Recently, I’ve been uprooting Greenstones and Copper Agates in my shop. Both these treasures make extraordinary jewelry, and both are difficult to find. Fortunately, over the past couple decades, I’ve been able to acquire some of both, in old collections, as well as hunting them on old Spoil Piles in the Keewenaw.
This is what I saw when I took off the rind of the nodule I found.
I rediscovered a stone from a few years back. I recall finding the large nodule in matrix, in the Kearsarge Lode near Calumet. I left the half-dollar size stone sticking our from its’ host rock, and just polished the face of it. I thought it was a Quartz/Epidote, salted with Copper specks (nothing remarkable). I just left it for a specimen. That stone sat around of a while, until the other day. I decided to cut the stone out of the matrix. I assumed the pattern would be the same throughout the stone.
I cut that nodule out of its’ matrix, and lo and behold, and awesome big Copper Agate. It’s the largest Copper Agate I have personally discovered.
You can’t imagine my pleasure and thrill to find that big nodule was a Large Copper Agate! This was the largest Copper Agate I have ever personally found. After cutting that stone from the host rock, enough remained to create an improbable Gemstone for another pendant.
The next slice of that big Copper Agate, produced an amazing copper agate. There was a clear Quartz top in this one, that I set one of my Island Greenstones into. Even though improbable, awesome none the less.
Last week was one of the luckiest lapidary weeks I’ve ever had lately. Unfortunately I do not have any more mine rock with giant Copper Agate Suspects in them, but I can hope I find another big nodule out in the Lode. I’ll look this year.
A soon to graduate Army Cadet contacted me for an Isle Royale Greenstone. The stone was for his class ring, and I went the extra mile to find and cut a perfect Stone.
Could it be the only Greenstone Class ring at West Point, EVER? I’m pretty sure of it.
The stone was provided to the largest Class Ring Company in the United States. Guess what? They broke the stone while setting it. This did not surprise me in the least. Greenstones are much softer than the more common jewels that are forced into these class rings. Greenstones require some finesse to set, and this lack of finesse broke the GS.
The ring company covered the cost of another stone, but did not have the knowhow to set it. This required a more experienced jeweler in New York to set the new stone into the ring.
As you can see, the ring turned out great. I asked why he put a Greenstone into his ring and received the following answer: “I am a Cadet at West Point and am set to graduate in May 2024 to become a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. I am a Michigan native and wanted a piece of my state to wear on my hand no matter where I find myself in the world. Snob Appeal cut a beautiful Isle Royale Greenstone to put in my gold class ring. I am very grateful for their had work and look forward to wearing this wonderful stone throughout my Army career”.
We appreciate the trust in us; Good luck Sir, and thanks for serving our great country.
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.
Winters in Florida are usually very pleasant.. Recently we had to deal with the uncertainty of Tropical Storm (later Cat 1 Hurricane) Nicole, as it hit the east coast of Florida. While “sheltering in place”, I had the opportunity to create some Pendants while watching the Weather Channel.
“Windy Beach” was created while storm force winds shook our RV. You can actually see some of the flying pieces of Spanish Moss. This “Moss” was everywhere.It’s not really moss, but you can look it up on line if you wish.Owyhee Picture Jasper.
It seemed like forever for this storm to finally make landfall in south Florida. Fortunately this was well south of us, but we did feel the effects in Jacksonville, with storm surge, beach erosion and two days of steady rain and wind. Owning a big RV gives us some feeling of security. If the power goes off, we still have a generator, in case it’s needed. We have water and food; we have each other. For “medicinal purposes’ we have adult beverages in the fridge. The locals say it’s no big deal, unless mandatory evacuations are ordered (in which case we pack up and move the house). Luckily November hurricanes have been uncommon.
A beautiful Petoskey Stone pendant in Rose Gold and Argentium Sterling was named “Gray Skies” The large species reminded me of Nicole, a very large storm. A slight maroon tinge adds rarity to this particular species (Hexagonaria Anna). Anna is one of the two largest species of Hexagonaria. Anna is an unusual find, especially a perfectly patterned specimen with coloration..This very unusual Painted Lake Superior Agate sported a blue-gray base with orange blotches. I called this “Weather Radar“. It resembled thesome of the radar images on the Weather Channel.This striking Pudding Stone brought to mind the “Scattered Debris” left behind by Nicole.“Coming Ashore” seemed the perfect name for this Lake Superior Amethyst Laker.This Michipicoten Agate was aptly named “Storm Surge”.
Rain for two solid days, and steady 45 MPH winds shook the RV. We pulled the slides in and hunkered down. It was an especially good time to make up some hurricane jewelry. I was not rushed or stressed, but I was inspired to create some storm related jewelry art. This also took my mind off of the remote posssibilty of Biblical flooding, or a tree falling on the bus. Fortunately the latter never happened, but great pieces of jewelry were created. I decided to give each piece a Storm-related name.
Some of our “Snowbird” jewelry. These Pendants are a cross between Florida andtheGreat Lakes region. Michigan’s State Gemstone, the Isle Royale Greenstone, and a lovely Eyed Thomsonite, From Superior’s North Shore, are “hatched” in common Cockle Shells, from Florida Beaches (or what’s left of Florida Beaches). Our 5 year old Granddaughter only brings me the best Cockle’s she finds.
All my new “Hurricane” jewelry will be available on this website, or available in our show inventory. If you call us, We can help you obtain any of these pendants. If a pendant is posted on one of our websites, it will link when you “click” on the picture.
50 Little Isle Royale Greenstones awaiting new homes
Have you always wanted to own and wear something from Isle Royale? How great would it be if it was a Greenstone Pendant? Greenstone pendants made with Greenstones from Isle Royale are treasured for their beauty and rarity.
Several years ago I purchased a Greenstone collection that had been hidden in a garage in Lake Linden, Michigan for 50 years.
Over the years this stash has been my go-to trove for creating some of my best Isle Royale Greenstone Jewelry, although I already had some Isle Royale stones from other sources.
Our best sellers, by far, are small Greenstone pendants. While in Florida this last winter, my goal was to produce an entire tray of little Greenstone dazzlers. A “tray” consists of 50 Greenstone Pendants (each one fits in a 1 1/8″ X 3/4″ Acrylic container).
Isle Royale Greenstone with Feldspar in this one.
The smaller the Greenstone the more difficult it is to make a pendant, using conventional wire wrapping tools and techniques. I make many of my own tools to facilitate wrapping these small gemstones. The circumference of these stones are generally between an inch to an inch and a half. Good tools are one secret to producing good jewelry with precious metal wire. I purchase quality tools and adapt them, so I can create delicate pendants. Some of the handtools I create don’t work quite right, but after a couple decades of trial and error, I have invented just the right tools to make small pendants. Although the pendants appear simple, they are not easy to make.
A little Thomsonte inclusion adds to the excellent Chlorastrolite.
If I ever write a book on wire wrapping, I’ll show some adapted wire wrapping tools, but for now I keep some secrets. My best sellers are these small Greenstone Pendants, and I just don’t want the market to be flooded with Snob Appeal Knockoffs.
My small Greenstone pendants have some common traits. 1. They fit in 1-1/8″ X 3/4″ round acrylic gemstone jars. 2. They are made from my finest Greenstones from Isle Royale. 3. They are simply wrapped so as not to distract from the beautiful Greenstones 4. They have small bails that match the small stones (IF you put a larger bail on a tiny stone the proportions become incorrect). 5. The wire wrapping is fairly simple (again so as not to distract form the pattern of these little shiners. 6. Most are under $200! (not bad for a Greenstone actually from Isle Royale).
Each Greenstone has its’ own character, coloration, green shade, and pattern. Greenstones from Isle Royale are generally distinctive from greenstones from the mine dumps in the Keweenaw. Although I have found many mainland stones that you cannot tell from Island Stones, on the whole, and on the average, Island stones are more solid with better patterns.
I sell these little beauties on line, as well as at Copper World in Calumet, Miners North in Traverse City, and The Miners Den in Royal Oak.
Think you can’t afford a Greenstone? As an investment or heirloom, these small Isle Royal Greenstones top the list. They are made from delicate-looking 24 gauge double gold fill wire (Rose or Gold), Argentium Sterling (Tarnish resistant sterling silver), or a combination of the three precious metals. In any setting they make a graduation gift like no other, or a Mother’s Day gift that won’t be forgotten by next week!
These pendants are exceptional examples of Michigan’s official State gemstone, that can be worn with anything. Add a pair of Greenstones earrings, for a beautiful ensemble.
Every Christmas the question is; “What should I make for Bonnie?” Bonnie is my bride of 44 years. She already has her choice of thousands of Pendants, and hundreds of beaded treasures she makes for her Etsy site. I have to start thinking way ahead, when it comes to a special Christmas gift for the jewelry maker’s wife.
While cutting, from my large selection of rocks and minerals, I will usually discover a very special piece of material (or several), worthy for a Lapidary Artist’s wife to wear.
Bonnie enjoys wearing simple, yet elegant, pendants; not too showy, but noticeable, none the less. She has a massive collection of “jewelry shirts”. These shirts are usually solid colors that can show off a Pendant, or a set of beads with a wide variety of colors and patterns.
Luck was involved in cutting a Petoskey Stone and finding beautiful, dark eyes. This Petoskey Stone spoke to me, and demanded to be Bonnie’s Christmas Gift.
This past summer’s shop work first produced a very special Petoskey Stone cabochon. Sometimes Michigan’s State Stone is surprising in its multiple variety of colorations, patterns, and uniqueness. The quality of a Petoskey Stone is very subjective, but in general high quality Petoskey Stones are mud free, solid, with a clear patterns.
The primary thing I look for in a fine Petoskey Stone is clarity of pattern. It is not very common to find a solid Petoskey Stone, showing perfectly clear patterns within all the individual Polyps. In most cases the “eyes” of the Polyps, (that are actually mouths), are filled with mud to some extent. This mud can seldom be removed. I usually do not use Muddy Petoskey Stones, but in the case of this stone the “mud” was a good thing, and added some character to a stone. It was a case where Black mud is good.
In the Petoskey Stone I chose for Bonnie’s Pendant; the mouths were filled with Petroleum-rich material, making them almost solid black, BUT the rest of the fossil displayed beautiful, perfectly clear Calcification. The black “Eyes” were so striking; so stunning; that I immediately knew I had the start of a spectacular piece of jewelry. I imagined one of the little Polyps talking to its neighbor; “Hey Harry, you should try some of this grease, it’s really tasty”.
The darkness of a Petoskey Stone, is indicative of the percentage of Petroleum that permeated into the Petoskey Stone during Calcification. Darker Petoskey Stone exude a strong petroleum odor when they are cut. The odor this stone emitted was strong in its a petroleum scent. Petroleum-rich, dark Petoskey Stones also take a better polish than light colored Petoskey Stones, simply because of this petroleum content. This cabochon took an excellent glass-like finish.. OK, I hid this stone from prying eyes for a few months. Hiding any stone in my shop is a dangerous proposition. Fortunately, I was lucid enough to keep track of it for a few months.
Isle Royale greenstones were tumble polished and drilled for the top of Bonnie’s Pendant.
Do I just want to wrap a Petoskey Stone and call it good? NO WAY! A jewelry showpiece, for a special lady, needs more bling than that. Michigan’s State Stone (the Petoskey Stone) needed to be accompanied by Michigan’s State Gemstone (The Isle Royal Greenstone). Several Greenstone, from a decades old collection actually from Isle Royale, were polished and drilled for the top of this pendant. I make them on a bead drilling machine. I admit, drilling Greenstones is a bit extravagant.
The bottom segment of Bonnie’s Christmas Pendant involved Drilling Datolite Beads (from one of the Isle Royale Mines behind the Houghton Walmart) and Unakite beads, (made from Lake Superior beach material) were also added to the pendant mix. I just kept piling on the goodness.
Common white Datolite explodes into something else, when Copper is stirred into the mix. added a pair of Datolite Beads and a pair of Unakite Beads dressed the top of the bottom segment of Bonnie’s pendant.
The last stone added was a Copper rich Datolite. It was a gorgeous white Datolite with lightning-like streaks of Copper exploding within the Gemstone. Like the Petoskey Stone, this special Datolite told me it wanted to be part of this project. The Datolite was shaped to add as a second component to the Pendant. Bonnie is very fond of copper in her Datolite. The Lightning Datolite swings freely from the bottom of the Petoskey Stone. This configuration is one of my signature features in many of my pendants.
My choice of gold and silver wire allows this pendant to be worn with any color chain or cord.
Here is the finished pendant. You can make your own judgment, but I think it is pretty nice.
Isle Royale Greenstones are already beach tumbled. Normally I grab a few hundred and after flattening the backs, they’re ready for dopping.
The blog pictures may be a bit out of the order they were accomplished, but you’ll get the idea by reading the text under each picture.
After the finish polish, my Greenstones are sorted into trays according to size and coloration.A handful of awesomenessMy dop sticks of choice are brass rivets.A typical, beach tumbled, Isle Royale GreenstoneOne of these was finished from the above beach tumbled Greenstone. Both stones are ready for Turtles of other jewelry.One of my favorites are “Picture Frame” pendants. This one is Top to Bottom: Lake Superior Agate, Isle Royale Greenstone w/ Thomsonite, and Datolite from the Isle Royal Mine near Houghton.Sometimes Greenstones wil be hollow (not good), but on rare occasions the viugs may contain some copper of Crystals (VERY GOOD).A Drumline of Turtles near completion.My turtles have Jade undersides. Not that is a bit extravagant! Pendants made with Islae Royale Greenstones are our best seller.A finished Turtle pendant.. I’ve assigned them names: This one is “Rocco”.This was the very first Turtle Pendant I made as a Christmas gift for my buddy;s awesome wife.
TURTLES
Let’s talk about one of the most challenging Pendant projects I’ve ever finished; TURTLES!.
I have actually been thinking about this for a few years, but realizing how much time, materials, and troubles it would be, I’ve put it off. Admittedly I took the cowards way out—it seemed I always had something that was more important to do! I needed to get my Mojo back.
My goal this year was to create what was a roadblock in my brain. Here is the idea. Michigan’s Official State Stone is the Petoskey Stone, and the State Gemstone is the ultra rare Isle Royale Greenstone. We live in NW Michigan where, if you know where to look, nice Petoskey Stones can be harvested.
Petoskey Stones are sometimes referred to as “Turtle Backs” because they resemble turtle shells. Isle Royal Greenstones are said to have an “Alligator Pattern”. Greenstone, if they have a nice pattern, also look like turtle appendages. What if I could combine these two beautiful Michigan stones and made a turtle pendant?
One of the major problems is matching Greenstone patterns so the turtle appendages have a cohesive look.
Recently I manufactured a set of these pendants which were challenging in many ways.
Each turtle required five greenstones that closely matched in size, pattern, and color. This required cutting and polish around hundreds of greenstones, which has taken place over several years. Most of the greenstones used in this project are from an Isle Royale Greenstone collection that I purchased several years ago. These are even more rare than Keweenaw Greenstones. Picking greenstones on Isle Royale is against National park policy. Decades ago authorities on the island were not that particular about guests picking us a few greenstones. Today rangers are quite strict about the regulations regarding picking up rocks and minerals in the national park.
After cutting and polishing all these small stones. Cutting small stones involves gluing them on dop sticks or holding them in your finger with the risk of scuffing your finger tips. Foolishly and unnecessarily I chose the bleeding option many times. Separating them off the dop sticks, pouring out on a table, sorting for size, shape, and color, and finally choosing stones that might be used together for turtles were some of the steps taken over time. Some had to go back for shaping so they could pass muster as heads or tails. Many of the greenstones are up to 10mm in size which makes them large for greenstones. The appendages are all nice enough they could have been used for feature stones in jewelry such as rings or necklaces.
The Petoskey Stones are found by us in several secret locations in northwest lower Michigan, but rarely from beaches. They were sorted 2-3 times for top quality nicely patterned for the turtle backs. They were cut and shaped, mounded in ovals, and polished to a glass-like finish.
The next problem was how to attach the appendages to the turtle; how was I going to join the Petoskey stones and the Greenstones? I looked for a material that could be a backer. What material could be thin enough and strong enough to do this? Jade is strong and tough, often used for guitar picks, so it is strong even when thin. The Petoskey stones and Greenstones were glued onto green jade wafers using a strong 2 part epoxy.
Cutting the turtles requires special lapidary tools and a careful touch. Believe me when I tell you that this procedure was challenging, complicated, and time consuming.
After cutting the turtles out, I developed a procedure for wire wrapping them, which hides the wires behind the turtle. When the turtles hand on a chain, you do not see the bail, or most of the wire wrapping, allowing for no distraction from the beauty of the the Patterns of the Petoskey stone and Greenstones.
It took me months of thought and work to create these pendants.
I cut out a dozen turtles, and posted them on Facebook, receiving over 2,600 likes. It seemed everyone wanted a turtle, but not everyone realized what these turtles might cost.
People wanted them for desk ornaments, or to add to their turtle collections. I think for a turtle collector, this may work, but for someone that wants to put a turtle comprised of sizable Isle Royale Greenstones and Jade just our on a deck; not so good. I would sell these without a bail on the back, but they are designed for wearing.
The first turtle release will be six pendants as Christmas gifts, and perhaps more of the dozen I’ve made, depending on popularity. The scarcity of Gem-Quality Greenstones will severely limit my product every year.
Making Turtles from Greenstones that otherwise could be rings or necklaces is somewhat frivolice, and from a business standpoint, perhaps not wise; but so be it.
It’s always heartbreaking when a good friend passes away. I hope you will indulge me as I remember Beth Harland, a loyal member or the Grand Traverse Area Rock & Mineral Club.
I recall that John and Beth joined our club in 2005 or 2006, when they moved up after retirement to Traverse City. John became Club President shortly there after and Beth took notes for the Club Newsletter that I edited.
Over the years Beth invested in many pieces of jewelry that I made, and I mentored John in Wire Wrapping. We became close friends.
In 2009 John handed me a Greenstone, and asked if I could make a pendant for Beth. The Greenstone was 3 1/2″ by over 2″! “You want me to cut this Greenstone; are you sure?” Over the course of the next week, I asked him if he was still sure, and the answer was yes every time.
The following incorrect information was found on the internet:
“The largest gem quality stone is in the Smithsonian Museum and measures 1.5 by 3 inches. It was first described from Isle Royale, Lake Superior by C. T. Jackson and J. D. Whitney in 1847. Chlorastrolite, also known as greenstone, is the official state gem of Michigan.”
John found this Greenstone on Isle Royale back in the early 60’s, and it sat on a shelf for all those years. The above information was on Pinterest and is obviously incorrect . John’s Stone was the REAL world record. The finished stone easily covers a half-dollar with room to spare! It was 1.75 by 3.25 inches! It actually covered 2 silver dollars! The finished pendant is substantially larger, or course.
The Greenstone had previously been worked by someone unskilled in cutting Greenstone, so my challenge was increased by correcting someone else’s errors.
This was, and still is the most challenging and scary rock I’ve ever cut. It was especially scary, when I found out that I was working on one of the largest Gem-grade Greenstones ever found. Those that are skilled at cutting Chlorastrolite, know that there are numerous pitfalls that could happen. Holes and pits (which this was full of), cutting through the pattern, or not developing the pattern to its fullest (this also had taken place. So how do I proceed?)
I studied this Greenstone for several hours, and developed my plan of attack, based on my experience of cutting thousands of Greenstones. Mostly working slowly and carefully, using my intuition and hoping my choices were correct. I actually took three days on the cutting alone, and the results were fabulous. That stone had full pattern and was very hard.
Beths World Class Greenstone
I was finally able to produce both an amazing pendant and a set of large earrings from that monster.
The back of the above Greenstone.
Beth loved that piece of jewelry, and I was honored that John ask me to make it. I personalized the pendant, and she wore it often.
Her recent passing brought up one of many good memories of Beth. We’ll miss her and think of her often. I can see her wearing that stone as if it were yesterday.
Here’s another Pendant I made for Beth. She loved Bling!
A Quartz pocket containing pink and blue topaz–Beth loved Bling!
Some meticulous wire artistry enhanced beautiful Keweenaw treasures.
2020 brought many challenges to all of us. For me, self-isolation brought the opportunity to focus on my craft; with more time to create some special pendants. Jewelry making takes my mind off these trying times. I always try to improve my work, even though, people say, I’m a fairly skillful and competent wire artist.
Recently a “major” pendant was created from a combination of inspiration, a dream, and the need for a challenge. If a piece of jewelry takes me several hours of total focus (with coffee breaks), over three days, that’s a “Major” pendant.
Can I pull this off? Until a multi-piece pendant is created, the answer is “Maybe”. When the project turns out as you envision it, or better in this case, I feel satisfied and worthy. I know all the mind-challenging work was worth the effort. Bonnie knows when I am in “the zone” I am so totally focused, everything except the piece of art is blacked out. The Zone was active on this work of art, for sure. She does not come near me when I’m in “the Zone”, but she knows something good will result.
Deciding on Color and Shape
Let us talk about the procedure end result, shall we? Four totally different Keweenaw rocks and Minerals were chosen for their coloration. PINK was my choice; so every piece was associated with the color pink. In my mind was projected a three-piece pendant with amazing colors, textures, and shapes; eligant in detail.
The top stone selected was a banded Lake Superior Agate, with beautiful pink waves of banding, some shadow effect. In some Lakers the banding is very fine and the bands are close together. When you move these agates in the sun or in bright light, the shadow of one band is cast on the adjacent band. Since there are many bands casting their shadows on their adjacent bands, you get a shadow effect. The agate in the pendant has some “Shadow” for sure. Lake Superior Agates, as many of you know, are my favorite Gemstones. I cut a lot of “Lakers”, but not often one with so much rich class. It just screamed for attention, and made the top tier.
The middle of the pendant is Firebrick. Firebrick formed from the Copper smelting operations in the Keweenaw. The smelters were made from brick when they were built. Over the years Copper vapors and molten copper permiated into the brick walls of the smelter and replaced all the material in the bricks except the Quartz/Silica. That is why you see small white specks in the Firebrick; the Quart resisted permeation.
The bottom stone is a stunning pink-hued Datolite from the Mesnard mine on the Quincy Hill in Handcock. The small Mesnard Datolite needed to step up in order to fight the bigger cabochons in the top. I added a pair of Isle Royale Greenstons with pink Thomsonite inclusions, making the Datolite more than equal to the other two cabochons up above it. My personal opinion (shared by others) is that there are only two true precious gemstones in Michigan, Isle Royale Greenston (Michigan’s Official State Gemstone), and Datolite.
The Michigan Quarter allows you to see the finisned size. I was very happy with my work.
The stones being selected instigated the shapes required. Datolite, Greenstone, and Lake Superior Agates can all be polished to a glass finish, but the Firebrick required a proprietary industrial Epoxy coating. This coating protcts the Firebrick from tarnishing, and adds a glass finish like the other two stones in the pendant.
Engineering the Pendant
Each of the three major parts of the pendant “swing” individually from the others. If all three were wrapped as one piece, they become very stiff and just don’t have that pizzazz required. The pendant will move with the wearer.
The top and the bottom stones are elegantly wrapped in double 14kt gold fill, while the Firebrick is enhanced by a double gold fill Pink Gold. The pink gold brings out the Copper in the Firebrick. Who says a piece of jewelry has to be one single type of precious metal?
Happy Results
YES
Now, several hours later, the results made me smile; Bonnie approved, and this Major art work was complete. I named this pendant KEWEENAW SPLENDOR
I’m hopeful some lucky person will find this one in their stocking.
If you have followed my blogs over the years, you should have noticed many are about Isle Royale Greestones. I am amazed by orders from all over the country for cabochons, pendants, and earrings. How do these people know about these rare, one-source gemstones?
Many people have visited Isle Royale National Park, and know these stones can be found on the Island, but park regulations do not allow collecting Greenstone, as well as other specifically listed rocks and minerals. Having said this, the National Park Service policies have changed over the years in regards to picking up Greenstone. Isle Royale Greenstone have actually been protected since isle Royale National Park was estabished in April of 1940. There are individuals, even today, that harvest a few Greenstones while visiting Isle Royale. I guess my personal feeling is neutral on this subject, but they could pay a price if caught.
The Park service looked the other way, back in the day, when visitors picked up a few Greenstones on the beaches. Tiny little Greenstone, although fairly tough, were eventually ground up by the mighty Lake Superior, so why not let a few go home as mementos. The problem came with commercial Greenstone expeditions, where thousands of Greenstone were harvested by divers or “professional pickers”, and sold on the mainland for massive profit. The park service cracked down on these greedy private business collectors, and began enforcing the collecting rules that were always on the books. Today, there is a strict and enforced policy against removal of certain Gemstones and Copper from Isle Royale.
Over the years, I often have conversations with customers about old rock collections from decades ago. The collections are sometimes discovered by heirs in basements, garages, or sheds. My ears perk up at the sound of “grandpa’s old rocks”. Last year I bought an old Greenstone collection that was stored in a barn for fifty years, the rockhound that collected them was remembered by the jewelry he made, but some stones remained.
I am an obcessed person when it comes to cutting and polishing Greenstone. I try to limit myself to 100-150 of them for marathon cutting and polishing (I can oly average 4 Greenstones an hour). I’ll select the beach tumbled stones from my stash, throw them in my redneck bowl (CoolWhip), and take them to my shop to flatten the backs for Dopping. FYI; the rough Copper-Greenstone, featured in the opening blog photo, is at 12 O’clock in the bowl. I thought it was just a Thomsonite-included stone. There was no indication it had Copper in it until it was cut (with me smiling).After the backs are flattened, I push them, flat side up, into that crispy Styrofoam used for making wreaths. Sometimes I get lucky, and am able to get broken scraps.
Finishing Isle Royale Greenstones
Whenever the urge presents itself, or my inventory depletes, I decide to have a Greenstone production week. Production usually involves sorting out stones for both pendants and earrings. Earrings are generally sorted for color, size, and quality AFTER the Stones have been dopped, cut and polished, and removed from the dopsticks.
Depending on the size, pendant stones may or may not need to be dopped. Dopping involves gluing or hot waxing a stone to a wooden stick, a nail or a screw, to allow safe cutting without the skin touching the diamond imbedded wheels of the Lapidary Machine. Some bleeding is often present even though the stones are Dopped. I tell Bonnie, that a little blood on the stone improves the polish (NOT). I do heal fast. Some of my cutting and polishing of Greenstone methods I keep under wraps, but standard methods work well for most. I may continue, starting with how I remove the stones from the Dopsticks, and proceed from there.
A tiny Greenstone, from the Jeremy Graham collection, I recently wire wrapped for him. An unusual yellowish-green Island stone with Thomsonite inclusions.. Many times good things come in small packages.
Greenstone Quality
Island Stones are usually superior to Keweenaw stones in all respects. They generally harder and the pattern goes completely through the stone. The pattern most often, is a finer pattern, and often the color is a pale sage green. Because of the hardness of the Island material, Isle Royale Greenstone take a super deluxe polish. You can read more about the colors and inclusions in Greenstone in the Snob Blog article, The Shades and Patterns of Greenstone (Chlorastrolite).
Island Stones make wonderful stud earrings due to the fine pattern that is usually present. Isle Royale stones cost a little more money, but are lovely.
Another phenomena of Island stones is their color variations; some are so unusual you can have doubts that they are actually Chlorastrolite.
