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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 14, 2021 22:57:48 GMT -5
Beautiful!  I still haven't worked any Montana Moss Agate. I've heard/read that it's pretty dang hard...so I suppose it can't be much different than the Prairie Agates! LOL Yup. Pretty similar. Also in that category: Owyhee jasper and Brazilian agate. I still think Botswana Agates are the hardest material I've worked so far. My hands start cramping long before the initial grind is done! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Jun 15, 2021 0:16:57 GMT -5
Yup. Pretty similar. Also in that category: Owyhee jasper and Brazilian agate. I still think Botswana Agates are the hardest material I've worked so far. My hands start cramping long before the initial grind is done! LOL Haven’t worked that, but I was thinking it would probably fit the list as I was writing. |
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Post by stephan on Jun 22, 2021 10:09:52 GMT -5
Other than the the Crazy Lace duo, here's a couple more: SCJ: DSC_5148_Stone Canyon jasper shield cabochon by Stephan T., on Flickr This jasper really had the snot beat out of it when the North American plate sat on the radiolarian deposits of the Pacific plate. If you look at the yellow material, it was nearly pulverized. Some of it was holding on by a thread when the high-silica waters percolated in, they jasperized the radiolarian chert and healed the fractures with some some really nice, optically clear quartz. As a result, it is a really cool floating jasper, with some also-cool, floating hybrid druzy tube/fortification structures that remind me of endoplasmic reticulum. Secondary and tertiary fractures within the cab (keep in mind, SCJ hails from Parkfield, CA -- "The Earthquake Capital of the World") are also fully healed. BBJ: DSC_5170_Black Butte/Burris Creek jasper freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr A one-off from a self-collected piece. I started this one years ago. Just now reworked it to take care of some undercutting issues. |
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Post by stephan on Jun 22, 2021 18:46:24 GMT -5
And one more... a test piece of silver lace "onyx" from jasoninsd:  DSC_5174_Silver lace "onyx" freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr Once again, this is calcite, not true onyx. So after crazy lace and the hardest Stone Canyon I've ever worked, this was sort of like polishing butter. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jun 22, 2021 20:13:14 GMT -5
Stephan, that first Stone Canyon is one of the best pieces I've seen in awhile! That one is particularly gorgeous!
A very serious thank you for the explanation of "how" this material occurs. For those of us (particularly me) who don't have the knowledge about this stuff, it's really nice to know the causes for some of these materials!
That SLO must have been such a nice respite material! LOL - I've purposely thrown some Zebra Stone into the lineup just to have an easier material for a break from some of the material I was working! LOL
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Post by stephan on Jun 30, 2021 10:05:35 GMT -5
Did a few this past weekend, and decided to take it easy on myself by focusing on some softer material. I honor of Pride Month, I did up a few pieces of rainbow "onyx" (calcite) for friends. Not all the colors are there, but, oh well. Maybe, at some point, I can find some nice rainbow obsidian. So far, what I've seen for sale was either crap or outrageously priced:  DSC_5252_In honor of Pride Month... Rainbow "Onyx" by Stephan T., on Flickr A couple of pieces of silver lace "onyx" (also calcite) that I got from jasoninsd:  DSC_5244_Silver lace "onyx" by Stephan T., on Flickr And a small piece of lion's den MHPJ from the trim pile:  DSC_5245_Morgan Hill poppy jasper (Lion's den) free-form by Stephan T., on Flickr |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 1, 2021 20:35:25 GMT -5
Stephan those Rainbow Onyx cabs are stunning! I love the colors and the patterns in those! Two great captures on those Silver Lace Onyx too! |
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Post by stephan on Jul 2, 2021 7:51:53 GMT -5
Stephan those Rainbow Onyx cabs are stunning! I love the colors and the patterns in those! Two great captures on those Silver Lace Onyx too! Thanks, Jason. Look for a slab of the rainbow stuff in the next box. |
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Post by stephan on Jul 5, 2021 18:21:42 GMT -5
Made from a teaser slablet sent by jasoninsd . I love the colors and patterns. This piece appears to be brecciated matrix (rhyolite), and no large agate cores. There appear to be some inclusions. I'm not sure if the blue is chrysocolla, but the color is about right. It reminds me of rainforest jasper, in a different range of colors. The black and white portions polished slightly less well than the rest, but you have to look pretty closely to see it. The shield shape was freehand-cut (no template was used)  DSC_5316_Cold Mountain Thunderegg cab by Stephan T., on Flickr This material was already on my have-to-get list. This did not help me shorten the list. Only one other cab was made this weekend, and I face-polished a thundernut. Other than that, it was mainly repairs of damage and scratches I previously missed. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 5, 2021 18:31:30 GMT -5
That turned out gorgeous! Seriously nice job on the freehand shield shape! Interestingly enough, I was trimming up some rough for the tumbler today (stuff that hasn't been able to move past stage one) and there were a couple pieces of Cold Mountain Thunderegg in there...the same type as this cab. |
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Post by stephan on Jul 5, 2021 20:49:29 GMT -5
That turned out gorgeous! Seriously nice job on the freehand shield shape! Interestingly enough, I was trimming up some rough for the tumbler today (stuff that hasn't been able to move past stage one) and there were a couple pieces of Cold Mountain Thunderegg in there...the same type as this cab. Thanks, Jason. That was fun stuff to work, and another nice break from the crazy lace hardness. I'll be interested to see how it turns out tumbled. I bet it'll be cool.  |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 5, 2021 21:03:40 GMT -5
That turned out gorgeous! Seriously nice job on the freehand shield shape! Interestingly enough, I was trimming up some rough for the tumbler today (stuff that hasn't been able to move past stage one) and there were a couple pieces of Cold Mountain Thunderegg in there...the same type as this cab. Thanks, Jason. That was fun stuff to work, and another nice break from the crazy lace hardness. I'll be interested to see how it turns out tumbled. I bet it'll be cool.  Yeah, I really love the looks and workability of this material - definitely easier to work than the Crazy Lace pieces! LOL I'll be really curious to see how it comes out tumbled as well. The two pieces I'm tumbling are about the size of a golf ball, so if I can keep it from pitting or undercutting, it'll probably be a miracle. But...miracles CAN happen!  |
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Post by stephan on Jul 5, 2021 21:22:37 GMT -5
Thanks, Jason. That was fun stuff to work, and another nice break from the crazy lace hardness. I'll be interested to see how it turns out tumbled. I bet it'll be cool. Yeah, I really love the looks and workability of this material - definitely easier to work than the Crazy Lace pieces! LOL I'll be really curious to see how it comes out tumbled as well. The two pieces I'm tumbling are about the size of a golf ball, so if I can keep it from pitting or undercutting, it'll probably be a miracle. But...miracles CAN happen! Yes, they absolutely can. |
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Post by stephan on Jul 13, 2021 12:05:56 GMT -5
I guess I was in a green mood last Sunday... maybe because Summer is quickly turning the State brown golden until water decides to fall from the sky, which could be a while
Rainforest "jasper" -- I've been sitting on the preform for several years at least  DSC_5459_Rainforest "jasper" by Stephan T., on Flickr From Australia. Another one that is actually a rhyolite... and if you look closely: a collection of miniature thundereggs still in-matrix (you can see roughly spherical stuctures, filled with agate, opal....). Kambaba "jasper" -- from jasoninsd -- decided to tackle the end-piece in all of its flaming-eyeball glory  DSC_5447_Kambaba jasper freeform by Stephan T., on Flickr Orbicular rhyolite, rather than a true jasper. Moss agate (Maury Mt.? -- there are hints of red at the very top) --I've had this one for quite some time as well  DSC_5443_Moss agate freeform cabochon by Stephan T., on Flickr The moss undercut a little, but not too badly I'm not 100% certain from where I got the slablet that made this piece, but a good guess is that I picked up from the trim pile at the Sacramento Gem & Mineral Society a few years back. I know that usually MMMA has reds, oranges, yellows... but since this is trim, who knows what was next to it. The hint of red has me wondering. The green looks too dark for horse canyon to me, but I haven't run across too much of that either. |
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 13, 2021 19:54:56 GMT -5
Stephan...you really take some pieces that I send you...pieces that I wouldn't have the guts yet to tackle...and make some great cabs out of them! Love the little spots of extra color in that Kambaba! That Moss Agate is gorgeous...and the Rainforest Jasper is "busy" - which I really like! |
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Brian
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2020
Posts: 1,512
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Post by Brian on Jul 13, 2021 21:04:37 GMT -5
That’s a beautiful trio, Stephan! I’ll echo Jason because I like the busyness of them and the moss is just beautiful.
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Post by stephan on Jul 13, 2021 21:54:11 GMT -5
jasoninsd Brian thank you friends. All I did was remove the parts that weren’t cabochon.
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Post by jasoninsd on Jul 13, 2021 22:58:47 GMT -5
jasoninsd Brian thank you friends. All I did was remove the parts that weren’t cabochon. Interesting you mention this. I was thinking about that same exact thing when I was grinding yesterday and today! I was thinking that's exactly what sculptors do...they just remove the parts around the beautiful sculpture that's already in the stone somewhere. Making a cabochon is doing the same thing...just on a WAY smaller (and less intricate) scale! LOL |
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Post by stephan on Jul 14, 2021 1:18:40 GMT -5
jasoninsd Brian thank you friends. All I did was remove the parts that weren’t cabochon. Interesting you mention this. I was thinking about that same exact thing when I was grinding yesterday and today! I was thinking that's exactly what sculptors do...they just remove the parts around the beautiful sculpture that's already in the stone somewhere. Making a cabochon is doing the same thing...just on a WAY smaller (and less intricate) scale! LOL The whole process would be easier if I could see through all stone. Some agates make it possible, but far from all. |
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Post by stephan on Sept 5, 2021 23:45:34 GMT -5
I only had a small slablet of this -- enough for two cabs. I wish I had more. In sunlight this flashes golden, in less-bright light the flash is silver. I wish I remember where I got it.  Chatoyant Mahogany Obsidian by Stephan T., on Flickr jasoninsd this piece was a bugger to polish. Everytime I thought I was done, there were scratches at about the 600 grit level, even when I went dry and let it get hot. I've never had that trouble with obsidian before. I'm still not all the way there, but >90%. Chatoyant stuff must be a little more troublesome than the "ordinary stuff" -- just to make us work for it. Note: this is a video, but with Flickr, you apparently need to click through, and it will take a moment to load. |
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Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
Nov 15, 2024 17:44:51 GMT -5
