Weekend work -- Mushroom cabs

Stephan you really did an amazing job with those heel cuts!

That Trinidad really is gorgeous material. The more I look at that cab, the more I'm thinking it needs to move up on the "to do" list.

One of these days I'm going to have the nerve to work some of the heel cuts I still have.

I had time for just a few this weekend. Here are two good ones. Two others still need work.

Another Dryhead freeform from a heel cut from jasoninsd (the best one is yet to come):
DSC_4255_Dryhead agate freeform cab by Stephan T., on Flickr

Trinidad jasper freeform:
DSC_4343_Another Trinidad jasper freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr

The place from where the TJ was adopted, almost 9 years ago:
IMG_0972 - Trinidad State Beach by Stephan T., on Flickr

Here’s one I made today. More coming...
DSC_4599_Area54ite by sdttds, on Flickr

ID of this material has been inconclusive and, at times, controversial. It's initial ID was "gem glaucophane," later changed to "Blue G." In an effort to placate those who were vocal detractors, the person who initially brought it to the attention of the lapidary world had it tested, and the results seemed to indicate that it at least contained lawsonite. Still, people argued, some even claiming it is nothing more than blue granite (It really does not appear to be that).

So, in an effort to avoid that previous controversy (but I’ll probably ignite more, instead) I will just call it Area54ite, after Area 54, the place in the Panoche Hills of Central California, where I found it on a field trip led by Chris Rowe.

In the spirit of potato chip ingredient list, I will just say that it may contain one or more of the following:
glaucophane, quartz, lawsonite, eclogite, epidote, olivine and/or partially hydrogenated safflower oil.

It occurs in nodules that, from what I saw on that one trip, are typically golf ball to softball-sized. It is usually blue, blue-green or green with black. Sometimes there is a bit of brown. This is the first time I've worked any with brown, which seems to undercut a bit.

I initially saw this stuff at the SGMS clubhouse, where someone called it Dumerite (pronounced doomorite). I think this may have represented confusion with dumorterite, which this definitely isn’t.

Thank you, Robin.

Yep:

Second glaucophane slabs by Stephan T., on Flickr

It makes very nice cabs, but is pretty rare.  I love that blue -- both the color and stability.

Little Panoche glaucophane cab by Stephan T., on Flickr

OK, a few more. It "only" got up to 104 today (instead of the predicted 109), so a nice, balmy day to work outside.


Anyway, here's four (here's a few of which I still need to get decent pictures):

Some structure non-conforming Morgan Hill jasper that clearly felt that vibrant poppies are so overdone. Tending more toward brecciated than poppy, but they ARE there, if you look closely.



The funny thing is, these came off a chunk (maybe 6"x3"x4") that was in a box of Mogran Hill PJ. I windowed a small (about 1/2" corner, and it had very clear, if small, poppies. So I sent it off to a friend with a saw to be cut. That small window turned out to be the only clear poppies the entire stone had, but it is still interesting as a mostly brecciated jasper.



I will cab up the more orby piece at another time, when I decide what I want to do with the unhealed fracture it has.
DSC_4653 by Stephan T., on Flickr DSC_4650 by Stephan T., on Flickr



Another Prairie agate heel-cut from jasoninsd (I swear, he sent me actual slabs, too, but I told him I like working with heel cuts... yes, I know I'm weird).  I love the colors an patterns in this stuff. Made from a slab, sent by a friend in South Dakota who collected it himself. I love the druzy pocket at 5 o'clock, but it looks like I need to clear some cerium oxide grit from it, still.

DSC_4624_Prairie agate freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr



MHPJ (WITH poppies). The matrix is so brecciated, it almost looks mossy. Very well healed, though, especially for MHPJ:
DSC_4626_Morgan Hill poppy jasper freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr

Teepees jumped the line?  I wonder how that happened.



We'll have 90s, too, but that'll be cooling down for us.  Of course, it's a dry heat, so it's all good.  That's what we keep telling ourselves.  Amazingly, there did not appear to be any spontaneous combustion.  I guess PG&E is keeping an eye on the power lines (fingers crossed).

Keep an eye on this thread.  More goodies coming.  I think you'll like one of them....

I may have to retake the pic of the first one.  It's up there with the second.  That swirly white thing really is a vein of quartz, not glare.  LOL. 

Very nice, I really like the shape of the Dryhead!

Thank you, sir