willie
off to a rocking start
Member since April 2019
Posts: 16
|
Post by willie on Apr 14, 2019 9:34:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by RickB on Apr 14, 2019 9:59:03 GMT -5
Just look and see what kind of feedback they are getting on ebay. Check out the comments for the positive and negative feedback.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 14, 2019 12:05:46 GMT -5
Looks like chrysocolla with cuprite. I'd be more concerned about quality and whether any turquoise included was chalk, enhanced or even real (e.g., most "turquoise" out there is about as natural as Hostess Twinkies).
|
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 14, 2019 17:37:40 GMT -5
The fact they are selling chrysocolla by the carat instead the pound is the first red flag to me. 1000 carats is only 7 ounces so they are asking around $20 a pound, which is extremely high.
Then you have to read the print in the description:
"The fun of this auction is in searching, cleaning, and sorting the rough looking for valuable Chrysocolla & Turquoise. "
"Looking for" indicates not necessarily present.
|
|
Don
Cave Dweller 
He wants you too, Malachi.
Member since December 2009
Posts: 2,616
|
Post by Don on Apr 14, 2019 22:08:32 GMT -5
Good quality chrysocolla can be pricy, particularly if it's from a well known mine. 20/lb really isn't that unusual.
|
|
|
|
Post by roy on Apr 15, 2019 10:41:25 GMT -5
in the picture is high grade chrysocolla
|
|
jimaz
spending too much on rocks
Member since July 2018
Posts: 474 
|
Post by jimaz on Apr 15, 2019 11:11:16 GMT -5
But are you going to get the material that is pictured?
|
|
fishnpinball
Cave Dweller
So much to learn, so little time
Member since March 2017
Posts: 1,491
|
Post by fishnpinball on Apr 15, 2019 12:46:25 GMT -5
As far as I know the 2 are never found at the same location.
|
|
|
|
Post by fernwood on Apr 15, 2019 13:18:25 GMT -5
Finally looked at the ad. The seller has 100% positive feedback. States 100% free returns.
The photos show some beautiful materials. Very high grade.
Turquoise and chrysocolla are found together in some AZ mines.
If I had the $ right now, I would take the chance.
The rough chrysocolla/gem silca piece I purchased last year would have been sold to someone else for $50.00. It is about 4" by 6" by 4". About 40% appears to be high grade material. Just stating this for reference.
|
|
QuailRiver
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since May 2008
Posts: 1,640
|
Post by QuailRiver on Apr 15, 2019 15:41:48 GMT -5
IMO that is chrysocolla only. My understanding is that chrysoclla and turquoise are formed under different conditions and are never found intermingled in the same rock. A lot of sellers on eBay and FB try to pass off chrysocolla as turquoise. And I'm sure that many of them believe that their pretty bright blue chrysocolla is actually turquoise, but only because they want to believe it.
Larry C.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 15, 2019 15:43:20 GMT -5
Finally looked at the ad. The seller has 100% positive feedback. States 100% free returns. The photos show some beautiful materials. Very high grade. Turquoise and chrysocolla are found together in some AZ mines. If I had the $ right now, I would take the chance. The rough chrysocolla/gem silca piece I purchased last year would have been sold to someone else for $50.00. It is about 4" by 6" by 4". About 40% appears to be high grade material. Just stating this for reference. Hmmm. The link in the OP is to an ebay auction where the seller has a 99.3% positive rating (plus a higher number of neutrals). The pieces being sold are small chips, which may average out to about the size of a quarter (some slightly bigger, some slightly smaller - kudos to the seller for including a reference coin in a photo). The photos all show the material wetted down (as stated in the ad), so I'd personally be hesitant to buy with the assumption that it is high quality. On the other hand, for small ring stone or smaller cabs or intarsia inlay work, not a terrible price for 7 oz. Can't imagine that soft stones of this size would yield much if tumbling, however. |
|
|
|
Post by vegasjames on Apr 15, 2019 18:17:15 GMT -5
IMO that is chrysocolla only. My understanding is that chrysoclla and turquoise are formed under different conditions and are never found intermingled in the same rock. A lot of sellers on eBay and FB try to pass off chrysocolla as turquoise. And I'm sure that many of them believe that their pretty bright blue chrysocolla is actually turquoise, but only because they want to believe it. Larry C. One issue that is that chrysocolla is a soft mineral copper silicate. The term chrysocolla though is used though to apply to unidentified copper ores. I have had some people refer to some of my copper bearing minerals as chrysocolla even though they were much harder than chrysocolla, density was too hard for chrysocolla and the chemical tests ruled out chrysocolla. So the loose use of the term chrysocolla leads to a lot of confusion. |
|
