RWA3006
Cave Dweller 
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640 
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 3, 2020 22:58:28 GMT -5
I was reading an old 1950's lapidary article last year and the old timer mentioned a stone called graphic granite. I'd never heard of it and forgot all about it. Fast forward to today and another old guy gifted me a set made of stones he called graphic granite. Gave me some slabettes also. Turns out it's feldspar with squiggly quartz patterns he pryed out of nearby mostly metamorphic hills. He polished them by rubbing them on sandpaper held in his palm.  |
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 3, 2020 22:58:59 GMT -5
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 3, 2020 23:22:50 GMT -5
Cool story and nice "gift"! You'll have some fun with those slabs!  |
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 4, 2020 8:17:19 GMT -5
Oooo, I like that. It is graphic, indeed.
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EricD
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High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
Posts: 1,142
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Post by EricD on Nov 4, 2020 8:24:26 GMT -5
I love that stuff. It's all over the place around here. Depending on how you cut it you can get all kinds of cool effects and patterns. Finding it without black feldspar is the hard part for me.
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NevadaBill
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2019
Posts: 1,332
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Post by NevadaBill on Nov 4, 2020 14:18:43 GMT -5
I think you have some really unique looking stone there Randy! I have not seen any of it in my limited experience. The slab samples which you have are interesting (not too busy) in that they could comfortably fit in to many artistic settings or applications.
Thanks for sharing these!
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 5, 2020 8:03:39 GMT -5
EricD that heart is killer
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thecrystalisle
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since October 2020
Posts: 142
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Post by thecrystalisle on Nov 5, 2020 10:10:40 GMT -5
that's what I thought when I saw it, I have some similar smokey quartz in feldspar. neat stuff |
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Post by miket on Nov 5, 2020 10:36:35 GMT -5
EricD love the groove wrapped heart!
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Post by stephan on Nov 5, 2020 15:30:42 GMT -5
Cool stuff. Looks like it has writing in some long-forgotten language.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 5, 2020 17:43:06 GMT -5
Cool stuff. Looks like it has writing in some long-forgotten language. The old guy also called it hieroglyphic stone. |
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EricD
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High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
Posts: 1,142
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Post by EricD on Nov 5, 2020 17:58:25 GMT -5
It grinds quick and easy and polishes up real nice on the wheels, too. The furthest I ever had to go was 3000 grit.
It doesn't tumble perfectly, but still acceptable.
I have a piece more like your slabs Randy, I'll see if I can find it. I cut it and said "wow"
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EricD
Cave Dweller
High in the Mountains
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Post by EricD on Nov 5, 2020 18:08:37 GMT -5
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RWA3006
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Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 5, 2020 19:50:55 GMT -5
Wow, look at that! Very similar to what I have. Mine came out of the Wasatch Mountains just 15 minutes North of Salt Lake City.
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EricD
Cave Dweller
High in the Mountains
Member since November 2019
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Post by EricD on Nov 5, 2020 20:04:53 GMT -5
Wow, look at that! Very similar to what I have. Mine came out of the Wasatch Mountains just 15 minutes North of Salt Lake City. That one was the other end of the heart rock, and the only slab that looked like it I have cut to date.
The tightly grouped "hieroglyphic writings" spread out fast as you cut more slabs, to larger crystals/blocks/streaks it seems, with the stuff around here.
Seeing rock I find locally on here found elsewhere is fun
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catskillrocks
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2008
Posts: 1,270
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Post by catskillrocks on Nov 15, 2020 19:19:01 GMT -5
what an interesting rock. The cabs
turned out really great. I can see
why it is called graphic granite.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 15, 2020 20:18:09 GMT -5
Was gifted some more rough the other day.  |
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gemfeller
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Post by gemfeller on Nov 15, 2020 21:22:19 GMT -5
As I recall from my study and reading in geology, graphic granite is often associated with pegmatite dikes -- those wonderful natural gifts that can yield a cornucopia of precious crystalline gems like tourmaline, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite and many more.
I've never heard of such gem-bearing pegs in the Wasatch Range (I lived beneath their beautiful imposing slopes for more than a dozen years), but I also know that not all of nature's bounty has been discovered.
Pegmatites and graphic granite are the result of very slow magmatic cooling, usually at depth, that allows crystals to grow much larger than when magma is exposed to air and cools quickly. It sounds like it could be an interesting spot to do more prospecting.
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RWA3006
Cave Dweller
Member since March 2009
Posts: 4,640
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Post by RWA3006 on Nov 15, 2020 21:47:12 GMT -5
As I recall from my study and reading in geology, graphic granite is often associated with pegmatite dikes -- those wonderful natural gifts that can yield a cornucopia of precious crystalline gems like tourmaline, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite and many more. I've never heard of such gem-bearing pegs in the Wasatch Range (I lived beneath their beautiful imposing slopes for more than a dozen years), but I also know that not all of nature's bounty has been discovered. Pegmatites and graphic granite are the result of very slow magmatic cooling, usually at depth, that allows crystals to grow much larger than when magma is exposed to air and cools quickly. It sounds like it could be an interesting spot to do more prospecting. My pal often prospects in the area several miles North of Farmington Canyon and so far he's found quite a bit of feldspar with chatoyancy. He makes cabs from the stuff that often has a nice cat eye in it. He also finds a nice green serpentine. Most of the other stuff so far is granite, schist, and the famous contorted gneiss that the area is famous for. |
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Post by rockpickerforever on Nov 16, 2020 0:06:10 GMT -5
As I recall from my study and reading in geology, graphic granite is often associated with pegmatite dikes -- those wonderful natural gifts that can yield a cornucopia of precious crystalline gems like tourmaline, aquamarine, morganite, kunzite and many more. Pegmatites and graphic granite are the result of very slow magmatic cooling, usually at depth, that allows crystals to grow much larger than when magma is exposed to air and cools quickly. It sounds like it could be an interesting spot to do more prospecting. Agree with the graphic granite being found in association with pegmatites. Some of the best graphic granite I have found was in northern San Diego county near a tourmaline mine. It cabs easily and takes a nice polish, but you have to watch for undercutting. We went to the Blue Lady mine in the Chihuahua Valley north of Warner Springs (CA). It was a field trip for a Gemstones of San Diego County class at a local community college. We took the class several times, it was a lot of fun. At the Blue Lady, we found some small tourmalines, schorl, quartz, cleavelandite, muscovite and more. There are a couple areas in Pala where you can pay to sift dirt from a mine. We've done it once or twice. What we found not worth the price of admission, but go with friends and make a day of it out in the fresh air and sunshine. |
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