Isle Royale Greenstones, Thomsonite, Datolite, Lake Superior Agates, Petoskey Stones, Pudding Stones, Kona Dolomite, Copper Agates, and Silver/Copper Nuggets (aka Half-breeds), have always been the base for our business.
Our last blog addressed the most popular Rocks & Minerals we make jewelry from, and sell on line. This blog will show examples of what we make from those core stones shown in Part 1.
A silver-Copper Nugget (AKA halfbrees.
Dark eyed Thomsonite-A fan favorite.
Classic “Candy Striper” These are the Lake Superior Agates that we all look for.A rough Copper/Silver nugget I just wrapped as found.I wish you could see this in the sun! The common name for vintage industrial automotive paint is Fordite. This piece is from the Century Boat Company in Manistee, so you might call it Centuryite! This metallic paint was used on their line of ski boats, back in the day.My picture frame pendant contains Lake Superior Agate, white Datolite from the Isle Royal Mine, Petoskey Stone, Epidote, Quart Mix, Isle Royal Greenstone, and Kona Dolomite.Cockle Shells were combined with Greenstone (left) and Thomsonite (right) to create a “Snowbird” pendant for Northerners that suffer in Florida all winter. The shells nestle a Greenstone and a Thomsonite.I put these out in the sun on the picnic table. Pink Petoskey Stone, Quartz crystal Included float copper, and a beautiful Isle Royale Greenstone with Thomsonite inclusions. Yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite. Yellow or Caramel Datolite has always been associated with Keweenaw Point . You have to dive for these little buggers.Pudding Stone; You can’t miss the Jasper in this one. Pudding Stone trivia; the bedrock for Pudding Stone in near Sudbury, Canada. You can figure out how far this material surfed in the glacier till, before it was deposited.
I realize I was a little “artsy”, with the pictures, in this blog. The pictures look great and I hope they make you as happy as they made me.
Isle Royale Greenstones, Thomsonite, Datolite, Lake Superior Agates, Petoskey Stones, Pudding Stones, Kona Dolomite, Copper Agates, and Silver/Copper Nuggets (aka Half-breeds), have always been the base for our business.
The popularity of Thomsonte has been on the upswing. Most of the goos Thomsonte comes from secret spots on the North Shore of Lake Superior. There’s something about this beautiful, pastel pink, Zeolite, that people love.
Our main products consist of Great Lakes Rocks & Minerals. Some of these core stones have been found by us, Others were purchased from collectors in the Great Lakes Region. I will publish this blog in two parts. I have loads of pictures to show you and will share images of some of our most popular jewelry gemstones. The second part will be jewelry made from those Great Lakes gemstones.
Michigan’s Official State Gemstone may be out most popular, and most rare of anything we sell. Greenstones are found nowhere else in the world; only on Isle Royale and on the old spoil piles of some of the copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula.Copper Agates are found in some of the mine spoil piles in the Keargarge Lode. They are very coveted, and hard to find.
Our pride in Michigan, and the Gemstones found there, reflects in our jewelry. We have many happy customers, that return again and again to purchase more pieces of jewelry to add to their collections, or to give as treasured gifts.
Unakite (top) is a Granite comprised of Pink Feldspar, Epidote, and Quartz. It is commonly found on the Lake Superior Beaches. I personally think it makes wonderful jewelry. On the bottom is Mohawkite from several Mines near Mohawk, Michigan. Some people love it, but we that cut it, must be careful because of the Arsenides in it. It is safe to wear, as we seal it with a two part industrial epoxy.Datolite is another Copper-associated rock. Where you see Datolite, there is usually copper in the neighborhood. Copper often permeates into the Datolite, causing the Datolite to have a pink tinge. Sometimes you can see the Copper in the stone, as you do here. The above Datolite also contains Green Epidote.
Orders come from all over the country. We wonder and are often awestruck at how people, in Utah or California for example, know about Isle Royale Greenstones or Copper Agates. Sometimes we have the chance to ask them where they heard of Petoskey Stones or Datolite, and more often than not, they have some connection to Michigan. They may have hunted the rockpiles in the Keweenaw, or the beaches of Lake Michigan. Their family has roots in Michigan, or they attended Michigan Tech in Houghton (Go Huskies!). At times they may have found a piece of jewelry at Copper World in Calumet, or bought something from us at an art show in Eagle Harbor or Copper Harbor. Customers can have Nostalgic memories of hunting the beaches with their families in the U.P. for rock treasures.
Sure evidence that Greenstones and copper can be found together in many copper mines. This little gem is a lucky strike for sure, a rare find!
Nostalgia often is associated with the custom jewelry pieces we make. People send stones they have found, saying things like “I’ve been looking for someone, for years, that can make a piece of jewelry from a Laker (or other rock) that I found while with my Grandpa decades ago on the shores of the Lake Superior or Lake Michigan”. “YES; I can do this for you; What did you have in mind”?
Copper Firebrick was formed when the bricks used for construction of Copper smelters, got permiated with Copper Vapors and molten Copper. The Datolite was a lucky cut, with an interior in the form of the Lower Peninsula.
Petoskey Stone is Michigan’s Official State Stone. We make many things from this, and other Devonian Fossils. Cladapora is the other fossil seen in this picture.
Our website contains well over a thousand unique pieces of jewelry. We’re proud to individually make each piece. We do not have cheap “Buy-sell” things made in foreign countries. We are a locally owned Michigan small business, proudly sharing our handcrafted Great Lakes stone jewelry with people across the country.
Have fun looking at our core Great Lakes treasures. If you see something you like, call or E-mail us. If you have an idea for a custom wire wrap, or beaded treasure, get ahold of us.
