Monthly Archives: January 2013

Tucson Gem, Mineral, and Fossil Shows-22nd Street Was the Only Game in Town.

65 cloudy

The 2013 Tucson Rock, Gem, Mineral and Fossil shows are ready to begin, but the city roads are a mess with orange cones and construction signs. If you are on your way here, be sure to bring your GPS to help navigate. Street construction is underway everywhere and I predict frequent bottlenecks.

Xiphactinus (TPI)

Turtle (TPI)

??? (PCI) The only game in town today was the 22nd Street Show opening a day early. Their parking lot was filled up and they have a new hard sided tent this year, much larger than last year. There were a great many fossil dealers at this show this year, but a scattering of dealers selling jewelry, gems, rough rock, cabs, beads, wallets, old glass bottles. The majority of dealers were set up and ready, but we noticed a few dealers still sitting up. I would say there were in excess of 100 dealers.

My favorite of the show was Triebold Paleontology Inc (TPI)(www.trieboldpaleontology.com). Their fossils are always top notch. A tortoise and another small-ish Preditor that resembled a small T-Rex, but they were not sure if it was, in fact, a T-Rex or a new smaller Raptor (adult). But is was from the Hell Creek area in South Dakota. TPI also had a reproduction of a Xiphactinus fish over 15′ for $36,500 and if you have a room big enough he has an real Xiphactinus at home, 18 ½ foot long for just over $300,000. Great display guys!

Manatee

fish

We saw a prehistoric Manatee at another dealer, the more common (in Tucson) fish plates, and many other assorted fossils.

Quartz Gems with Gem of a Woman.

I always enjoy the giant Quartz plates, and the one we saw at this show was great.

Elephant Bird Eggs

Protoceratops

One of the most unusual things we saw was someone selling Aepyornis Maximus (Elephant Bird) eggs. These are 12 foot tall Moa’s from Madagascar that weighed half a ton. The bird laid giant eggs, and it was obvious that the eggs we saw were reconstructed from many pieces found. The last known Aepyornis died in 1658 or so. It is surmised that they were killed by a disease transferred by chickens or Guinafowl imported by humans.

Nearly all the shows start tomorrow. We will keep you posted.

Dr. Seuss and The Flintstones

jtree

Joshua Tree National Park is in the southeast corner of California, and is not so well known as Yosemite or Sequoia, but we enjoyed our drive through the park on a sunny cool day. The tourist rush was absent in the middle of the week.

The Joshua Trees are really Yucca brevifolia, a member of the Agave family. This slow growing yucca grows a half inch a year. The oldest tree in the park is 40 feet high. Many native critters use the Joshua tree as a home or food source. It was a useful plant to the early American Indians for baskets and sandals, and seeds were an addition to their diet. Later homesteaders used the trees and limbs for fencing, and even as fuel for steam engines to process ore. Each branch represents a time when temperatures reached freezing, and a flower resulted, the only time branches occur. The trees have a Dr. Seuss-like look, don’t you think?

sanandreas21 sanandreassign1

Geologic features include unearthly landscapes, many giant rock piles and rocks lined up at crazy patterns. Geologic faults crisscross the area and together with erosion, floods, wind and especially water have shaped the landscape. We overlooked the San Andreas Fault and Palm Springs in the valley below Key View.

Do you see the dark line down the center? That's the San Andreas Fault.

Do you see the dark line down the center of the valley? That's the San Andreas Fault. This is one especially for my fans of plate tectonics.

Snoopy?

Obviously the entrance to Bedrock.

Most entertaining were the rocks that appeared to be shaped in whimsical sculptures. We saw a bear, what appeared to be the entrance to the Flintstone town of Bedrock, and a scull that would fit into any Pirates of the Caribbean movie. We witnessed rock climbers and hikers. I am not capable of hiking long distances with one bad leg, but Bonnie hiked into Hidden Valley where the cattle thieves used to hide their rustled cattle!

Skull Rock-let's get closer.

Closer-AMAZING!

It is a spacious park, with a long drive from north to south, but it was interesting and of great interest to folks you are interested in geology. The big rocks got even bigger in a small area, and by the time we left the park at the southern edge, the rocks had been mostly replaced by valleys crossed by washes and smaller rock. The washes had some interesting names. We saw Smoke Trees at the Smoke Tree Wash, but we did not see any Porcupines at Porcupine Wash, or Fired Liver at the Fried Liver Wash!

We are accepting guesses of what this is.

The visitor center showed three rock samples: gneiss, granite with apatite, some quartz mixture, nothing too exciting to a jewelry-maker.

We drove the nice road provided by the National Park Service. The vastness of the territory makes us remember the struggles of the homesteaders and miners who traversed the area by donkey or oxen cart.

Our source on the trees and rocks was the NPS publication on Joshua Tree National Park..

Mater and the Volkswagen Penthouse

62 and light rain

We have seen a few unusual things on our trip, as we usually do. I find things that are quirky and odd when we are out, so let me share.

Mater Truck

The first thing we saw was a “Mater” (TowMater) similar to the 56 Ford that is Mater’s kind. This was a Chevy of about the same time period in Parker. I had to turn around and get a shot of it beside a retro garage.

What the H...?

The weirdest thing we saw was an old school bus that a hippy-type guy had welded a VW bus to the top of it. Now this is by far one of the oddest vehicles I’ve seen.

We took the back roads toward I-8 and were rewarded by seeing the Mesquite Mine in a desert area that looked like a Lunar Landscape. This open pit mine is one of the largest gold mines in the United States. The massive waste piles could be seen off to the side of the roadway.

I post this for my favorite Geologist in training (she knows who she is). This is the field of boulders that seemed as thought they were dropped from the sky.

Glamis sand toy area is another strange geological feature. rolling sand dunes for miles and miles.

After traversing this area we entered a massive sand dune area called Glamis, and advertising as the “Sand Toy Capital of the World”. This appeared to be a place you could easily, on any weekend, go and kill yourself surfing the sand dunes on the sand toy of your choice.

Does this strike anyone else as funny?

We stopped at a McDonalds and the birds seemed to like their playplace.

The dunes were up on a high bluff that drops into the Imperial Valley. Cotton was being harvested as we went through the area and giant rectangular bales were stacked along the road, ready to be hauled to the mill. They were large rectangular bales, like hay bales the size of a truck trailer, and covered with tarps. White stuff was on the ground, but it wasn’t snow.

We spent the night in El Centro and headed to San Diego the next day. We enjoyed seeing the terrain change from flat rich valley farming areas that looked like a giant had dropped boulders in piles. Then came the Cleveland National Forest, which wasn’t a forest like we know, but some shrubby growth, but still way bigger than the weeds scattered among the Giant’s boulders.

In vain we searched for English-speaking radio stations. Our Spanish is not so good. Tejano music is not our top pick. We are old people and old people like Oldies (in ENGLISH).

When we arrived in San Diego our first stop was to buy the last umbrella at Penny’s, because the weather here is a disappointing cloudy, rainy day. Perhaps no blogs until we get to the Tucson Shows, but you never know.

Watch Your Asses!

We stayed at a family-run motel north of Parker, AZ while visiting the Quartzite rock shows (where there is no Quartzite). “Is there anything to do in Parker?”, I questioned the lady who runs the motel. “Not really” was her reply.

Parker Dam on the Colorado River.

But Parker is on the Colorado River, and she suggested that we drive up and take a look at the Parker Dam. A road runs over the dam connecting the Arizona side with the California side. Manned security structures are at either end. No pedestrians, RV’s, or trucks are allowed. We drove across just to see what we could see. On the other side of the river we saw a sign warning us to be cautious of wild burros that might be in the road.

burrosign assonroadsign

In Michigan we have deer crossing signs, and you would never stop to see a deer cross the road right at the sign. Here, within a few hundred yards of the sign, there were the dumb asses, walking along the side of the road. They began to cross the road, then one of the REALLY dumb asses stopped to nurse the baby right in the middle of the road!

Sorry about the out of focus picture of this, had to get it quick so you would believe me.

I stopped in the roadway so I would not run over this stupid ass and I had the window down to take a picture when a wise ass tried to stick his nose into MY rental car. I did not see this sneaky ass, and had to roll my window up when Bonnie alerted me to this wise ass trying to get his nosy ass into my car!

Hungry asses grazing on the golf course.

The Dam burros nose print was on my window. Apparently tourists have been known to feed these critters, even though signs are posted that say “Do not feed or harass the wild burros”.

These burros are a legacy from mining days, but the miners left and the burros were left to fend for themselves. The desert environment seemed to suit them, and they have thrived. We went back the next day and a whole bunch of asses were grazing on the golf course greenery. I think if I owned that golf course I’d put a hole in one! I guess he’d be a dead ass then, wouldn’t he?

While I was watching these, the sneeky ass snuck up onme.

While I was watching these, the sneaky ass snuck up on me.

If you are ever in Parker, watch your ass!

Tyson Wells-Flea Market Finds

Tyson Wells Flea Market.

Jan 24

Cool 64 degrees, cloudy

We did the PowWow so thoroughly yesterday, we decided to visit some of the “lesser” venues today.

The rarely seen Horseshoe Cactus.

We walked through Tyson Wells and found a lot of stuff that was not rocks. Alaskan seafood, produce, hardware, t-shirts, RV mats and rugs, wax gel, bike repairs, kitchen gadgets, postcards, dates from California, soaps, shopping bags, chairs were some of the varied items we saw. You could buy glue that holds anything together, including car parts. This would be handy for anyone. A couple folks sold some sort of artistic items, such as hearts made our of coat hangers, and dried cactus structures. World famous cinnamon rolls did not even lure me in this year. The closest things to rocks here were the Orthocerus things (an ancient squid-like ancestor), and Himalayan halite lamps.

A stuffed camel guards a fossil water feature-only at Tyson Wells.

Bonnie bought a few beads, just to get her bead-buying “fix”, and I bought some very decorative small pieces of turitella agate from Wyoming.

"Fake" rock at the Tyson Wells Show.

Across the way was a more interesting stop—a pile of slabs. Yeah! Here I found some interesting Picasso marble with nice spooky black/gray patterns and brown for good interest. With bits and pieces of poppy jasper, and a really nice chunk of old Mexican crazy lace, I had a good bag full of stuff for Bonnie to take back to the car!

A couple places at Tyson Wells had good pickings.

How many cabs could you get out of this Pallet sized piece of Mookaite?

We stopped back at the Desert Gardens, and the Australian dealer John Bennett asked us “What are you doing here? The bargains are at the Powwow!” I told him I wanted to get a picture of an even bigger piece of Mookaite than I saw two days ago. I bought a couple of Condor Agates I am eager to cut: pricy but nice.

We stopped at T-Rock and I sorted through a pile of Morrocan Agates, buying a few at their usual great prices.

The afternoon was spent motoring across the undulating desert, sand dunes, and Imperial Valley of California.

Realistic California PETRIFIED wood.

Tonnage of it!!!

We could not help but stop at a rock shop in Palo Verde, California when we saw tonnage of California Petrified Wood. I have seldom seen petrified wood that looks so like real wood.

All you wanted at bargain prices! A buck or two a pound. Your neighbors will think you brought home driftwood. This would be more like sinkwood than driftwood.

This is the final Quartzite Post, BUT, I have a couple humorous blogs in the next few days. You will really like the one tomorrow..I promise.

Getting up Early for Rocks.

Jan 23 Partly cloudy, high of 75 (perfect)

If you get on the road early, this is what you see.

The Pow Wow is sponsored by the Quartzite Improvement Association and the Quartzite Road Runners Rock and Mineral Club. This show is the best rock show, packed full of cabs, slabs, chunks, and jewelry of all sorts. Everything is laid out on tables, in plastic trays filled with water, on the ground in piles, and you have to stay alert to not miss something!

Those that get to the Powwow early get the best pickings.

A nice table or Malachite. Some Azurite & Chrysocolla mixed in.

This is large, over a hundred vendors I estimate, and they seem eager to part with their goods at reasonable prices. Slabs can be found for $2-$50, depending on the stone. The thrill of the day was a treasure hunt in someone’s Blowout Sale!

These Amethyst pineapples dressed up the fossils nicely.

There were loads of tumbled stones, bins of small slabs, and much rough rock.

We purchased slabs galore today, the most ever. I am eager to go home and make jewelry from them.

While Bonnie was making a run to the car, I purchased some tickets for a raffle from the Road Runners Club. I told the lady to give me a call when I had won. I had just set down to rest when Bonnie came back and very soon my phone rang. A man from the club called to tell me to come get my prize! They were drawing every 15 minutes, and I won in the very next drawing. I won a nice bolo tie that matched what I had on. Now my tickets are back in the drawing for the grand prize of $500, which I also expect to win. I need this extra cash so I can spend it in Tucson!

Jade Fish anyone?

Bonnie loved to pick these milk cartons.

The crowds were sparse early, then peaked around 2pm. We did something else today that I am saving to talk about when we will not be at rock shows next week.
I think we will see what is at the Tyson Wells Show tomorrow and re-visit a couple dealers that have some things I probably should have already purchased.

Halite (aka salt).

Saving Tibet & Hunting Rocks

87 degrees, gas $3.05 Life is Good

desertgardenssign

As I write this series of our adventures in the West, I first have to tell you that we will be on the alert to tell you about things that we don’t see in Northern Michigan on a regular basis. The temperatures and the gas prices are the first things!

Leaving Phoenix today, Bonnie noticed the sticker on the car ahead of us that said: “Save Tibet”. This is rather uncommon back home. Don’t get me wrong, I am not opposed to saving Tibet, but I am saying that it is not a hot topic back home.

We spent the night in Phoenix and discovered Sam’s Café in the Arizona Center that served a most delicious meal, what I described as crab cake tacos (although they had an appropriate Mexican name—this is just my translation). Bonnie enjoyed a Rico Rita, a Marguerita with coconut rum, spiced rum, Tuaca, and pineapple juice. Bonnie’s drink was sweeter than the one I had, and she was in a state of bliss. The chips were a mix of several types and were delicious, in case you wanted to know!

There was little competition for rocks in the morning at the Desert Gardens Show

We thought this was a fitting sign we saw in Parker.

Now about the rock shopping! We headed to Quartzite Arizona, (aka the biggest RV campground in the USA). In the winter months Quartzite swells with rockhounds, RV enthusiasts and flea market fanatics. The three main events for rockhounds are the PowWow, put on by the local rock club, a large show in an area called Desert Gardens, and the Tyson Wells Show. Here are some secrets: There are no gardens at the Desert Gardens Show, there is no real PowWow at the Powwow, and I’ve not seen any wells at the Tyson Wells. Oh yeah, there’s also no Quartzite at Quartzite! Several other small shows offer vendors selling their wares–flags, knives, whatever. Our favorite full time rock place is T-Rock, friends from Calumet, Mike and Theresa. Their location on the west end of town is loaded with tons of rough lapidary rock of consistent high quality.

The Pow Wow and the Desert Gardens shows could be described as flea markets for rock hounds. Vendors come from all around the world to sell their stone, slabs, jewelry, carvings, and much more.. You can never tell what you might find, that’s the fun of it. Quartzite is the common man’s rock show—more quirky. Many of the Tucson shows are more upscale, with fancier displays, more sedate. Each show has it’s own character.

Our Quartzite Adventure started at the Desert Gardens show. This is a tailgate type of show where people set up their RV with their wares outside their doors. They put out their excess and we come along and buy it! This has always been a fun and friendly show. Vendors generally have time to talk to customers about their local rocks and jewelry. Many of the dealers collected the rocks they sell, and I love to hear their trivia about rocks and minerals, as you all know!

If you had the cash a vertebrate section could be had.

Outstanding color in these. the one in the middle was $1200.

My first purchase was at the first booth we came to. Wade’s Woods and Rocks from Utah specializes in dinosaur bone and has an assortment of petrified wood. I immediately spotted some bright red polished pieces in a small tray with what appeared to be the very rare Yellow Cat petrified wood. My suspicions were confirmed on this and I was told I was the only person who recognized it and knew what it was. Tiffany used this material in days of yore to make great jewelry because of the brilliant red coloration. There is not much of it around any more, so, it is not often seen or known. The specimen I have at home is a remarkable piece I considered making jewelry from, but it is such a nice specimen I hesitated to cut it up. I feel better to have bought these smaller pieces that will be perfect for jewelry.

Remarkable Bumblebee's from Java.

I found some very nice Bumble Bee Jasper from Java (Indonesia) at J2B2 Rock & Equipment. (This is really a Travertine not a Jasper, but we’ll get into that some other time!) The gentleman that cuts this material, David Dickinson, was also in the booth, and pulled out some remarkable pieces that he had cut and polished. Bumble Bee Jasper is sometimes pitted and hard to work with, but the piece I purchased seems to have enough silica in it to be solid enough for great jewelry.

I found a NEW (to me) jasper—Hog Creek Jasper from southern Idaho. The reds and yellows form a mossy pattern with a clear bluish agate background reminding me of Wingate Agate.

Hog Creek Jasper.

We had to wear sunscreen and return often to the car for our water stash. Ah, Arizona in the winter! Tomorrow the PowWow opens. We will be there with bells on!

Nuumite/Nuummite-Jewelry from one of the Worlds OLDEST Stones

Today I wire-wrapped the oldest rock I have ever made jewelry from (I think). Nuumite is found a remote local near Nuuk, Greenland. It was discovered in 1982 and is of a metamorphic origin. Web sources claim that the site is accessible only by boat.

I bought this cabochon at the Tucson Shows years ago because of the sellers claim that it was “one of the oldest stones on Earth”. This is a claim you hear commonly in various locations. I hear it all the time in the Keweenaw Peninsula. So how old are the “oldest rocks on earth”? Sources claim Nuumite is in excess of 3 BILLION years old. The Swedish guy that sold me the Nuumite claimed it was 3.6 BILLION years old.

When oriented correctly the Nuumite shows and "Inner Gold".

When oriented correctly the Nuumite shows an"Inner Gold".

No glow is evident when the stone is turned.

Nuumite resembles Labradorite because it sports an oriented Labradorescence that some call Schiller Effect. I believe the stone to be a Hornblende and when oriented correctly it flashes a golden color on one axis. This is described as “inner gold”. When turned the stone is simply black and shows no “flash” until it is oriented correctly similar to Labradorite. I would say that the effect is more of iridescence, and not exactly like Labradorite. Nuumite is not as flashy as Labradorite.

Nuumite will probably not compete as a great gemstone, but it certainly has an interesting story and it does have a neat golden-brown glimmer. Also, many metaphysical properties are contributed to this rock. This piece of jewelry should appeal to the Geology Expert as well.

It is unfortunate you cannot see the “inner Gold” to its’ true effect.

In this pendant I used both gold and silver which complements both the black and golden tones in the rock. This is an unusual stone, an unusual cut, and an unusual wire-wrap. Everything about Nuumite is special.

Breaking News from Snob Appeal Jewelry

As loyal readers of The Snob Blog, you deserve to be first to receive a couple of bits of news.

The rare and collectable Pink Petoskey Stone

If you are a reader of Rocks & Minerals Magazine, watch for the May-June issue for an article by Dr. George Robinson and myself on Pink Petoskey Stones. The article was originally submitted to another magazine in an extended version. In addition to the article coming out in Rocks & Minerals I will provide you with further material!

Downtown Tucson, Arizona: We are always eager to be here.

We always look for these monumental specimens at one of the over 30 Tucson shows.

The other great news is I intend to blog each day that we are at the Quartzite and Tucson. You will feel you are actually there through my photos and text (well almost). My Tucson Blogs are the most viewed blogs I write on my website. You can check out the last couple years of them by searching back in my blog.