Monthly Archives: March 2017

A “Painted” Lake Superior Agate

Lake Superior Paint Agate

I thought a short little blog was justified for this fine little Lake Superior Paint Agate.

“Paints” are onte of the many varieties of Lake Superior Agates. The majority of Lakers are banded, called fortification agates and are fairly transparent in that you can see light through them. People will say the difference between Jasper and Agate is that you can see light through Agate, but not through Jasper.

This is not always the case as there are always exceptions to this rule. In most cases this rule is true, but sometimes we see opaque Lake Superior Agates, mostly as painted agates.

It is like someone took a wide paint brush and made swooshes (is that a word?). I guess if Nike can use it, so can I. These brushstrokes are wide and bold; in many cases in reds and oranges that make very striking Jewelry.

Here’s a paint I wrapped that I really liked. Enjoy

The Amazing Colors of Abalone

I have recently started wire wrapping a group of Abalone doublets acquired in Tucson. These shells are so very amazing, with their variety of iridescent colors. Waves of the irridescent coloration just flow across these shells.

Abalone looks like a clam, but it really is a type of snail. An abalone makes its shell in layers. The abalone grows a layer of a specific kind of protein, and then a calcium carbonate mineral called ‘Aragonite’ crystallizes on the protein layer, until it is much thicker than the protein layer, and then there’s another protein layer, and then another layer of the mineral, aragonite, The protein is like a glue that holds the aragonite mineral crystal layers together. Aragonite and Calcite are naturally occuring calcium carbonate minerals that usually form in a sea environment.

Calcite is the primary makeup of Petoskey Stones and other fossils found in the Great Lakes where we live.

The cabochons I purchased in Tucson were all the same size and shape. The challenge is doing a different wrap for each cabochon. Here’s some samples of my latest pendants. I have one posted on line, but they would all be in the same neighborhood as far as price.

You will enjoy wearing one of these shiny eye-catching beauties .

Morrisonite Jasper Jewelry

Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

Oregon’s Morrisonite Jasper has been called the “King of Jaspers” because of it’s range of colors and patterns. The deposit is located near the Owyhee River; the small town of Watson is nearby..

Many times the Gem Shop will have lovely Morrisonite. The Gem Shop sells both rough and cabochons to lapidary artists. I found one amazing piece that caught my eye at his location. I looked at it 3 times before I decided that I really wanted to make jewelry of it. Yes on occasion I do buy cabochons if they are worthy! Eugene (Gene) Mueller, of the Gem Shop, occasionally mines this material.

What struck me was the simply amazing patterns in this special piece. It seemed other worldly and sort of fit my personality. The difficult part, with this piece, was figuring out what should be the top and bottom. what it boiled down to was the mountain (volcano) in near the center top, that appeared to be spewing lava that runds down the landscape. Forget the cost; I just had to have this piece. Visit our Jasper Jewelry page to see what is currently available.

Rear

Yellow Datolite from the Delaware Mine (and Other Places)

Classic Delaware Yellow. The color is corrected in this picture to reflect the true color.

What I bought in Tucson-Part 3

Sometimes I find unusual things in odd places. Bonnie was perusing my friend Gary Wilson’s booth at one of the major Tucson Shows, when she spotted three slices of Yellow Datolite. All were from the same piece of Datolite. Yellow is one of the most sought after colors in Datolite.

Most Keweenaw Datolite sports a wide range of coloration caused from small copper inclusions ranging from orange to red to pink. White is the most common color and was found in all the Keweenaw mines. Yellow Datolite is rarer, getting it’s color from manganese, which is not as abundant as copper. The finest bright yellow is found around the tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula, the northernmost land in Michigan. Fine yellow Datolite has been found at the Quincy, Franklin, and Mesnard mines. Often these three mines had mixtures of colors that looked like they were stirred together, and not quite mixed enough. These three mines as well as the Centennial (blue) are historically the gourmet Datolite collectors Favorites.

Yellows are also found in other mines including the Delaware and Connecticut. Often, Datolite colors can be fairly specific to one mine, and yellow shades are ones you can often determine the source from the hue of the stone, but we Datolite collectors can sometimes be fooled by yellows.

The Delaware Datolite cut into three pieces. I have a couple more to wrap.

The king of yellow Datolite; The ultra rare Kewenaw Point.

The Quincy Mine produced a wonderful caramel yeollow. This little beauty I made for this blog.

The Delaware mine tailings pile has all been hauled away and that historic site for hunting Datolite is now extinct. Enjoy these Datolites while they are still available.

Yellow Cab Fordite

Treasures from Tucson Gem Shows

Fordite, as you probably know, is a general term used for the paint used for Vehicles and Boats back before the mid-70’s. to be precise, it is the overspray that was built up on carriages that carried vehicle bodies through the paint booths of the car and boat companies. This paint could also build up on the walls of the paint booths. I have been informed by knowledgable people that automotive paint still contains lead. I accept this truth, but also know that the lead content is reduced from back in the day. also clear coating seals the paint sprayed on todays cars.

Humans (not robots) painted metal vehicles, using leaded paints. The lead acted as a lubricant, allowed the paints to flow and paint smoothly. In the mid 70’s government regulations forced the car and boat companies into painting cars using the powdercoat method. Little or no paint buildup happened when powder coating. Shortly thereafter the job of painting cars was religated to robots.

Today, many unwary Fordite buyers are scammed by paint from overseas, created by these same robots used by the car companies. This paint IS NOT classic Fordite. The imported paint comes in colors that were never on cars from before the mid-70s. I think it is a real scam that they can even call this Fordite. Many otherwise honest jewelry makers have been sold imported Fordite as the real deal, and they will swear there stuff is real because someone that sold it to them told them it was the real deal. Most of you were not around in the 50s-70s, so some research on your part as to paint colors back then should be undertaken. Another tell-tale clue is that antique Fordite will show paper thin layers, while in faked Fordite the layers will be thick. Thick layers indicate that the paint was put on thick to save time. Normally real Fordite has as many as ten layers to one layer in the imported stuff.

A good frind of mine sells real antique Fordite, as well as many other cabs in Tucson. He has been in the rock business for 60 years and has some good old stuff. This year he had some odd Fordite that was used to paint yellow cabs (Taxis) back in the 50s. I was able to obtain a few pieces. I like the unusual stuff and this Fordite is definately that. it had some blues in it also and a couple other colors.

I suspect the place that painted yellow cabs may have painted other fleet vehicles also. The blue resembles greyhound bus blue from the 50’s (I cross referenced the fleet color charts).

Enjoy the “Yellow Cab” paint and the Yellow Cab jewelry from Yellow Cabs (cabochons).

I have made some suggested changes in this blog. I cannot verify the source of the new Fordite I saw in Tucson this year. These pieces were all gaudy bright, sometimes metallic cabs that were never seen on any car, except perhaps a custom paint job on a show car. I have always believed the real deal Fordite was used in the Automotive plants (and sometimes boat factories ) from before the installation of Robots powder coating vehicles. Now days it seems any paint-layered pieces are being called “Fordite”. I guess it’s up to the buyers to determine if indeed the new stuff is “Fordite” or not. I try to use only paint I know came from the automotive plants prior to 1980, that were sprayed on primarily metal, by humans. I try to also find the color charts for the paint (Fordite I sell).

There is controversy as to what constitutes “Fordite”. To me, the real stuff is the old stuff, but it’s up to you to decide. I will admit that some of this new Fordite is spectacular and I would have no qualms in using it for jewelry, but I would also be straight up and tell buyers it may not be automotive colors from back in the day. Research still underway, by me. on this issue.

Some buyers really care; I’ve been told by many things like “My uncle so & so”, or my dad painted cars at Fisher Body”, and they really car about where a piece originated. Some want a piece of real history and some just want a nice colorful Fordite irregardless where it originate. Buyers should ask questions and accertain they are getting what they want. A knowledgeable seller will know his stuff.

Thanks to the Fordite afficionados that contacted me on this.

Druzy (Drusy) Quartz Jewelry

Treasures from Tucson Gem Shows

One of our first stops is to find a dealer with Druzy Quartz, with a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. Druzy is natural Quartz pockets, mostly in Brazilian quartz, but these pockets are enhanced by various treatments, including dying, titanium vapor, and painting. Most of these start as plain white Quartz pockets, but when treated they are very colorful, bright and have metallic shine. The tiny quartz points pick up the titanium vapors and reflect light off the facets, creating a reflective surface with gives lots of bling to your jewelry. Many of our customers love treated Druzy and it certainly is showy. Here are several I’ve made since the shows.

None are posted on the website yet.

Our most popular color is Pink! But blues, greens, multicolors also have their enthusiasts. We also offer natural Druzy jewelry created from Amethyst or other attractive natural Druzy pieces. Treated Druzy is an affordable alternative to other gemstones and often appeals to folks who prefer a pretty bright color more than a naturally colored rock. Enjoy our Druzy Quartz pendants at our web page and here on the Snob Blog.

Pyritized Ammonite Jewelry

Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

Finding pyritize ammonites around the Tucson gem shows is not that difficult, but it is hard to find large, whole undamaged Pyritized Ammonites.

 

Ammonites are extinct mullusks related to modern day Squids, Octipus, and Cuttlefish. They had compartmentalized bodies. This feature makes them very interesting when the inside is exposed to show these compartments.

The rear

Wonderful, large, Ammonites sporting multi-colored Opalized surfaces fetch many thousands of dollars at the Tucson Shows. These large showy Mullusks are mines in Alberta, Canada. Smaller inexpensive Ammonites are available by the millions from Moroccan dealers. We see Ammonites with a coating of Pyrite and we see fully Pyritized Ammonites like the one I found.

Giant Opalized Gem Ammonite from Alberta

These fully Pyritize Ammonites are from a location about 30 miles from Moscow. Similar ones come from other worldwide locales. I find wrapping these lots of fun but you have to be very careful with your tools as the interior structure is somewhat fragile.

We have had variations of ammonite used in our jewelry. I have made a dual piece with tiger eye, and ammonite encased in mammoth ivory, as well as the expected shiny-bright ammonite. You can see the current selection at our Fossil Jewelry page.

Beautiful Larimar Jewelry ( What I did with my Tucson buys-part 1)

Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

I believe this is one of the best I’ve made.

Some stones offer universal appeal. A gemstone that reminds people of ocean waves crashing up on a sandy beach is hard to ignore. Larimar the beautiful sea-blue stone from the Dominican Republic never fails to attract sighs of delight from shoppers. Our handcrafted Larimar jewelry always tugs on the eyes for attention!

Great quality but a lighter blue than most.

My best one I found in Tucson this year.

At the Tucson gem shows I seek a small selection of stellar Larimar pieces each year for our jewelry because it is so eye-catching. Customers who appreciate a special quality pendant for their jewelry collections enjoy shopping for these fine stone necklaces. Larimar comes in many qualities. Less choice pieces have washed-out light blue/gray/black patterns containing brownish inclusions or have little or no pattern. It seems every dealer claims to have AAA Larimar in Tucson, but the fact is that less than 3/10 of 1% of all Larimar is the top of the mark. The very best Larimar shines with pastel blue alligator-type patterns across the face. Nice pieces shimmer back at you from cut stone selections and call for your attention!

The good stuff; one with copper inclusions. Pictured is not the top of the line Larimar, but nice stuff none the less.

Larimar is only found in the Dominican Republic. It is a form of Pectolite, but the mineral Pectolite is generally soft, not solid for gemstone jewelry making. Larimar is a form of Pectolite with interlocking crystal structure similar to chalcedony making it tougher than other Pectolites. Larimar can range from a hardness of 5 to 7 on Moh’s Scale. The harder the better for making jewelry. Larimar was originally discovered around World War I, and rediscovered by a Peace Corps worker (Norman Rilling) and Miguel Mendez, in the mid 1970’s. Rilling named the stone after his daughter, Larissa, and the French word for the sea, “mer”.

Since then, many holes or mines were dug in the area. I have actually talked to the former owner of the largest Larimar Mine in the DR. She was forced to give up the mine due to the many government regulations for mining it. The work is very intensive as dynamite cannot be used lest the gemstone may be damaged or to avoid mine collapse. . Wet weather makes digging impossible and the mines may be closed 5 months out of the year; the tunnels are prone to collapse.

Fair quality, but there may be one good piece in there.

The best Larimar may be deep within a mine, perhaps a hundred feet or more. Much of the Larimar is not fit for jewelry. As you can imagine, top quality demands premium price both at the wholesale and retail level.

Like Turquoise and Chrysocolla, Larimar gets the blue and green colors from the presence of copper. This year Bonnie grabbed a cabochon that has a visible copper inclusion. Because we sell so many pieces in Michigan’s Copper Country we thought this would be popular there and I look forward to making this unique cabochon into a wire-wrapped pendant. Normally, Larimar with Copper inclusions is considered substandard, but I admire some pieces that have this inclusion.

You could be fooled by blue Victoria Stone.

The closest Gemstones I’ve seen to Larimar is the man-made Victoria Stone and Hemimorphite from China.

The top piece of Larimar this year I purchased on the last day of a show. After looking for two weeks, I finally found just the right treasure, a big bold round beautiful Larimar cabochon. This Larimar gemstone was wire wrapped in pink and yellow gold creating a lush handcrafted pendant, big, bold and beautiful.

Let our Larimar pendants evoke Caribbean beach images for you!