There is no rhyme or reason as to why I choose certain stones to cut and wire wrap. The recent selections were chosen simply because I was captivated by them. They were all somewhat unusual, but all spoke to me.
Gorgeous Black and White Dinosaur Bone, that I found deep in a bucket of random rocks.
My wife was in my shop last week, and discovered several slabs of various stones that she liked. I incorporated several of these in my recent creations. Bonnie will often put Gemstones in a dish and put a note in that dish that will say “Bonnie likes these”.
Natural Spiderweb Kingman Turquoise. When you cut Turquoise and do not smell the odor of any stabilizer, it’s a good thing.This was the most appealing Turkish Agate I’ve ever cut.Eyed Prehnite from the Keweenaw. It’s no wonder that Prehnite, like this, fooled many people into thinking that it was Thomsonite. In fact it is still referred to locally as “UP Thomsonite”.I was struck by the unusual mustard coloration of this piece of Dinosaur Bone. And ketchup too!I describe this Lake Superior Agate as a Candy Striped Banded Floater. It’s way more cool in person–it has a lot going on!Laker Superior Agates are really a surprise sometimes. This one is like a mixed-up soup containing many ingredients.An absolutely gorgeous Kentucky Agate sporting classic colors for the species. Usually a color dominates; this is especially nice with almost equal areas of yellow, red and black.
This has been a busy spring in my shop. I really haven’t had much time to take pictures, write blogs, or the normal things I do upon returning from suffering the winter in Florida. I suffered a mild heart attack in Florida, but I’m gearing up more every day.
None of these pendants have been put on our websites or in our show inventory. If you are interested any of the pendants in this blog, let us know.
I’ve learned that Michipicoten agates are sometimes difficult to polish. They seem to be somewhat of a “peeler” agate, prone to flaking. They sometimes look really nice shaped and polished! This one is Opaque, but not all are.The back is as striking as the front!
Michipicoten Island in Lake Superior is the 6th largest Island in the Great Lakes, way out west of WaWa (Now you’re asking where the heck is Wawa?) Ontario. Travellers tip: Visit Wawa and see the giant Canadian Goose. OK, break out your Canada map. I have a feeling by the time I’m done typing this blog, I’ll be sick and tired of typing “Michipicoten”. I think Michipicoten is an old Indian name meaning “fairly remote place with no satellite TVs”. . My middle name is “Sarcasm”, so the winter residents of Michipecoten Island (Mostly Reindeer, and the wolves that eat them) must forgive me in advance for anything I say in this blog; also I tend to make stuff up, or factiously write things. Since I have never been to Michipecoten Island, I have to use the Internet for research. I always trust the Internet to be honest…NOT!
The word Michipicoten is an Anglicization of the original Ojibwe word Mishipikwadina, meaning “big bluffs” in Ojibwe, and is a reference to the geography of the nearby Michipicoten River.
Try as I may, I just can’t work the word “Michipicoten” into my daily vocabulary. I’d like to, just because it is so much fun to say. Even though Michipicoten Island is the second largest Island within the Great Lakes, it’s a wild and remote place. I understand that there is a healthy population of Woodland Caribou (introduced to Michipicoten Island in 1980); and Beavers seem to be thriving there. I believe that the Duluth Trading Company’s Logo Beaver may have come from there. Santa’s vacation home is located there also.
I’ve never been to Michipicoten Island, and may never go there. No, let’s get real; I will NEVER visit Michipicoten Island. I live vicariously through Agates I have purchased from a friend in Sault St. Marie, Canada. I now occasionally find one of these Michipicoten Agates in the barn, and make jewelry from it.
An example of Carrot Agate from Michipicoten Island.
Michipicoten Agates tend to be either oval shaped or ‘Carrot shaped”; like stalactites. These are shockingly refered to as “Carrot Agates”. Most of these carrots I have are pretty much Quartz Crystal, while a few are pretty nice agates, and can be sliced like bread. Agates on Michipicoten Island are very common in the local bedrock, but they are just for looking at, and are illegal to collect.
The inside of a Michipicoten Agate can be Common Quartz or beautiful agate.
Michipicoten Island became a Provincial Park in 1985. A Provincial Park, in Canada, is like National Park in America. Provincial Parks are protected areas, and like our National Parks, any “Natural Objects” cannot be removed. Michipicoten Agates, I’ve learned, are classified as “Natural Objects”.
You could book a hotel room on Michipicoten Island, except there are no Hotels. I could take our RV, except there is no RV Campground, 40 mile long bridge, or ferry. There are a few privately owned camps and cabins, that have grandfathered in, or you could simply take a boat to the Island, and camp on the beach. Not my cup of tea. We don’t tent camp anymore, and “Rough camping”, for us, is the satellite Antenna is not working on the RV. I hate it when a tree is in the way of the Dish. My understanding is that Kayaking is a popular Island activity (there are tour companies that sponsor Kayak tours to Michipicoten Island), as well as enjoying the Black Flies that live there. Actually Kayaking around Michipicoten island is on many Kayaker’s bucket lists (Sea Kayaks recommended). I use the word “around” as circumnavigating this Island.
I checked Tripadvisor for lodging and food on Michipicoten Island. Nothing available. I guess you have to book years in advance.
My wife and editor suggests that I keep on the subject; That being Michipicoten Agates.
OK, I enjoy all Lake Superior Agates, but I especially like unusual and rare types. Michipicoten Agates fall into that group. Unless I’m 100% sure a Laker is from Michipicoten Island, I do not refer to it as such. The few Michipicoten Agates I possess, or the jewelry I make from Michipicoten Agates, is guaranteed to be from Michipicoten Island, and was removed from this island decades ago.
I’m sure, if Michipicoten Island was not so remote, more agates would be available. I covet the few I have, and will continue to make some jewelry available in the future. By the way I am tired of typing Michipicoten.
Footnote: No agate jewelry can be delivered to Michipicoten Island. The closest thing to a post office is a lighthouse. Agates, as mentioned before, cannot be removed from Michipicoten Island. My wife (Bonnie) strives for a certain number of steps on her FitBit each day. Why can’t I strive for typing “Michipicoten” a couple dozen times? My editor (Bonnie) later suggested I spell Michipicoten Island correctly one time, then copy and paste it wherever I needed it. Hits self in head; Why did I not think of this? Possible answers: 1. It’s 3am 2. I’ve had no coffee 3. I should not risk awakening my Editor.
Coming out of Warp Drive inside a Laker. I just might get a poster made of this. “These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise”…..you know the rest.
I cut and polished this odd Tube Agate and had a vision of the Starship Enterprise coming out of warp drive and finding they had actually warped right into this agate. Only an old Trekker, like myself, would think this. How WOULD that look exactly? How would Kirk or Picard escape from this dilemma? I’ve never been known to think like others, I admit, but if this shows up on the IMAX screen, I WILL claim credit.
A Very Special Lake Superior Agate.
You might suspect, based on how many blogs I’ve written on Isle Royale Greenstones, that they are my favorite rock or mineral from the Great Lakes Region. I do indeed love Greenstones, but those that know me also know that Lake Superior Agates are really my favorite stones. The more unusual the Laker, the better I like it. This blog is the story of one particular Laker. Other than playing with lighting, I have not enhanced this agate in any way. What you see in the pictures is as close as I can come to what I see.
A Citrine, banded, tube Laker salted with micro Quartz Crystals. How many of these have I seen? Answer: None.
When I first view a rough Lake Superior Agate I always wonder what does the inside of this agate look like? In many cases I can take an educated guess based on the thousands I’ve seen, but in many cases it becomes a mystery, and I cannot wait to slice that agate open.
I obtain my Lake Superior Agates in many ways; find them, trade for them, or buy them. These Lakers may come from swap meets or rock show, but most of my best agates come from trusted dealers. I make jewelry from my stones, and I do not apologize to my Purist collector friends that just collect them to perhaps oil them and put them on display shelves. I have no issue with simply collecting Lake Superior Agates, but to me, they are beautiful and deserve to be shown off.
The full banding, crystal, and tubes appear here.Clearly the tubes are seen. Don’t they look like balloons?
I would never make jewelry from a large, super quality Laker, one that is clearly a true collector agate. I try to obtain fracture-free Lakers of smaller sizes, rare colors, patterns, and types. Classic Candy Stripers are always in demand for jewelry.
In Tucson, several years’ back, I bought a quantity of medium sized “Buckers”. This is a term Laker collectors give to pocket-sized Lakers, neither large nor small. I like the size of Buckers for jewelry. I can slice them on an 8” saw, and quickly see if there is a piece of jewelry hiding inside.
Micro Quartz crystals are seen here. This is the best I can do lacking a camera-microscope.
This Laker is just loaded with floating Quartz Crystals that sparkle as you move the agate under bright lights. I’ve never seen anything like it. Some of these tiny, clear quartz crystals are double terminated and resemble Herkimer Diamonds. I wish I could show you in person because I can’t do justice even in a close up to this inclusion rich agate. I do not have the capability or microscopic photography, but I was able to confirm the Quartz Crystals by using a Corbascope.
What a surprise when I plucked an agate from the bucket full of Lakers I purchased in Tucson. It was a very unusual yellow and orange coloration, it was not the normal banded beauty. As I cut this agate recently, I found that is was a Tube Agate, with some banding. But, to me, it looked like a Lava Lamp (they were a big thing back in the 60’s). I could watch a Lava Lamp for hours and globs of an unknown substance rose and fell within the globe. I never imagined 50 years later I would find a Laker Lava Lamp.
A Lake Superior Agate Lava Lamp. The Lava Lamp is the name I call this Laker.
Usually my blogs involve several specimens, but this Laker deserved a blog of its’ own. Hope you enjoyed your voyage with me today. Continue the journey by picking your favorite on our Lake Superior Agate Jewelry page.
You might have noticed the new look in our blog. This is part of a major update we recently had done by our web people. Please let me know if youlike the changes. We (Snob Appeal Jewelry) apologize for the disruption of our website as changes were made. If you have any problems at all with our new systems, PLEASE, let us know, so we can correct things.
View from the Copper Harbor Lookout on Brockway Mountain Drive. Mid 1930’s
History is not really my favorite subject, I am more of a rock guy. I will tell you about hunting for Brockway Mountain agates, but first I will show you some historic pictures of the area.
I married into a family of historians. Bonnie’s parents collected many things, including postcards from 1930 through 1960. While she was looking through their old cards she discovered several that depict the Keweenaw when it looked a bit different. Some pictures from 1935 of Brockway Mountain were especially interesting, considering what it looks like 80 years later. I enjoyed looking back and comparing it with the area as it is today.
View from the Copper Harbor Lookout today. Really it is surprisingly similar to the earlier pictures. How many other areas as beautiful as this are not cluttered with huge mansions and gated communities or condos?
From the 1950’s, This sign welcomed people to the Keweenaw. The “Copper Country Vacationist League’ was the forrunner to the Keweenaw Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Mid 1930’s. The trees are bigger today. You can see the top of Brockway Mountain in the distance.
From the mid-1930s, shortly after Brockway Mountain Drive was completed, you could see Lake Fanny Hooe on the right and Copper Harbor on the left. The trees frame this view today.
Thanks to the persistence of many folks, the mountain was saved from private development and access was retained for the public. What a loss that would have been!
Making jewelry on the mountain top while waiting for the sunset.
I made this Firebrick Beauty on the mountain
The sunsets from the top of Brockway Mountain have to be some of the most spectacular sunsets on earth.
I shared my secret hole with a couple of my best rockhounding buddies. Chris Cooper and I.
You finding anything in that hole Gary (Gary Katt)?
Looking for agate seams
During the constuction of Brockway Mountain Drive, many large egg-shaped agates were found. The inside of these were pretty much colorless Quartz. Very few had any banding except near the crust. I had one in my collection, did not know what it was, cut it and found the Quartz. In recent years I did some digging in the hard rock, opened a hole that has been very productive. You can see this in the videos.
Close up of an agate seam in matrix
A nice nodule collected
Don’t these Keweenaw agates look nice when they are washed?
State law limits collecting to 25 pounds per year now. When this was collected no limit was in place.
THE FOLLOWING MOVIES ARE REAL; AS THEY HAPPENED; WITH NO CAMERA TRICKS OR EDITING. ENJOY!! I just thought they’d be more exciting with disclaimers.
Today, further down the Mountain, some nice Seam Agate can be found. This agate is referred to as Keweenaw Agate, Ledge Agate, or Brockway Mountain Agate. This Lake Superior Agate is often opaque and peachy colored, but some have nice banding. Many diggers, including me, have secret glory holes on Brockway. I have told a few rockhounds I trust to keep a secret and hope they find good Brockway Mountain Agates.
A prime example of Keweenaw Agate, also called Ledge Agate.
Opaque Ledge Agate from Brockway Mountain.
As you can see from my pictures and videos I love the Keweenaw and the gemstones that come from that area. If you like these stones, I invite you to purchase our pendants either as gifts or for yourself. They are great reminders of Brockway Mountain, Copper Harbor, Eagle Harbor, and other copper mining areas. Visit our selections of Lake Superior Agate jewelry, Michigan and Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry, Firebrick, Mohawkite, Prehnite, Datolite,Thomsonite today.
These Lakers were some I picked that day in Wisconsin.
Over the years Bonnie and I have had many rockhounding adventures. Some stand out above the rest. This month I would like to tell you the story of our best Lake Superior Agate Hunt Ever; a hunt both amazing and unexpected.
From the name of the agate, people might expect to find Lake Superior Agates only on the beaches of Lake Superior. However, Lakers (as we fondly call them) are found in a broad streak starting at Lake Superior and spreading to the southwest over several states.
Nothing better than a small stash of slices begging to be cabbed.
We were driving through Wisconsin, enroute to Minnesota, perhaps 20 years ago and noticed just outside Turtle Lake, Wisconsin, a road widening project, very extensive, with lots of land being moved with heavy equipment in preparation for a new four lane road. I mentioned to Bonnie that I thought we were in Lake Superior Agate area, but due to all the heavy equipment moving about, I never had a second thought about it UNTIL we saw a flea market just down the road.
I saw a large sign on one of the tents as we went by that said AGATES, so of course we stopped. I hit it off with the dealer, and he and I bonded over our love for Lake Superior Agates. He mentioned he had a friend that lived nearby and loved to show off his agate collection. He called the elderly gentleman (we surmised he was in his 90s), and subsequently we were invited over to his house to see his agate collection.
Unusual coloration and shadow
A wild guy in a wild Laker
We knew we were in the right location as we drove up the driveway and saw a full-sized petrified wood log among many other large rocks laying in the yard.
Unfortunately it has been so long that I do not remember the old guys name, so we call him George. We were welcomed into his house and noticed he had agates everywhere. Beside the four china cabinets filled with Lake Superior Agates, he had agate tables, agate lamps, agate counters, agate covered boxes, agate slices in the window, agates of all sizes; everything Lake Superior Agate–jaw dropping! George hinted that we had not seen anything, and should go look in his basement. He was in a wheelchair and couldn’t go down with us, but our excitement level was already elevated. The basement was another stony story. The walls were lined with shelves holding large Lakers of every sort, plus various other rocks collected from many locales.
Would you sell any of these? is a question any rock lover would ask when confronted with agates so amazing and abundant. His reply was to the negative. I accepted this, but wondered why George would not want sell a few. He clearly had health issues and none of us are going to live forever!
The final discussion involved hunting Lakers. I just love picking the old rockhounds brain. I ask him if he would go looking in the area for Lakers where would he look. He responded: Sonny, I’d look out in that road construction zone.
Ok Bonnie, I am going agate hunting. We rented a motel room nearby, waited until 5pm, and headed out to the construction area. I recall Bonnie opted to stay at the Motel. I found a safe place to park, briefly wondered if we were doing anything illegal. As the cars whizzed by on the old road, we hunted the newly smoothed landscape. I noticed a pile of gravel filled with rocks; and guess what–many of them were Lake Superior Agates. I filled almost a five gallon bucket and found at least a dozen fist sized or better, over a pound each. I actually felt guilty, and wondered where other rockhounds were; why am I the only person hunting here? The rock hunt took perhaps an hour or two to fill the bucket. I like to imagine what we would have gotten if it had been raining!
I think if old George had been able, he would have been there also. I often wonder what happened to him and his agate collection. I will never forget this amazing hunt. I think I still have some of the Lakers we found that day, but they are all mixed with other Laker Buckets.
Every Rockhound has stories like this. Sometime I will tell you about the deluge rain storm in the Keweenaw when Greenstones were actually flowing in little streams down the banks of a mine waste pile. A story for another day,
Bonnie has a good hole dug, and is looking for little green nodules that may be Copper Agates.
I’m not too far away in my own hole.
After 20 years of searching the mine spoil piles in the Keweenaw, with great success, I have to admit one of my biggest blunders. I used to dig large holes in the what was left of the C&H pile, near Calumet, with my buddy Bill, looking for Datolites. At that time, if I came across a piece of copper while Datolite digging, I would keep it, but I would also find other Chlorite covered nodules, that we would call copper balls and just heave them out of the hole.
You would never believe whats may be inside these nodules.
Here’s the suprise.
Today these Chlorite covered nodules are coveted by collectors around the world. You guessed it–Many of these nodules we threw away were Copper Banded (Infused) Agates. Nobody knew at that time that these things would end up being valuable gemstones. Later I learned that my friend, the late John Perona and his brother knew about these agates for many years. Today, we also know that these special agates are found nowhere else in the world except in the Kearsarge Lode. The Powebic Lode to the South where the Quincy, Mesnard, and Franklin Mines resided, have not produced Copper Agates. You do not see Copper Agates in the rocks of the Fissure and Stratiform Deposits to the North either; so the Kearsarge Lode of the Calumet Conglomerate is very unique indeed.
Careful cutting is involved with these Copper Agates.
It’s been so many years that I forgot where my hole was, and the area has been tilled up a few times, so all those agates I threw out; who knows where they are. I actually looked for my old hole last time I was in the area. I clearly forgot where it was.
A diligent and alert Rockhound can still find Copper Agates in the Kearsarge Lode if they are willing to put in some work excavating and carefully observing the pieces of spoil rock that might contain nodules that read “hot” with a pinpoint metal detector. I enjoy sitting down and digging, especially in late August, after Black Fly season. It’s even better if it’s raining. These little balls of glory stand out a whole lot better in the rain. the usual scenario is you see a rock of rubble with nodules in it and try to extract them with tools.
How these agates formed is debatable, but the theory that makes the most sense is suggested by the Lynch brothers in their fine book Agates of Lake Superior. You’ll have to read the book to see what they say about Copper Infused Agates. I prefer that term over Copper Replacement Agates, but most of the time I just refer to them as “Copper Agates“.
My last trip involved some very successful Greenstone digging, but no Copper Agate hunting. I only had limited rock hunting time this trip, so I had to chose between Greenstones or Copper Agates.
Copper Agates are rarely really large, but some real sizable. Fully banded beauties, are sometimes found as large as a half dollar. I’m happy to find a dime sized one, but like Greenstones, a big hunker is very welcome, and always elicits a “WHOOP!”.
Here are most of those Cabochons from above turned into jewelry. All these are for sale at: www.snobappealjewelry.com
I do have miner friends in the area that usually have some Copper Agates for sale, so I always buy a few. I purchase these agates with the question; Can I make these better? If I believe that I can, I will take them home for a re-work before making jewelry. Most often Copper Agates are cut in half and sold as a pair, but often I take a pair and grind the rind off the outside where better banding may appear (or may not). Often, the odd shapes of these nodules do not allow working the outside rind, due to all the gaps and dips in the stones, so these I either work with what the slice has produced or just sell or trade these for specimens. Most Copper Agates are bought as specimens and not so much for jewelry.
The Kearsage Lode also produces small pastel, banded agates that have little of no copper in them, but are very fine; we refer to these as “mine agates”. When found these are also Chlorite covered, just as are the Copper Banded Agates. I take everything and sort them by removing the crust in my home shop.
I work Copper Agates using my soft wheels only with loads of water to keep them cool and, for proper lubrication, an additive is added to the water when cutting. Special grinding techniques are used also. I generally treat these Copper Infused Agates with a coating to make them tarnish resistant, rather than polishing them. The coating I use is one of my trade secrets.
I sell Copper Agate pendants on line, at art shows and within a mile of where I find them, at Copper World, in Calumet. The jewelry I make from these rare agates is spectacular, simply because the Copper Agates are spectacular. It seems as though Copper Banded Agates are becoming very popular as of late. I have a good selection now, and you should remember, the closer to Christmas, the more your choice narrows.
I hope you have sensed my frustration at having tossed out hundreds of Copper Agates. I’ve got to work on my memory, because if I get it back, I’ll be INFUSED with Copper Infused Agates.
In my quest to have jewelry that no one else has, I’ve created a line of multi-stone Pendants. My first ones were scarfed right up by discriminating buyers that wanted something no one else has.
These pendants are all comprised of two or three individual parts tied together by hinges or eyes so they can all move individually. This is such a complicated procedure, it may take up to ten hours to make a pendant (I suppose if it were easy, everyone would do it). I use a multitude of precious metal wires: 14/20 rolled gold gold, Pink Gold, and Argentium Sterling, often in multi-colors.
In this blog, I’ve taken a few Triple Threat Lakers and broke them down to show you why I like the varieties of Lakers. Although the Dinosaur Bone pendant pictured is nice, all three pieces are cut from the same stone, whereas in the Lakers I wanted to mix varieties.
This transparent Gembone gave me the idea for my Triple Threat Laker Pendants.
Movement is important to me in these multi-Stone Triples.
In the past I have created some multi-stone pendants, but the Lake Superior Agate ones I recently finished, are in a class of their own. I mixed metals as well as different types of Lake Superior Agates for each one. Even though many feet of precious metal wire is used, it is used in my usual classical style; neat, precise, and elegant, yet not used in a way that takes way from the inherent beauty of the Lakers
This made the perfect Mother’s Day Gift for a great mother (and wife).
Great “Shadow” effect in this one; very deep.
A beauty; Mauve, banded, perfect!
Red and White Paint Agate.
Unusual Tube Agate
Gorgeous Candy Striped pastel Fortification
Paint Agate with Water Level (Gravitationally Banded)
The Lake Superior Agate is the Minnesota State Gem. Incorporating some of the different varieties of agate colors and patterns, (paint, tube, candy striper, fortification) you see here why this is such a prized stone throughout the Great Lakes region.
As you can see, the construction process began with finding wonderful agates and winnowing them down to three special pieces that go well together. Skillful cabochon cutting and careful jewelry design are the next steps. The spacing and careful blending of shapes requires patient and masterful wire wrapping. Creative work requires time to think through and create each pendant. The work is so meticulous, I need many breaks, thinking through the next steps, how the pieces will connect. Lake Superior Agates are my favorites and this jewelry has become my new way to showcase them. I have also enjoyed wearing them and talking with people about these multi-stone agate pendants.
A lot going on with this Floater
A Floater with floating banding. A special featutreat the banding shows the the bands actually are red Quartz Phantoms
The Diamond Pacific Titan is big and bold. The Pixie (on top) that I take in my RV is a dwarf compared to its “daddy.”
People who have seen my shop will agree that it is pretty well equipped. I was able to cut and polish about any rock, but two things I was not able to do was cut and polish big Petoskey Stone.. I’ve solved this issue with a new machine I found in Tucson.
I own three cabochon machines; the Popular, six wheeled, Diamond Pacific Genie, a seven wheeled Diamond Pacific X-pert, and a Pixie. These machines have limits as to how big a stone you can polish. It has always been difficult to polish that large Petoskey Stone due to the wheels on these machines being close together. The six inch wheels on these machines have their limitations also (the pixie has 4″ wheels).
My dream machine has always been Diamond Pacific’s monster machine, the Titan. It has 8″ wheels, a 3/4 HP motor (Compaired to 6″ wheels and 1/4 HP for the aforementioned machines). Those large Petoskey Stones are no longer out of reach with my Titan. The story of the Titan’s acquisition is interesting.
With credit card in pocket, on the first day of the Tucson Gem Shows, we headed out to the Kino Sports Complex, where Diamond Pacific has their display and sales. But first, we decided to stop in and have a look at the 22nd Street Show.
While having a preliminary look around the show, Bonnie and I separate. Different things interest her than me, so the usual procedure is to set a back and forth pattern so we have some idea where each other may be. The 22nd street show tent is about 1/8 mile from end to end, so things can be missed. Bonnie caught up to me near the end of my 1/2 mile walk (back and forth four times). She ask if I saw the display that a couple had that were going out of the rock business. She said they had some rocks they were clearing out. ROCKS? I’m there.
Upon arrival at this booth I missed, I noticed many 8″ grinding wheels. What takes 8″ wheels? Correct, the Titan. I also noticed a small sign for a used Titan for sale. The elderly gentleman was a Diamind Pacific Dealer, and due to health reasons, was getting out of the rock business. It didn’t take me long to strike a deal after looking at his machine out in his SUV. Since these machines are almost indestructible, a used one is usually as good as a new one, except new wheels are sometimes needed. Since he had new grinding wheels, I bought a new set.
The Titan is a monster 16″ wide, 42″ long, weighing in excess of 130#. We had to come back the next day and pick it up, after clearing the back of our Tracker. The machine fit in the tracker with less than an inch on either side. Fortunately our daughter lives in Tucson and kindly loaned us a space in the garage for storage. Happy me! The Titan rode back to Michigan in the back of the towed Tracker.
Let’s see how long it takes to polish up this Petoskey.
I haven’t had this too long, but thus far it’s been great.
It’s coming!
The soft wheels really get the scratches out.
Now to the polish.
The lights in the shop really make the colors odd, but in the studio lighting the true colors and patterns appear.
The Titan, as mentioned, is capable of polishing those larger Petoskey Stones. I set the machine up and tested its mettle by polishing a 4″ X 5″ Petoskey stone. I show you the grinding procedure that took about a third of the time as the Genie; really amazing.
First cabs cut on the Titan
I also took some Lakers from rough to cabochons to test the Titan on smaller projects. I thought “why did I wait so long to get one of these?” Everything is so much easier and faster with better results. Now the possibilities have expanded. I eagerly look forward to going to “work” each day.
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
Some things found inside a crystal Laker are really amazing!
A classic “Floater”.
Lovely little Island.
A Big, Bold, red “Floater” on a crystal lake.
Dark Smoky Quartz Lakers. These will be fun.
I love Lake Superior Agates that are on the unusual side. Many of my agate jewelry pieces are made from agates other than the banded fortification variety. I love tube agates, moss agates, sagenite agates, painted–you know really I like all Lake Superior Agates. The Candy Stripers with their beautiful reds and whites are well liked. I also like “Floaters”, those banded Lake Superior Agates that float in a sea of crystal. A special variety I have really enjoyed working with are the banded Lake Superior Agates that surround amethyst crystal pockets. When that crystal happens to be amethyst–wow! I am always in search of amethyst floaters, but finding one makes me really excited. I want to cut, polish and wrap that agate right now!
This is the end cut of Janet’s “Garden Rock”
Amazing Crystally Lakers
Janets “Garden Rock” is a spectacular and amazing Laker.
Last summer we were vendors at the Agate Expo 2016 in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. We had previously participated at the Celebration of Agates and the Wonderful World of Agates which had been held in some prior years. In each of these shows we have always been next to Scott Wolter’s booth, and have joked and chatted with Scott and Janet at these events, as neighbors do. I was talking with Janet about my love for amethyst floaters and I asked her if she would be my eyes and try to find some for me at the Moose Lake agate event. Janet took this as a challenge and told me later that she had fun looking for them. She sent me a box and included a few Lake Superior Agates from her garden. I cut some of these that she sent including one of those garden rocks. What I found inside this crystal beauty was extraordinary, as you can see by the picture. I named it Orange Mountain, but nicknamed it Janet’s Garden Rock.
I sent her a picture of her rock after it became a pendant. From Janet: “Yes, I did give Scott a big hint that it would be a perfect gift me for Christmas. A very big hint! And as any smart husband knows, happy wife, happy life! I think Scott is just pleased as punch that one of his “cast off” agates he tossed in our rock garden, became a big hit with me.” Scott bought the pendant and it became a Christmas present for Janet. I was told Scott had a big grin on his face as he presented it to Janet, and her ordinary garden rock is now a piece she can wear and treasure.
Tubes and Amethyst? The possibilities are amazing. This is a larger Laker, so lots of jewelry if it’s a good one.
Citrine in a Laker is quite stunning.
An Amethyst/Quartz pocket inside of a Lake Superior Agate.
My retail outlet Copper World sold one of these one day. I was doing demos there and in 4 days 4 pendants made from adjacent slabs were sold.
Gorgeous; what more can be said?
No clue as to what awaits inside this one. That’s the fun of it, isn’t it?
Since the Agate Expo I have been able to locate some further Lake Superior Agates that show a lot of promise. I look forward to exposing the insides of these stones and I have taken some pictures so you can also predict what the inside will look like. Some of the Lake Superior Agates I have indicate Smokey Quartz instead of amethyst or clear quartz. I am also intrigued to see what they will look like. During this coming year, watch for some unusual crystal Lake Superior Agates turned into pendants at Snob Appeal Jewelry. Be sure to follow us on Facebook for the latest posts. And if you see Janet Wolter, ask her to show you her “Garden Rock”.
