Monthly Archives: July 2013

Greenstone, Datolite, and Michigan Wire Wrapped Jewelry

In preparation for upcoming shows in the Upper Peninsula I have been working on some U.P. Gemstones and Jewelry.

Centennial Blue Datoite (and one from the Isle Royal Mine)

First was the cutting of very rare blue Datolite for the Centennial Mine north of Calumet. The mine hoist is still there, but the piles are gone and Centennial #2 is completely flooded. Any Datolite still found from this mine has been hoarded from the 60’s.

Blue Centennial generally contains microscopic grains of copper shining through the blue Datolite. Over the last few years Centennal Blue has been almost impossible to buy from anyone.

Copper Included Datolite is very popular in the U.P.

I’ve been holding on to assorted Datolite containing Copper Inclusions. I finally cut and polished the majority of the pieces I have. These always make popular jewelry for my Upper Michigan customers. Even those snobbish jewelry buyers love Datolite with Copper.

Copper Datolite with Greenstone...BAM!!!

Could it be a new ring?

I also cut three remarkable little Cabochons for a future ring for myself. The ring will sport a Yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite with copper, A Copper Agate from the Kearsarge Lode, and a copper Included Greenstone. This ring will be over the top when it is finished. I’ve got to cut the wax for the ring and I have a friend that will cast it for me. Notice the “Thumbs Up” from the Yellow Datolite.

We’re headed up north for rock hunting and shows shortly. Check our home page for upcoming events. It’s always fun for us to see all our friends in the Keweenaw. Come see us at Copper World in Calumet and art shows in Eagle harbor and Copper Harbor or on a rockpile nearby.

A Lake Superior Agate of the "Paint" variety was a quick sell off our Facebook Page.

Greenstone Bonnie

Bonnie was the Greenstone Queen on a recent collecting trip to the Keweenaw.

The Greenstone Queen hold some of her best ones.

I was scheduled to demonstrate wire-wrapping for a couple days at the awesome Copper World in Calumet. I really enjoy making jewelry and visiting with customers, many of them old friends after purchasing Snob Appeal Jewelry over the years. Bonnie went digging Michigan Greenstones (chlorastrolite) while I was busy at CW.

You never know what you have when it comes to Greenstones in the rough. She did dig up quite a few suspects. We went out together the next day and she again out-hunted me.

The spoil piles where we used to just find nice Greenstones left and right are mostly gone, being crushed up for road fill. Right now much of the crushed rock is being used for logging operations. Isle Royale Greenstones, particularly good ones, are getting much harder to find every year. We are just thankful we still have some for sale. I have also noted that these rare Gemstones are not only popular in the Upper Peninsula, but we have sold them to customers in several States. I think some savvy people are noting that these little green beauties are one of the most extraordinary gemstones on earth.

Here is the almost finished Greenstone.

I came home and cut out stones. Most were small with varying quality. Bonnie did find one Quarter sized stone that had a thin, but perfectly patterned layer. I carefully worked this stone to develop its’ pattern. Cutting Greenstones is exceptionally challenging. You have to know precisely when to stop or you will cut right through the pattern. There is a razor thin line between a perfect cut and a worthless stone. Slow and careful is the secret.

After a slight re-cut for balance, I finished this one. Pretty nice!

I ended up with a very fine, chatoyant beauty, of 4 grams. The biggest Greenstone she has ever found, and a real showpiece.

I re-cut the cab slightly to make it more uniform, than wrapped it in Pink Gold and Gold Gold. The Greenstone’s huntress was very happy.

I also found two very large Greenstones with Pink Prehnite inclusions that I purchased. These two stones came off Isle Royale between 1932 and 1942, before Isle Royale was a National Park.

At 8 grams each, these are museum sized beauties with a good story. You seldom find anything like this anymore.

I was told that the area where these were found is buried under a path that the National Park created. The stones were found by a family that rented cabins on the island back in the day. Somebody is going to acquire some nice Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry when I wrap these.

Bonnie done those Greenstones proud. You gotta love a woman that doesn’t mind getting dirty, and looks good doing it.

Not much of a city anymore, but hopping during the Copper Era.

Mohawkite, Domeykite, and Algodonite

As I look at these names, I think what an unfriendly sounding bunch of names. I make natural stone jewelry out of this? How about calling it Silver Bullet or Shining Golden Bridal Stone? Instead this mineral has a name that reminds me of a donkey.

Gold Ore or Mohawkite? A real fooler.

Mohawkite was/is one of many local names for a copper ore comprised of Copper and Arsenide. The two primary Copper Arsenides in the Copper Country are Algodonite (Cu6As) and Domeykite (Cu3As). Between 1900 and 1901, 105 metric tons of Mohawkite were taken from the Mohawk Mine. Enormous masses of Algodonite also came out of the Ahmeek Mines. This area is on the north end of the Kearsarge Lode.

A silvery slab of Mohawkite. Siver coloration in probably due to high Nickel content.

I have sort of a love-hate relationship with any of these Arsenides. Allow me to explain my love-hate relationship with Mohawkite. Mohawkite is a local name for a mixture of Algodonite and Arsenian Copper found in the Mohawk and Ahmeek area Copper Mines. This material has been called many names in the past, and even today we hear solid pieces of Mohawkite called “Butchite”, another example of a local moniker.

Iridescent Mohawkite. The picture does not do this justice with it's metallic reds and Cobalt Blues.

While I love all the Keweenaw Mining District stones, like Greenstone, Datolite, and Prehnite, I dislike working with Mohawkite or any other Copper Arsenide. After cutting Mohawkite I seal the material using a lenghthy procedure I’ve developed over the years. After any Mohawkite cabochon is sealed it becomes perfectly safe in normal use.

What I do love about these Copper Arsenides is they are absolutely gorgeous. When this arsenide is intermixed with white Quartz, the effect is amazing. It makes beautiful jewelry, and has this ability to be, and look, like several other things. For example, it’s a real fooler when the golden Mohawkite couples with the white Quartz. You would swear it is Gold Ore from California. Customers love the jewelry I make from Mohawkite, and because it is found nowhere else on earth, it is another keepsake from the Copper Country that is totally unique. I suspect that the amount of Nickel, Cobalt, or other trace minerals in the Mohawkite causes some of this stone to remain stable in color, while others change to gold. The Arsenides are the cause of the iridescent phenomenon. I have found that in stones that contain a high level of Arsenides, the color change is almost instantaneous.

By sealing the stone, any potential toxicity is eliminated. The possibility of the stone tarnishing is prevented by my sealing process also. I think of Mohawkite as a Chamelion of sorts. When I get a cabochon shaped, I never know how it will react to oxygen. I cut some today that became iridescent within 5 minutes. I wanted a golden color so I went back and re-ground off the rainbow. The metal was silver in color when it came off the grinder. I put the cabs in water, and rushed them to my sealing area. I rapidly removed them from water, dried them. When I wiped them dry, they immediately changed to a golden color. I sealed them in time to inhibit them from changing to iredescent colors. I did leave several cabs to for a few minutes and sealed them when they rainbowed.

You see very few people making jewelry from Mohawkite, but I love the unusual look of it, and we sell many pieces of it. After my sealing process, the stone is perfectly docile and safe to wear.

My Mohawkite jewelry is popular at Copper World in Calumet, Michigan, I also sell this material on line. Mohawkite is challenging to find anymore, but occasionally I stumble over a good piece while exploring the piles. Remember that these Mohawkite mines are all on private property and should not be hunted without permission.

We specialize in jewelry made from rocks and minerals of Michigan, and Mohawkite is one I love to hate. You on the other hand will love it, especially when you get all those complements.