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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 15, 2021 23:07:02 GMT -5
Wow you have your work cut out for you. I have been there and it takes a long time to sort it all out. It may be time for a rock club only controlled sale to help thin the herd. It is hard because you have to go thru everything because there are always gems hiding in the bottom of the bucket. It becomes much harder when you know the people who collected the material because you really hate to throw any thing away when we all know we have material we never should have taken home. Your a good friend to help these people out. Thanks. We do have a lot of work to do, but once it's sorted out we'll be in a better position. A lot of it we'll sell at our club show next August. Really don't want a club sale at our house. It's a known fact that our club members are a bit miserly so they won't pay a fair price for it. We need to give our friends a fair price for it because it will help them with their healthcare expenses. The stuff that's not cab quality we're considering offering it up here for practice or tumbling for just shipping costs. There's plenty of average wood, jasper and agate that would be great for newbs to learn on.
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hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
Vince A., 1958-2023
Member since August 2018
Posts: 1,461
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Nov 15, 2021 23:21:54 GMT -5
rewdownunder - Yeah, the Marra Mumba deposit was pretty unique. The colors in the primarily blue piece are right, but it doesn't have the full range of colors or the patterns people are used to seeing. We'd probably be better off just calling it Mt. Brockman tiger eye.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 15, 2021 23:22:02 GMT -5
Could be Australian iron formation if it is very heavy, the density of that material is hard to miss. The large piece on the box does look like banded iron formation. To call it Marra Mamba may be pushing it a bit It's definitely Marra Mamba. Has the colors and patterns; you just can't see them in that picture. I'll take a picture of that slab wet tomorrow in daylight and post it.
We hang out a lot at Outback Mining's spot in Quartzsite when we go down for the show just to drool over all their amazing stuff.
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Post by parfive on Nov 16, 2021 0:33:17 GMT -5
David Attenborough, about a year ago, when asked, "Do you fear death?" No, not particularly. I ought to be thinking more about it because people are going to clear up after me. I’m not entirely indifferent to material objects, and I think about my poor son and daughter who are going to have clear it all up. That’s my main concern really.
I was a paleontologist at university, and I’ve always loved fossils and so on, so wherever I’ve gone on these trips, I’m liable to put hunks of rock in the bottom of my suitcase. If I were a decent scientist, I would have stuck a label on each one. So what I’ve been doing in this pandemic is I’ve been into the cellar and found hunks of rock lying around there and thinking, “What on Earth is that?”
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Nov 16, 2021 1:17:59 GMT -5
Can't wait to see the big slab wet and in good light. What a find! Glenn Archer of Australian Outback Mining has had some of the best of that material but has not been able to access the location for a few years. I meet Glenn in 2000 and got a chance to spend time on several of his claims in 2008 when I was living in Australia and doing research on lapidary material of western Australia. His yard and shop area outside of Perth has more rock that any of us could dream of. He is a great source of information for most of the material from Western Australia. I have a large geologic reference collection of material from this region a lot of which came from Glenn and a worldwide collection of iron formation but I do not sell rocks. Glenn has not confirmed if he is coming to Quartzite & Tucson yet but I hope he makes it.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Nov 16, 2021 15:39:50 GMT -5
Ken, Don, and Barry of Aradon mined this chunk in 2012 along with several tons of smaller material most of which was sold in Tucson.
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Post by rockjunquie on Nov 16, 2021 17:18:14 GMT -5
Now, THAT'S a slab!!!
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Post by jasoninsd on Nov 16, 2021 18:01:24 GMT -5
THAT'S a kitchen island countertop! LOL
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 16, 2021 18:17:39 GMT -5
Can you imagine how heavy that is? Holy moley.
I didn't get a picture of the slab today. It was cloudy all day, so I'll get one tomorrow if the sun decides to come out.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Nov 16, 2021 21:12:44 GMT -5
I do not remember the weight but it is almost 4" thick. Cutting this size is easy for them using their 4 meter wire saw. If only they were not 8000 miles away. It sold for $16,000 to a private party in Los Angeles. Glenn Archer had a chunk as large as this but thicker about three years ago that was cut up for spheres.
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Post by hummingbirdstones on Nov 19, 2021 19:15:33 GMT -5
rewdownunder here's the picture I promised a couple days ago. Finally got a chance to take it but we still had thin clouds, so no full sun.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Nov 19, 2021 22:40:50 GMT -5
That's the money shot! Marra Mamba for sure and quite a nice chunk at that. From the other photo on the cardboard box it must be at least an inch thick. That looks like older material from the 1960s. Is it polished? Here in the states your looking at least a $1000.00 if not a lot more to the right person. Please do not cut it. If you want to make some cabs ask Glenn for some smaller chunks, they are easy to get. That is the kind of surprise you hope for in an old collection. Thanks for posting the picture.
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hummingbirdstones2
fully equipped rock polisher
Vince A., 1958-2023
Member since August 2018
Posts: 1,461
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Post by hummingbirdstones2 on Nov 19, 2021 22:51:46 GMT -5
Slab is only 3/8" - but even that's a thickness we don't often see these days.We knew right away that one wasn't going to be a cutter.
We have a saying for things like that. "Can't cut it until we get a better one!". I have a feeling that isn't very likely in this case.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
Posts: 357
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Post by rewdownunder on Nov 19, 2021 23:14:42 GMT -5
Still a great and valuable display slab at 3/8. I can get you a better one and a bigger one with a few phone calls to Perth but you may need a loan on the house. My friend Richard Williamson of Floating Stones does custom work with Marra Mamba and other iron formation has a yard full of large chunks He mined with Glenn Archer about five years ago. He makes 30 to 60 inch spheres and giant wall pieces. He made a smaller (4.5inch) custom Marra Mamba sphere for my wife several years ago that is killer.
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