Sabre52
Cave Dweller 
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 12:44:08 GMT -5
Howdy Folks, Just thought I'd share a couple of pics of some Chinese Writing lace Agate ( Dying Lace)just out of the MInisonic. Closeup pic of the cabs shows one boo boo I made. The larger cab was polished with Cerium and kinda turned creamy clored due to absorbtion of the polish. Others all done with AO so they kept their nice gray and white color. Glad Chromium wasn't in the works. Green Lace would've been icky!   |
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Post by Tweetiepy on Aug 19, 2005 13:09:28 GMT -5
WOWser  |
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 13:39:08 GMT -5
Nice!
I always thought Chinese Writing Lace was black with some white rectangles.
Those look an awful like some of the mexican lace I'm tumbling.
Either way, you did a fantastic job!
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phoenix1647
starting to spend too much on rocks
Member since March 2013
Posts: 186
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Post by phoenix1647 on Aug 19, 2005 14:35:31 GMT -5
looking good...
Pho
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 15:19:17 GMT -5
Alice: I thought that about Chinese Writing Lace too. Brad Cross' book on the Agates of Northern Mexico set me straight though. Some of the rough I bought does have that geometric look to it and some has black but the gray and white is apparently pretty typical and it does break up along layers parallel to the banding which is also typical I guess. Kind of drab stuff but I really like the pattens and cut alot of cabs from it.
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ArkieRockhound
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2005
Posts: 870
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Post by ArkieRockhound on Aug 19, 2005 15:23:04 GMT -5
It looks great! I'd never heard the name, but I have some very similar. I just thought it was crazy lace. Makes beautiful cabs.
Trish
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Post by Cher on Aug 19, 2005 15:30:56 GMT -5
Beautiful cabs, nice polish on it. Didn't know cerium could stain the rocks, that's interesting. There is Chinese Writing Stone that looks like what you're talking about alice, here's a link to it. www.bernardine.com/gemstones/chinwrite.htmI've never heard of Chinese Writing Lace either so did a search and found this info. It comes from the same place as the crazy lace .... Chihuahua, Mexico. |
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 15:34:55 GMT -5
Trish, If you can believe it, Brad Cross lists no less than ten varieties of lace agate just from Mexico and I have several more form the US too. My favorite is the Royal Aztec Purple Lace from Durango, Mexico but all work up to incredible stones. Some of my hands down favorite material to cab or tumble!
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Post by Cher on Aug 19, 2005 15:37:50 GMT -5
Sabre, who is Brad Cross?
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 15:41:18 GMT -5
Cher: Yup. That stone comes from several areas in the California gold country of the Sierra foothills. Much softer and not related to the agates but sure makes some pretty cabs if you can get a good g crystal spray in the center of the cab. The andalusite ( variety chiastolite)crystals come loose in the soils of some areas of Mariposa County too and are beautiful in cros section as they have a nice cross design. Am tumbling some now and should be finished in a week. I'll post a pic when they come out.
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 15:43:07 GMT -5
Cher, that's exactly what I thought it looked like.
Guess there's more then one version of it.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 15:45:17 GMT -5
Cher: Brad Cross is one of America's premier agate collectors and has written a great book called " The Agates of Northern Mexico" a must have for the serious agate nut ( like me *L*). I am a positive fanatic when it comes to collection quartz minerals. Got so many I can barely find my yard*L*!
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 15:46:24 GMT -5
Sabre
I have a couple of colorful peieces that came with my mex lace that have geometric shapes.
Would those be classified as writing lace as well?
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Post by Cher on Aug 19, 2005 15:48:06 GMT -5
Alice, on that site it mentions that it comes from the Auburn, California region of the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas but we also have it here in Minnesota. I've found lots of it around Lake Superior and in gravel pits and have tried polishing it. It does not polish good at all.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 16:04:07 GMT -5
Cher: The Chinese Writing Stone polishes poorly because the blackish matrix is much softer than the included crystals. Really tough to work!
Alice: Most those Crazy Lace Agate mines are right near each other around Sabinal, Chihuahua, Mexico so when you buy rough you may very well get a mixture. My Chinese Writing Lace lot contained Noriega Lace, Bubble Lace and Zebra lace in the same mix so you might very well have some of the former. The major features seem to be it's porous nature and the gray and white color.
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ArkieRockhound
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since February 2005
Posts: 870
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Post by ArkieRockhound on Aug 19, 2005 16:05:11 GMT -5
Sabre, where are you from? I need to come visit your backyard, Preferably when you're not home {smile}.
You must really have some collection.
Trish
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 16:25:23 GMT -5
the 2 pieces I'm talking about aren't grey at all. They are maily red-ish. But the geometric shapes are there.
I'll take a picture the next time I open up my barrel.
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Post by Alice on Aug 19, 2005 16:26:32 GMT -5
LOL @ Trish
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,503
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 19, 2005 18:08:34 GMT -5
Trish: Been rockhounding since I was a kid and my two best buddies are as hardcore as me. We four-wheel it way into the back of the beyond and walk miles. Man, we have been killing those rocks lately! I'll have to post some pics of the plume I got our last trip to the Mojave desert. *L* at your comment! I usually have to hold my buddies upside down and shake out their pockets anytime they visit my yard. I'm bi-residential. Split my time between a ranch west of Yosemite Park in Hornitos, Calif. and a home in the resort town of Ojai, near Ventura, CA.
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Post by creativeminded on Aug 22, 2005 9:13:04 GMT -5
That is some neat looking rock.
Tami
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