|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 12, 2005 14:29:14 GMT -5
Just moving these pictures over from the general rocks board. andy321.proboards16.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1109867338
This is what the emeralds looked like when they first got here 
Here's what they looked like at 4 days of tumbling in coarse grit. The 1st picture is what they look like dry. All the other pictures show wet emeralds.     Here's one of many rocks I'm keeping my eye on.  
Here's one that I didn't throw into the barrel, because it's just too cool to look at.  
At 5 days of tumbling, we removed the Filler rocks, large Emeralds, the pale green / blue, and the ones that look like mazaic patterns (we just weren't crazy about them), and replaced them with other emeralds and a handful of sapphires and rubies . I'll be posting up more pictures in about 6 days |
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 12, 2005 21:43:45 GMT -5
The slurry was getting way to thick and was on it's way to getting thicker. So I took out all the rocks, rinsed them, dumped the slurry into a bucket and waited for it to settle. Then I poured the slurry back into the barrel, leaving most of the grit in the bucket. I'm hoping that the water from the wet rocks will thin out the slurry down enough. If not, then I'll just a teaspoon or 2 of water to the slurry tomorrow. Here's some pictures of the rinsed rocks. Some have been tumbling for 9 days, others for 4.  These are a mix of emeralds, sapphires and rubies (the whole batch wouldn't fit on the plate).  and here's the rock posted above (appears to be cracking)  |
|
|
|
Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 13, 2005 8:34:25 GMT -5
Are those rocks emeralds (okay I know they're emeralds), but are the whole rocks emeralds or just part of it - for some reason I thought emeralds (or any precious stone for that matter) were like quartz, clear & glasslike
|
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 13, 2005 9:12:50 GMT -5
Emeralds ARE like crystals, The rocks you see is what they look like as mine rough gems. Emeralds are green, but they vary in different shades (some even come of as blue-ish), and clarity (meaning some look like see through glass, and some aren't transparent at all)
The grey rock and the black stuff (matrix) that you see, is what has to come off to reveal the emeralds. Which means lots and lots of tumbling.
|
|
|
|
Post by creativeminded on Mar 13, 2005 10:12:53 GMT -5
Any type of crystal has inclusions. Prime example quartz there is clear quartz and there is white quartz, rose quartz, green quartz and I am sure many other colors of quartz.
Tami
|
|
|
|
Post by Tweetiepy on Mar 13, 2005 14:40:07 GMT -5
I wanna change my status back to newbie - now I'm more confused than ever   |
|
|
|
Post by Debra on Mar 13, 2005 15:41:53 GMT -5
Those are really cool! Where did you purchase those emeralds, and other cool gems! I want some too!  |
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 13, 2005 15:58:19 GMT -5
hi Debra
Some were purchased through ebay from a seller named Verzazio, and others are from Mine Run Gems.
|
|
ArkieRockhound
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2005
Posts: 870
|
Post by ArkieRockhound on Mar 13, 2005 16:12:37 GMT -5
hi Debra Some were purchased through ebay from a seller named Verzazio, and others are from Mine Run Gems. Hi Alice, Which gems were the best? Verzazio or Mine Run Gems? How long did it take to get them? I'm waiting for mine now. Trish |
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 13, 2005 16:17:01 GMT -5
I prefer the Mine run Gems over Vezario.
They are smaller, but a lot more dark green in their batches, and less grey rock.
Vazario's rocks came in less then a week (maybe 5 days).
Mine run Gems took about 2 weeks or so (It was stuck at customs)
|
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 13, 2005 16:25:38 GMT -5
Tweety emeralds grow very much in the same manner as these home grown citrines (only a lot bigger). What I'm tumbling is the stuff at the bottom of the "spikes". With centuries of carbon deposits.   |
|
stefan
Cave Dweller 
Member since January 2005
Posts: 14,113
|
Post by stefan on Mar 14, 2005 10:58:03 GMT -5
Tweet- don't get confused- Gems come in various grades! The best (clearity and flewlessness) are cut for gems- then the rest is sold to us! The better material is saved and the Mine Run stuff (not worth the companies efforts) is sold off- That is not to say that you can't get cutting grade stuff in mine run- It is just not as common!
|
|
texmom
spending too much on rocks
When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on fried catfish!
Member since February 2005
Posts: 344
|
Post by texmom on Mar 14, 2005 11:23:27 GMT -5
"home-grown" citrines? You mean they are local and you found them?
|
|
|
|
Post by BearCreekLapidary on Mar 14, 2005 11:41:53 GMT -5
Very interesting ...
Thanks for the photos,
John
|
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 14, 2005 12:18:19 GMT -5
Nope, home grown meaning we grew them ourselves in a margarine bowl, in our kitchen.  They're not actual citrines. We got the citrine recipe from a science web site about 1 1/2 years ago. Just mix alum with some other stuff and throw in some rocks and watch them grow over a period of 2 months or so. End result was as pictured. Don't want to put them in water to wash off the dust though. They'll disintegrate |
|
texmom
spending too much on rocks
When life gives you lemons, squeeze it on fried catfish!
Member since February 2005
Posts: 344
|
Post by texmom on Mar 14, 2005 12:34:42 GMT -5
I've grown crystals with bluing before... and of course moon rocks (showing my age).....
Yours look great!
|
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 14, 2005 13:48:25 GMT -5
Thanks Tex
Do you have any pictures of yours?
|
|
rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Mar 14, 2005 14:32:41 GMT -5
They're not actual citrines. We got the citrine recipe from a science web site about 1 1/2 years ago. Just mix alum with some other stuff and throw in some rocks and watch them grow over a period of 2 months or so. End result was as pictured. Alice, I'm pretty sure those are monoammonium phosphate crystals in your picture. Alum crystals look like this:  |
|
|
|
Post by Alice on Mar 14, 2005 15:19:57 GMT -5
That's really cool Rollingstone. I definately put Alum in the mix (I remember going from store to store looking for Alum). But I don't remember what else I put in other then powdered color (which I also looked all over town for). The other stuff I'm sure was stuff I had around the house. We didn't do any other crystals besides the citrines and rock candy.  |
|
rollingstone
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since July 2009
Posts: 236
|
Post by rollingstone on Mar 14, 2005 15:28:38 GMT -5
Yummmmm! Bet those didn't last long!
|
|
