Category Archives: Copper Country

Art in the Park at Copper Harbor

The laid-back art show in Copper Harbor.

We love the Art in the Park at Copper Harbor. We see all our old friends and new ones. Copper Harbor in the farthest North Town in Michigan, no cell phone service, no stoplights, no national chains, and no freeway, just natural beauty.

Bonnie working in our booth.

Another historic location of the Keweenaw Peninsula, Fort Wilkins was a remote assignment for early soldiers. They were sent here to protect the copper interests from whatever they imagined the threats to be. Turns out the winter weather and remote location were the biggest threats they faced. Today Fort Wilkins has been restored to a nice historic state park where we can camp in our RV. I always tell Bonnie when it rains, “Our tent is dry”. She likes the furnace when it is cold at night too.

Just past Fort Wilkins is the end of the road, US 41. There are rocks out past that spot, but my car towed behind the RV is really not up to that rough a trail. Going the other way, the road sign in Copper Harbor helpfully helps you plan your trip in case your next destination is Miami.

Our booth on the hill overlooking the Copper Harbor Art Show.

The Michigan greenstones have been very popular at this show, just as we expected.

Copper World-Our Favorite Gift Store

Our Favorite Store is #1 according to Lake Superior Magazine.

Wire wrapping at Copper World.

Copper World is our favorite Gift Store in the U.P. and it was recently chosen a top Michigan gift shop by Lake Superior Magazine too. I may be a bit prejudiced, because they are the sole and exclusive distributors of Snob Appeal Jewelry outside of our art shows. I make a line of jewelry made from local Michigan gemstones that are a big focus on their shelves. I think it helps that Tim and Tony Basauno know the local stones, being longtime rockhounds and sellers of fine local specimens. Together we specialize in jewelry of Datolite, Chlorastrolite, Lake Superior Agate, Prehnite, Firebrick, Mohawkite, and Thomsonite.

I spent a relaxing day wire-wrapping in Copper World, and lo and behold people from our own Traverse City rock club were in the store! I am amazed at all the people we know up here and vacationers we know from our home area. We moved campsites today and while checking into Fort Wilkins State Park started chatting with the young lady at check in. She was chatty and I mentioned we would be selling at the Copper Harbor Art in the Park this weekend. She asked what we sold and her partner answered for me, “Jewelry like this” and showed the girl a set of earrings she had on that Bonnie made and she bought from us last year.

I see our jewelry all over up here; how nice!

We are overlooking Lake Fanny Hooe, and guess what? We have satellite TV. Life is good.

I think we will go see the sunset, making life better.

Cliff Mine-Prehnite Hunting

The hounds are released on the Cliff Mine Pile.

The pile was bulldozed and the Copper Country Mineral Retreat hunt at the Cliff Mine began at 9am. A good crowd of eager hunters attacked the pile. A nice trench was excavated and some entered it while others, like me hunted the surface. The Cliff, even though hunted for over a hundred years by rockhounds, still produces some fine copper specimens as well as other copper associated minerals. Native American Indians hammered this copper in prehistoric times, and chisel chips left from their mining are found at the Cliff today.

A nice trench was excavated and our buddy Keith from Baltimore found his way into it.

A great view of the Cliff mine showing the trench that fellow rockhounds were searching.

Since I already have so much native copper, Bonnie and I spent the day hunting for gem Prehnite for our jewelry. The Prehnite at the Cliff formed in small veins maybe a few inches thick and is apple green and speckled with copper. We were quite successful and found good pieces with some help from Pam Hecht who is a good buddy and led the hunt.

Prehnite comes in various forms and colors in the Copper Country. One of my favorites is referred to as “U.P. Thomsonite” and is verigated, often with eyes. Prehnite comes in assorted pastel colors, the most common being pink and green.

A seam of Copper bearing Prehnite from the Cliff Mine.

Here is some of that Prehnite on my workbench. Notice the copper?

The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country of the state of Michigan. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most productive copper mine in the United States from 1845 through 1854. Large-scale mining stopped in 1878. The Cliff was a fissure mine where the seams of copper were vertical.

Fissure mines are always interesting to search. I spent the day looking for gem quality Prehnite, and Bonnie and I found many nice pieces. These veins of Prehnite are commonly no more then an inch or so wide with a split down the middle as the Prehnite formed in from the outside of the vein and met in the middle. Much of this Prehnite is loaded with specks of Copper and is a pleasing apple green color.

Although amygdaloid and conglomerate deposits of the Keweenaw tended to be lower-grade than the fissure deposits, they were much larger, and could be mined much more efficiently, with the ore blasted out, hoisted to the surface, and sent to stamp mills located at a different site. Amygdaloid and conglomerate mining turned out to be much more productive and profitable than fissure mining, and the majority of highly successful mines were on amygdaloid or conglomerate lodes. The first mine to successfully mine a strataform ore body was the Quincy Mine in 1856. The most productive deposit, the Calumet conglomerate, was opened by the Calumet and Hecla mining company in 1865. (Mine information from Wikipedia)

I’ll be excited to cut this Prehnite and make some attractive pendants.

Copper Agates and Brolling

I got an opportunity to use my new rock-hunting tool, the Broll (I think it’s an abbreviation for a bucket roller). The Broll has recently come on to the market and is a wonderful, work saving device. I saw it advertised in Rock and Gem magazine, and my wife got it for me as a gift. It has large wheels and a ring that holds a five gallon bucket. I tried it a few times at home and found the only issue I had with it was it only had a grip handle.

Brolling on the rock pile.

Being a tinkerer I added a wagon type handle, making the Broll more towable. I mounted the handle vertically. This is my natural position for towing it. I had the opportunity to use it on the rock pile and on the beaches of Lake Superior. The bucket swings in its ring making it swing back and forth as I pull it across the very uneven terrain of the mine dumps! What a verstile tool!

A Broll on a stroll.

It easily holds my hammers and small tools as well as a load of rocks. Get one; the Broll is really great. No–I do not hold stock in the company!

How can you have so many rocks and no agates?

I found one very nice Copper Agate that really set off my pinpoint detector. It is in its ugly stage in the rock so I’ll show you later when I cut it out.

The beach produced a couple small agates, some Unakite, Quartz Crystals, and assorted “pretty” rocks for Bonnie’s gardens.

Today we are going to our first organized hunt at the Medora Mine. Looking for Greenstones!!

Loads of Fun

Lots of potential customers here.

I had to get a blog out today to keep you all up to date on the exciting times we have been having. After the World of Agates Show, we headed for the U.P. and I had three wonderful demo days with good sales at Copper World in Calumet. It’s hard to beat making wire-wrapped gemstones in the Keweenaw Peninsula, home of chlorastrolite, datolite, prehnite, and other copper-related gems.
It is especially nice when the cruise boat Yorktown docks in Houghton and brings several tour buses up to Calumet.

Two Greenstone pendants done and one Fordite pendant started.

A new Fordite pendant now for sale at Copper World.

A new 13 million dollar copper history museum has been opened in a historic building in Calumet and this also brings in tourists. The Keweenaw Peninsula is all a National Historic Site and the new museum is a classy addition to the Quincy Mine and other copper country sites. If you go to the museum, which you should, do not miss the 14 minute film on copper country history. It is in a separate little room and easy to miss, but very thought-provoking on historic preservation or destruction.

Ashley likes the Druzy Quartz Pendant while Tony looks on at Copper World. Copper World is one of the top rated gift stores (according to Lake Superior Magazine) in the Lake Superior area.

I made several new pieces at Copper World and I especially liked a new Fordite one. If you do not know what Fordite is review my older post on the subject. Just put into the search box “Fordite”.

I am going to finish a piece on the workbench while having loads of fun at the Loads of Fun Laundromat in Houghton; one of those necessary evils of camping.

There are unlimited rocks here to look through! Krystal Kauffman photo.

We had our first hunt yesterday morning. Very limited success was had in mining Copper Included Agates, but we know they are there at the Kearsarge and will dig again.

That’s all I have time for today as the clothes need to be in the dryer. We wish all of you were here.

Selection of Snob Appeal Jewelry at Copper World Expands

Copper World in historic Calumet.

A recent mutual agreement between Calumet’s Famous Gift Shop, Copper World and Snob Appeal Jewelry will expand Copper World‘s exclusive line of our jewelry products. Copper World has always represented our line of Michigan Pendants prominently and have decided to double the number of pendants that they have on hand. You should always be able to find nearly fifty of our pendants available, and Copper World can arrange for me to make you a special pendant from stones that you find or most any other gemstone you would like.

Snob Appeal Jewelry has always felt that the best way to select one of our pieces is to see it in person, try it on, ‘FEEL’ how it fits your style and personnality. Selection is important, and comparing selections is easier if you have more to choose from. Our website has almost 800 pieces of jewelry on it, and represents the jewelry well, but there is something about seeing a pendant in person, letting it “talk” to you, as I often say, that just enhances the selection process. Our website has very accurate photos of our jewelry, but I have to give up much of the shine of the gemstones for detail. Holding a piece of our jewelry allows for a full experience with the beauty and aura of it.

A personal appearance at Copper World.

Copper World is a perfect fit for our Michigan jewelry. Tony and Tim Bausano are lifelong residents of Calumet and have hunted the rock piles in the Keweenaw area themselves. They are very knowledgable about my pendants, the rocks that are in them, and all the products that they sell. I think that it is important to know the details of any gemstone you buy so you can tell others about it. You can shop on Copper World‘s website and see our pendants when you click on “Jewelry” on their home page then “Pendants by Don Reed” .

This gift shop is class all the way. They feature many exceptional one of a kind items created by local (not foreign) crafts people. You can purchase anything from Stormy Kromer Products, to hand warming cups, to rocks with your name engraved in it! I especially like the “Yooper” postcards. The chutney is great too.

I am very pleased with our partnership and the way our high-end jewelry is displayed and handled at Copper World. Our items are the same prices at Copper World as they are on our website and at the art shows we attend, making them exceptional bargains.

Firebrick, Crysocolla (Bumbletown Hill), Datolite with Copper. These items were being made and are for sale at Copper World.

Firebrick, Chrysocolla (Bumbletown Hill), Datolite with Copper. These items were being made and are for sale at Copper World.

I have enjoyed, and will continue to enjoy, making personal appearances at Copper World in 2012 where I create Snob Appeal Jewelry in person. The Keweenaw is one of our favorite destinations and should be on your list also. When you go there make sure to see the folks at Copper World for a piece of Snob Appeal Jewelry (and some Thimbleberry jam).

DATOLITE-On the Workbench

Two unbelievably beautiful Datolite/Copper Pendants

Datolite in Michigan occurs only in the copper deposits in the Keweenaw Peninsula as well as on Isle Royale National Park. Datolite was never a valuable mineral when copper was king, and was left in the spoil piles at the mines. Today alert rockhounds are still actively seeking Datolite in the mine dumps.

Occasionally we find wonderful Datolite/Copper combinations. These unbelievably beautiful specimens make elegant and amazing pieces of jewelry. Copper World, our retail outlet in Calumet sells every one of these pendants they acquire from me. Sometimes these rare beauties reach my website. If you see these appear on this site, you should buy them immediately. These combination cabochons are quite scarce and warrant your attention. Small specks of copper are common within the Keweenaw Datolite and the colorations of Datolite is most often caused by copper, usually too small to see with the naked eye. This is where the wonderful pinks and reds of Datolite come from. The truly spectacular Datolite has large veins of copper in the Datolite and occurs most often in the veins seen in the leftover rock piles. This Datolite/Copper sets off our metal detectors and is a real thrill when found.

Each mine in the Keweenaw has a fairly distinctive color of Datolite associated with it. White is the most common and natural color for Datolite and has been found in all the mine spoil piles in the Keweenaw. The rare yellow datolite has no copper in it and derives its’ coloration from Manganese.

Datolite with a large amount of copper are difficult to cut and polish as we are dealing with different hardnesses as well as metal in combination with the datolite. The copper-included Datolite is also prone to overheating while being cut. When you buy one of these Datolite/Copper pendants you can be sure it was a challenge to cut and polish.

If you want something rare and beautiful from Michigan, you can’t go wrong with a Datolite of any kind, but especially these riveting Datolites with large copper inclusions.

Brockway Mountain-Paradise Lost?

A Brockway Mountain Sunset.

What is the most scenic spot you know? If you’ve been on this road, the Brockway Mountain Drive has to be at the top of your list. During the Great Depression unemployment in this area wasa staggering number, 75-80%. This scenic drive was created by unemployed miners digging through the rocky terrain of the northernmost area of the Keweenaw Peninsula ending in Copper Harbor, Michigan. Other New Deal projects were numerous and have contributed to the landscape in the area even today.

The 16 mile long road passes by a huge rock face on one side, with a steep drop off on the other side, in many places. Canopied with trees and unencumbered my man-created buildings, the Brockway Mountain Drive is a beautiful trip. At the summit, nearly everyone stops for a look at the scenery. On our last night we saw two lake freighters while we watched the sunset. From the summit you can see harbors, islands, lakes, trees. It is a priceless view, and it is FOR SALE!

Privately owned, this park-like setting has been used by the public since the road was built, but now it could be cut off to the public and sold to developers. Several organizations have joined together to raise money so that Eagle Harbor Township might buy it and keep it available for public use. The Nature Conservancy and the Audobon Society are adjacent landowners and are partners in the fund raising, along with many others including the Houghton Keweenaw Conservation District and the Kewwnaw Land Trust. The are working to obtain grant and private funding to acquire the top of Brockway Mountain and surrounding 320 acres, and to keep it forever in the public trust.

The tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula is an important migration path for raptors as they move north. You’ve heard the phrase, “as high as the eagle”, well up on the summit that’s where you are!

Bonnie has family photos from the 1940’s of being on Brockway Mountain Drive. The trees are bigger, but the effect is the same-beautiful surroundings. We support the efforts of the local people of Eagle Harbor Township to keep this treasured piece of land available to the public. For more information, visit www.eagleharbortwp.org.

We have sent a check and invite you to help save the view for public use.

KCWC-Brockway Mountain Project

Eagle Harbor Towship

321 Center Street

Eagle Harbor, MI 49950

Did I mention that we drive up there every night while we are in Copper Harbor?! It is the only place for miles around that we can talk on our cell phone! Can you imagine a place where you have to drive 4-15 miles to use your cell phone, and the one spot might become someone’s walled-off castle?

We invite you to help get the word out, and the money in, and save this piece of Paradise.

On the Workbench at Copper World

Bonnie's agate and Datolite. I wonder what color it is?

This past weekend we made it to the Copper Country for one last trip. The colors were not in bloom yet, but we had great weather for a couple of hunts. We found some great Greenstones in matrix at the Central Mine and Bonnie and I both found a Datolite. Bonnie sat down to dig a hole and had worked on it for 20 minutes, searching for the elusive Datolite. She sat down and found one under her knee right out in the open. We have not cut her Datolite yet, but this mine has white, blush green, and some light brown Datolite.

I'm working at Copper World-I Love this place!

I wire wrapped at Copper World in Calumet all day Saturday. I have great fun talking to patrons as I explain the wire wrapping process. I had a great day all the way around. While I was wire wrapping Bonnie went to the beach and found a nice Lake Superior Agate right in a spot that hundreds of others had probably walked over at a public park. It pays to know what you are looking for!

The workbench produced several pendants including two wonderful Michigan Greenstones, a Lake Superior Agate, and a Prehnite.

My workbench at Copper World. Also notice the orange Laker "paint" agate on the bench.

The Prehnite is a cabochon of the Prehnite seam I found at the Cliff Mine and is shown in the blog I posted on August 12th. As I suspected, this apple green Prehnite was loaded with copper. I cut several nice cabs from this rock. I wrapped it in Argentium and double gold filled wire. I think the round shape and the copper inclusions made this piece a standout. What do you think? It will make a wonderful piece for someone.

The finished pendant was just amazing.

My Best Datolite Ever

The faithful husband encouraging Bonnie to "did faster".

The faithful husband encouraging Bonnie to "dig faster".

The pitter patter of light raindrops was my alarm clock. Bonnie & I were up and off before dawn’s light. Only a thermos of coffee and a portable monk’s muffin went with us, as we hurried to our destination. The goal was to get there before “The Badger” got there. .(Why? I don’t know—a point of honor I guess.) We had seen him digging a hole the other day, and knew he was attacking the rock pile with a sense of purpose. We saw evidence of his success and wanted to be successful too.

Don's BIG hole.

Everybody was digging BIG holes

Chrystal's odd find while metal detecting

Krystal's odd find while metal detecting. Would this be a "float hammer" just because she was looking for "float copper"?

At 6:00 am the traffic is pretty light on US 41 in the Keweenaw, but low and behold a car appeared and turned into our very own destination rock pile. I knew who it was! Yes, the Badger, a vigorous and determined datolite digger had arrived moments before us. The bad news was that the rain disappeared, and had not been sufficient to clean off the rock recently moved around there, so there was no datolites washed out. At least the dawn had come on enough that we could see.

We watched the experienced work of the Badger (this is not his real nickname, I just called John this because of his digging skill) and joked around with him. He is a recently Tech grad in geology engineering and is goofing off this summer gathering datolites and other rock treasures. John Dezelski dug and looked. He ended up the day with around a dozen. Bonnie & I dug and between us finally got 3. You have to develop an eye, because otherwise they are camouflaged.

"Don"atolite

I have been hunting minerals in the Keweenaw for years now, but I always focused on greenstone and “cutting material”, a vague term used to cover pretty rock found in this area–Patricianite, Prehnite, and others. I have dug for datolites before, but I don’t recall finding many! Luckily sometimes when you’re digging you find other stuff to please you.

Greenstones seem to be getting harder to find as the years go by, especially real nice big ones. All my old glory holes have been hauled away for road fill. We used to get Greenstones and Datolite at many locations and now those piles are gone. It’s not like the good old days. If you want a greenstone or datolite at a reasonable price, act now. Less supply means higher prices.