. |
|
