Unless I have a specific Lapidary Project, things are pretty random regarding what rocks, Mnerals, or Fossils I make jewelry from. Heres some new things you’ve not seen.
Crinoid’s are interesting animals; many times people think they are some prehistoric Plant. Crinoids are marine animals that make up the class Crinoidea, one of the classes of the phylum Echinodermata, which also includes the starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins and sea cucumbers. Sea Lilies are still around today, and are related to Crinoids from the Devonian Period.
How do I know you’ve not seen this jewelry? It involved my camera not working, Logically if my camera is broken, I cannot take jewelry pictures. It’s reasonable to presume that by not having any pictures of some new work, it would be impossible for you to see it.
A different camera was the ticket to taking some new pictures. This array of jewelry pictures shows what I go through. I see something that attracts me; it can be any stone at any time. In the middle of the night (often) an inspiration overtakes my brain, and I pop out of bed to make a new piece of jewelry. Here are a few recent art pieces.
Sometimes my wife, Bonnie, goes searching around our buckets, boxes, and bins. She often finds amazing things from back in the day. If she finds something rare and amazing, she’ll bring it into my shop. “Bonnie Treasures” are often cut and polished right away.
Top right clockwise: Lake Superior Agate, Copper Nugget with Chlorite, Quincy Datolite with Copper inclusions, Megalodon Tooth, and Delaware Datolite with copper inclusions,
Other times I go in search of things near my Genie (Lapidary machine). I often pile much things up around that machine and others, then forget I left it there. Searching though these near materials in also often rewarding.
As a celebration of Valentines day, I want to introduce you to a longtime couple (Mark & Mildred Trilobite), celebrating 537 Million years together. That’s a true Love Connection! They became a couple in the Cambrian Seas, near what is now known as Delta, Utah.
True Love
It was not love at first site, but eventually a close bond was formed; a very strong bond indeed; a bond not broken until mid 2015, when these lovebirds were extracted from a fossil pit on a hot desert day. They were given a bath and a quick cleanup, then carried to Tucson, Arizona, where I discovered them in a hotel room, at a fossil show, still cuddling.
The pair were not quite a heart-shape, but close enough for a bond of this strength.
As I wire wrapped this stunning Trilobite couple, tears formed in my eyes thinking about how they were together in life and death; a true love story.
My wife said this was such a great true love story I had to share it.
Here are a few other Trilobites for you to enjoy.
Single Utah Trilobites can be very special, large and flaw free. Most still have their “cheeks”, making them better than most Trilobite fossils I see. Most Trilobites were smaller, like this one, but I have seen them over 16″ tall. This one is Elrathia Kingi, one of most common Trilobites from Delta, Utah. A lovely Family group.A nice little family of Trilobites from UtahSometimes people will ask “Are these actually real? To prove that they are I usually just show them the backs.
You can visit Mark & Mildred as well as other Trilo family members on our Trilobite page. You may see some other unusual love couples there.
The rocky coastline of Maine, near Pemaquid Point, delivered nostalgic rock fragments.This small cove in Maine has meant a lot to Jeff and his family for over 70 years.
I love making nostalgic jewelry for people. It really doesn’t matter whether plain or fancy. The value is in the memories that a particular stone brings back. “I found this with grandpa when I was a child”; We found this in a special place or on a special vacation. The value is really in the memories.
Jeff P somehow found me on line, and recognized that I love making custom nostalgic jewelry for people. Some back and forth E-mails followed and I subsequently was mailed a small piece of Quartzite in the mail while wintering in Florida.
A small piece of Quartz was the beginning of Jeff’s vision.Butterflied and precisely fit back together. After careful cutting I was able to cut a perfect triangle.
It was evident that in order to make anything substantial, I needed to “butterfly” that stone and glue it back together. Jeff’s vision was a very simple triangle shape; silversmith.
Since I was within a few weeks of heading back north to Michigan, I suggested that the project be delayed until I could use my Intarsia Machine in my home shop. An Intarsia machine allows for very precise fitting of stone components together.
Ken silversmith A perfect, simple, Sterling mount to accept the stone I cut.
After fitting the butterflied stone back together, and precisely cutting the triangle, I turned the piece over to my buddy Ken. Ken is a master silversmith, and created a simple mounting for the stone.
The finished product.
Jeff was delighted with the results and mentioned that his son had another piece of the same rock. This was a much smaller piece and I was given a more free rein with the second stone. I made it look as if the Quartz actually was part of the Fossilized Coral.
Since Jeff and his son have ties to Florida, and specifically the Tampa Bay area, I decided to place the second Quartz stone into a lovely botryoidal orange cabochon I cut from Tampa Bay Coral. Thanks for the free rein to make this one, Jeff.
I really appreciate JP writing the following. Thanks for the opportunity that allowed me (and Ken) to make your long-time vision come to fruition. I know how much this means to you.
“A quick story of origin about a couple rock fragments that come from a large quartzite boulder at the far edge of a small cove in Pemaquid Point, ME that has been frequented by my family for more than 70 years. Many generations of relatives (to include my own) both know and love this special place and describing it alone brings back a slew of incredible memories. Early one morning on the last day of a recent family visit my son went down to the cove in the early morning hours on a mission. While the tide was still up and after scaling another rock he managed to hack two small pieces of it off as souvenirs. It was dangerous proposition at the time considering the waves crashing against the rocks, the high tide, and the fact that he was alone. I was so touched by the thoughtfulness of this act that I embarked on my own quest of creating something unique from his original gift. With the help of Don Reed’s superb skills and artistry my vision of transforming these small shards from a special place into the precious keepsakes you see displayed here was realized. Thank you Snob Appeal Jewelry!”
Some stones confuse or surprise rockhounds by looking different from the norm. For April Fool’s, let’s take a look at some of these Rock Foolers!
Fluorescent Sodalite Granite Pendant from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. This stone has many names, Filrefly Granite (my own name), or YooperStones, found by Johnny Gladstone. It is a fine grain granite found on the shores or near Lake Superior when hunted with UV lights at night. It is typical granite in the daylight, but….but under UV lighting, this granite sports amazing bright yellows and oranges.
If you have ever attended the Tuscon Gem Shows you know how massive they are. 50 some shows with hundreds of dealers at each. Anyone experienced at Tucson knows that many times the same stones are sold by different dealers, but have different names. This is done for marketing purposes and fools many unwary buyers. Blue Pectolite, for example is sold as Larimar. A picture jasper might be sold under three different names even though it is the same thing.
Cold Mountain Thunderegg is surprisingly like Butterfly Jasper
Sometimes these deceptions are intentional, but sometimes a dealer might not know or remember what it is, and randomly gives it a name. You can be fooled at the shows! I have also benefited from dealers not knowing what they have. One time in a major dealer show in Tucson, I purchased an amazing Black & Red Kentucky Agate because a facetted gen dealer did not know what she had.
In my own barn I have come across material that has fooled me into thinking it was something else. In this blog I show you a few surprising variations, that might fool us into thinking it is something other than what it really is!
In my business, I won’t sell something that I’m not sure what it is. Sometimes it takes a lot of research to discover the identity of a stone.
I know that turquoise is somewhere in the turquoise range. Sometimes people say they have white turquoise, but there is no such thing. There is white buffalo which is sometimes sold as Turquoise.
Petrified Wood from Holbrook, AZ, just outside the Petrified National Park. Here it is dressed in rainbow colors with no indication of the normal patterns associated with Petrified Wood.Another fooler is Picture Petrified Wood from Holbrook AZ.Thought for the day….Just Sayin!The common Rhodochrosite is basically pink, or even brown. Rhodochrosite color varies from brown to brightr pink. This piece has yellow bands alternating with pink Rhodochrosite.Michigan’s State Stone is the Petoskey stone. Ocassionally we find Petoskey Stones that are very unusual and might not be readily identified as our statre stone. This stone has a crushed pattern with unusual blue mottling….This close up clearly shows the Hexagonaria patterns. It takes a close examination to determine the true identity of this April Fooler!
Snob Appeal Jewelry has made many people happy this holiday season. Santa was busy delivering gifts, made by us, throughout the Land.
Two Christmas gift pendants stood out from the crowd. The first was made for the Jewelry Makers Wife (Bonnie). The idea formed while cutting a piece of Fairburn Agate from Teepee Canyon, South Dakota. This was old stock, containing yellows and reds.
Although Bonnie has a fantastic jewelry collection, there are not many yellow gemstones in it. I cut the Teepee into a Teepee shape. I had a very fine piece of Citrine nearby and formulated an idea. This whisper of an idea all formed around May. Now that’s thinking of Christmas early!
Cutting and polishing was no problem. The problems were keeping the stones safe and secret for the better part of a year, AND remembering where they were while secreting them from Bonnie. Still, there was one more component the pendant needed. I developed a ploy to enhance the proposed pendant with facetted Gemstones, and initially made this piece while she was gone to a Garden Club Meeting.
The “Gem Strip” as I called it contained an Imperial Topaz, flanked by a pair of Peridot’. I put all three components in a little zip-lock envelope and hid them in the RV, in a sock drawer. I knew I’d re-find them. I did pretty much forget them until we Snowbirded to Florida, and I looked for socks.
I was inundated with custom orders before Christmas and finished them all up a couple weeks before Christmas. it took another week, off and on. to finish the pendant. The finished pendant was one of my best, fitting for a Jewelry Makers’ Wife. She was very happy when I gave it to her on Christmas Eve.
The second Pendant I Custom made for one of best buddies’ wife. Andy sometimes helps me with minor RV repair issues. He installed a Wi-Fi extender unit and said “I don’t want money. I need you to make something for Whitney” (his bride). “She loves Turtles, and Greenstones”. Almost instantaneously an idea formed.
I cut a turtle-shaped piece of Petoskey Stone for the body. I always have a good supply of Isle Royale Greenstones and I picked out four matching legs, a tail shaped Greenstone, and I saw I had another Greenstone shaped like a Snapping Turtle’s head; PERFECT!
The challenge was attaching the appendages to the turtle so they would not get knocked off while wearing the pendant. This was solved by cutting a thin Jade backer. Jade has the ability to be cut almost paper thin, yet still maintain strength. My diamond bandsaw made quick work of this.
The pendant glued together perfectly and a Prong setting also increased the integrity of the Pendant. The bail was hidden behind the head of the turtle, and I “Collared” the turtle’s neck. Now he’s “Whitney’s Pet”.
Whitney is delighted. This was really an amazing and fun piece for me to make.
Step 1 is finding the Greenstones of course. Past blogs have covered that subject. Step 2 is to tumble the stones and discard all the bad ones.
Overwhelmed with Greenstones
I’ve been trying to catch up on my Isle Royale Greenstone cutting. Isle Royale Greenstone (Chlorastrolite) is the Official State Gemstone of Michigan). This can get overwhelming. Unless you work with Greenstones, you have no idea what is involved, so let me walk you through the steps.
I never do fewer then 100 Greenstones. I flatten the backs and glue then to nailheads, screws, rivets, or whatever I have.
These Greenstones are awaiting the final three soft wheels, before final polish.
BIG BATCHES
I don’t cut Michigan Greenstones unless I am doing a big batch. Right now I’m working on 200, so I can produce a hundred new earring pairs. In order to find 200 good Greenstones involves going through at least 600 stones.
Add these earrings to my goal of 100 pendants, to be made over the winter, and you can see why I’m swamped.
There are Greenstones everywhere in various stages; on the table, in the shop, and in the kitchen. Fortunately Bonnie is patient and doesn’t carp much. We have not seen the top of the dining room table in a month, but it’s a necessary evil to getting these Greenstones fit for jewelry, or to sell to others for jewelry making.
Prepping Procedure
The procedure for prepping Greenstones involves tumbling the stones to take the Chlorite rind off. Tumbling destroys the weak stones, and brings out the pattern on the good ones. When they come out of the tumbler, I sort out the Greenstones with promise, and pitch the bad ones. The minimal grade Greenstones go into Grab Bags that we sell at our shows. The tumbling usually weeds out 2/3 of the stones.
Next I take the remaining stones and flatten the backs (the worst sides) to prepare for dopping. Most of these are small stones about half the size of a pea.
I glue the Greenstones to rivets or nail heads. Epoxy is faster for me, but you could use dop wax. The dopped stones are left overnight to dry. The stones are then taken to my shop and worked up on my Genie or Titan. This process can take some time to bring out the best in each stone. The stones go through all the soft wheels (Never use the hard wheels on GS). The hard wheels most often produce harmonic vibrations that can cause the stones to blow apart.
A before and after shot. You never know how fine a Greenstone is, until it’s finished. The bottom stone needs a little more work to remove some remaining flaws.
I Discard Many Substandard Stones
During this machine procedure I invariably discover some hollow stones. Other stones are not great or substandard. Again more are discarded.
Here’s a before and after shot of the same Greenstone. The second stone needs a little more work to get out remaining flaws.
At this point I must point out that Isle Royale Greenstones are one of the trickiest gemstones to cut. You must know exactly when to stop grinding at every stage. Some have very thin pattern layers, while others are good throughout the stone. You have to almost see, in your mind, if what you do will enhance the stone you are working on, or ruin it. You can only gain these answers through experience cutting loads of greenstones. I have cut many thousands in my day, so I have a “feel” for these beauties. There is never any answer that is always correct. Sadly, I admit to ruining many thousands of dollars worth of stones.
Taking my time is worth the effort
Taking the time to get it right, is the way I roll. These are calibrated ring stones for a jeweler customer.
Sometimes I am cutting a very fine Greenstone, that may be worth $500 or more, and that stone breaks through into a hollow area. I have sometimes cut right thru the pattern layer, thinking the pattern would get better. Stones have flown out of my hands and get broken or lost in the workshop Nexus. Recently Bonnie found one I remember losing long ago. She claims that is an advantage to cleaning up. I have learned from every mistake, and after making the same mistake several times, I often believe I have learned my lesson. Cutting Greenstones is not cheap. “OOPS, there went another hundred bucks”..
Bonnie’s New Pendant…NOT!
I had this sitting on the table. I told Bonnie it was laid out for a new pendant for her. NOT!
The stones get soaked in a solvent to get them off the dops after they are polished. This takes several hours, then I go through a quality control with the entire batch, and weed again (Do you see a pattern here?). Greenstones are an amazing amount of trouble and work, and being that they are generally small, makes it harder, not easier. No one should ever complaint about the price of a Greenstone. A really good one is so rare.
I am going to start making Greenstone beads in the near future; I’ll admit this is a bit over the top, but I just have to try it.
A pair of perfect Greenstone Cabochons.
Custom Greenstone Cutting
If you have a Greenstone that you want me to work on for you, there is a procedure. First I need clean pictures with something (like a dime) in the picture (preferably several pictures). Many people that have what they think is a Greenstone, have something else. Next, if we agree there is a good possibility of success, you send the stone for evaluation. This allows me to see if your stone is viable for cutting and polishing. Thirdly, I honestly tell you what I think.
If you OK with everything, I cut and polish ,with no guarantee of success. My odds of producing a good gem are around 90%. If you provide a good stone, you’ll get a good result. I can never assure anyone that there are no internal flaws, cracks, or voids in the stone. I wish I had Xray vision, but I do not. I address any customer stone as if it were my own.
Once we reach the cutting and polishing stage, my odds are around 90%. If the stone is flawed, you would not have wanted it anyway. Thus far, I have been close to perfect on customer’s custom cutting.
I know this blog has not been my norm, but I think being buried in Greenstones has somewhat effected my head. I’ve wanted to explain what it takes to get you a good piece of Greenstone Jewelry, so now you know some of it. Visit our Greenstone Cabochon pages for cut stones you can use in your own jewelry, or see our Greenstone Pendant pages and Greenstone Earring page for currently available jewelry. Oh; we have Tie Tacks also! Does anyone still wear them? (Or they can be ordered as pins.) Enjoy Michigan’s State Gem, a rare and special stone found nowhere else on earth.
Richard and Andrew Marek had great father and son bonding time on the piles.
We usually travel to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, in August, where we participate in Art Shows, and do wire wrapping demonstrations at Copper World in Calumet. Because our art shows were cancelled and demos were not possible due to the Virus, we focused on rock hunting in the Upper Peninsula.
The Ranger is the National Park Service boat that serviced Isle Royale National Park. From our campsite, we watched it go out every two days.
We camped and rock hunted to our hearts’ content. While camped, I was able to work on the rocks we found with my mobile shop setup and made jewelry on my work bench.
A classic Candy Striper always make me smile. This one, I purchased from Ryan Pikk at the Quincy Swap Meet. I took the rough Laker back to the RV, and made it into instant jewelry.This Amethyst Laker called me to make it into jewelry while in the Keweenaw.Keweenaw Prehnite is absolutely gorgeous.The Isle Royale Queen IV is not running from Copper Harbor this year. The only way you can get there is by seaplane.TheThere are still a few inches to squeeze in more rocks.The pile here used to be above the trees. I am carefully searching for an elusive Greenstone, with only moderate success.Bonnie searches a beach at dusk. Is she looking for a fluorescent rock?
Was rock hunting successful? Yes, considering the good areas becoming more scarce. Most of you know that many of the old rock piles have been crushed and hauled away, leaving large flat area and small piles. Where rock piles used to be as high as the trees, they’ve now ground level. You have to work harder to find what used to be relatively easy.
A drill core is a treat to find. Just thinking a trio of miners, 100 years ago , could have drilled this hole.
Bonnie’s goal was to find the worlds’ largest Greenstone, which was not happening, while mine was to survive the rock piles while still recovering from and ankle fusion. I accomplished my goal, and was stronger at the end of our trip. It’s amazing to me that you do not feel much pain when you are actually rock hunting, but it catches up after the hunt is finished for the day.
We hunted close to a dozen locations, with limited success in every locale. We stocked up on rocks and minerals we could use in our grab bags, that we sell 3 for $10 at art shows and elsewhere. Some things everyone loves in their grab bags are, small Greenstones in matrix, shiney Calcite, Prehnite, and small copper pieces.
A Garden Rock of Great Size
Other things Bonnie looks for are new garden rocks. You should have seen us hauling a 70# chunk of mine rock with calcite and Cuprite seams. That one was hard to miss in the pouring rain.
This is the colorful garden rock we hauled off the Central Pile.I see Prehnite, Calcite, and specks of Copper.
It was quite a trek to the car, and we tried, with limited success to fit this rock into a 5 gallon bucket on our Broll (Bucket Roller). Bonnie steadied the rock, while I pulled the cart to the car. We only dumped it a couple times; each time stopping, and hoisting it back into the stretched bucket. It’s amazing what greed will make a person do.
Hunting with Friends
Our new rockhound buddy Rayanne around the best of the day.
In the great out doors it seemed safe to rock hunt with others. We took some friends from our rock club around to some places for them to hunt. I can testify they too were greedy, filling up the back end of their pickup. We all had great fun, and tested our mettle in the rain.
We found some fine gem grade Prehnite, a few fine Copper Crystals, a limited supply of possible Greenstones, and a couple small Datolites.
The Swap meet at the Quincy Mine produced several Copper Agates, a couple fine Candy Striped Lakers, and much visiting with old friends at an Unsociable Distance.
There were a few of these around.Lots of these Chlorite-coated balls about. Gotta cut this one and see. It looks promisingThe one that looked promising above, turned out to be the best we found.Here’s the back.Another one, that maybe has life in itThis is often the case with Greenstones. You see some pattern, but it runs out.There are more possibilities.
Of course we also made a visit to the A. E. Seaman Mineral Museum on the campus of Michigan Tech, to see all the specimens from the area that we drool over. The great colored Datolites (and huge too) are big favorites.
Centennial Datolite is one of the rarest.Bonnie practices unsocial Distancing.
All the campgrounds were totally filled, and continue to be, so if you go rock hung in the UP or Keweenaw, get reservations.
Fantastic sunsets. This one from the top of Brockway Mountain.
This year was a more restful visit than usual, but we still missed the Art Shows.
This is a fair sized Greenstone form the Central Mine. They’re getting harder and harder to find.
Do you love small pendants? The popularity of smaller pieces of jewelry seems to have grown recently. Many people prefer a more petite pendant, that are less pretentious to wear, all the time, on a simple chain. Small stones can have big appeal for the rock/jewelry lover.
Thomsonite from the North Shore. I found this many years ago. Sitting on a dime.
Many of our Great Lakes rocks and minerals have filled the bubbles in amygdaloidal basalt and are small in nature. A few of the stones from the Great Lakes that are often petite include Isle Royale Greenstones, Thomsonite, Datolite, Copper Agates, and my favoite stone, Lake Superior Agates. Many times these gemstones are more amazing in a pint-sized versions, than in a larger size.
Another Not Shore Beauty. Sitting on a dime.
The difficulty I have as a wire artist is that smaller stones are more difficult to wire wrap than larger ones! In order to wrap these, I have created custom tools and use 24 gauge precious metal wire. This wire is more delicate and needs careful handling in construction.
In wearing these small pieces, be assured that the 24 gauge wire is sturdy enough for everyday wear.
A gorgeous, tiny, Lake Superior Eye Agate; smaller than a dime. I love the challenge or wire wrapping these tiny gemstones. Iknow it doesn’t look like Gold. Sometimes I like the look of Pink Gold.
My wire wrapping abilities with special tools allow me to wire wrap stones 1″ circumference or larger. Smaller than that, the stone is destined for a silversmith to put a bezel around it for a ring or necklace. A talented Goldsmith can create a lost wax setting; This is often done with rings.
Copper Agates seldom are found bigger than a dime. I named this “Copper Map”.Many ask; What do Copper Agates look like in the rough? Here’s the rear of the Copper Agate I posted above. Would you pick this up? The Savvy Rockhound would, especially if it set off the Pinpoint Medal Detector.
Just because a gemstone is small, does not mean will not attract attention. Our customers often mention the compliments they receive on small pendants they got from us. One of the comments I enjoy is “How does a guy with such large hands, create these magical, diminutive, pieces of jewelry”?
Many of the treasures found around Lake Superior, or in the Old Mine Dumps in the Keweenaw, are small but stunningly beautiful. They may be small, but killers in their beauty.
We’ll remember 2020 for COVID-19 and restaurants closed on Mother’s Day. Even though the family was self isolating, it was rewarding to make some fine jewelry in hopes that the economy will improve eventually.
Beanie’s were all dressed up with jewelry for Mother’s Day. They want to go for brunch, but seem happy being together.
I think the happy Beanie Babies, and the happy jewelry may cheer you up.
Except for Bonnie’s Pendant, all these jewelry creations are for sale. Call or E-Mail us if you are interested.
Bonnie’s Mother’s Day Pendant was this spectacular Firebrick and Franklin Datolite. The Datolite has copper lightning!
I named this pendant “Stems”. Crinoud soup with some spices.
A designer style Pink and Blue Petoskey.
A nice Pink Pet. A few flaws, but great pink.
A perfect North Shore Thomsonite coupled with two matched Greenstone from Isle Royale. The wave and Ice would have ground these Greenstone to dust, had they not been harvested 60 years ago.
An unusual Thomsonite Sunrise mix from Superior’s North Shore.Madagascar Ammonite; Yes, some do look like Oak Leaves. Patterns on Ammonite shells are called Suture Patterns, and help identify various Ammonite species. This particular Ammonite is a Cleoniceras. I ground this Ammonite down, past its’ outermost layer, to expose only limited pattern on the harsh black background.Staurolitehas a natural Cross Crystal Pattern. Some very fine Staurolite Crystals, like this one, form perfect crosses. Really nice Staurolite comes from remote regions of Russia’s Kola Peninsula.
Self isolation is a perfect time to dig deep into my old material and find some special and unusual gemstones. Bonnie has fun rooting around in the pole barn, to find special rocks. While I play in the shop, she will come in often, all excited about something new she found. “When’s the last time you saw this?”, she will say. “Maybe 20 year ago; or 30; or never.” I might reply. Sometimes I too am so excited, I grab that rock, and instantly cut it, making a gem right away.
Please support us, and other small businesses, as we are challenged by current conditions. Think “Made in the USA” as you make your purchases. Thanks for the support.
During recovery from ankle surgery this winter, I’ve had plenty of time to work on new and remarkable pendants. I think I am approaching 200 new pieces of jewelry in the last couple months.
This blog will feature just some of the projects completed, and there are many more gemstones in line begging to be jewelry.
Our “Yooperland” Pendants feature Fire Brick cut into the shape of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. A Isle Royale Greenstone, from the Island is place in the general location of Isle Royale. Both stones are glued to a fine Blue Lace Agate.
Gotta love Datolite with Copper. The pink gold really brings out the red metal, don’t you think?This Drusy (Druzy) fish was purchased at the Tucson Gem Shows, and carefully wrapped by me. Starting with a natural Quartz Drusy, the finished fish was created by a combination of dyeing and Titanium Deposition.Isn’t nature amazing? This one is a natural Staurolite Crystal from Russia. Most of these crystals do not cross pefectly; but some, like this are perfect.The Kearsage Lode near Calumet Michigan lies in the heart of Copper Country. Sometimes lucky digging in the old tailings piles will produce wonderful agates that have copper replacing some of the agate banding. These are not common and require a lot of work to find.Paint overspray from car, boat, and manufacturing is commonly known as “Fordite”, but may not have anything to do with Ford. The remarkable, fully metallic pendant shown, is paint from the old Century Boat Company in Manistee, Michigan. The paint was used on their fancy ski boats back in the 70’s and 80’s. This [aint just shines in the sun. Amazing!A perfectly patterned Petoskey Stone.Out of this world-a Muonionalusta Meteorite piece. I use industrial two-part epoxy to seal these and prevent corrosion. The are iron meteorites after all.A gorgeous Australian Boalder Opal. Ot’s unfortunate the color flashes, of the Opal. do not clearly show in a photo. this is really a remarkable stone.Brown Rhodochrosite is normal Pink Rhodochrosite with impurities. I think it has more character than the usual Rhodochrosite we see.Beautiful gem Rhodochrosite is translucent pink, and often does not have the banding that is a more common feature in this gemstone.Dark-eyed Thomsonite from the North Shore of Lake Superior is coveted by Thomsonite officianados, especially if it is a beautiful pastel specimen like this one.A family of Trilobites from Delta, UtahCopper Shale from the old White Pine Mine. Copper shale requires stabilization, but certainly unique.Very rare and sought after Rhodocrosite from the Oppu Mine on the Japanese Island of Honshu. this mine has been closed for decades and produced remarkable Raspberry Pink Rhodochrosite; often boitrioidal.Shining a light through the above Oppu Rhodochrosite, shows the boitrioidal pattern within this material. There was no other Rhodochrosite quite like it, and this is a pretty special piece.Mohawkite was found in several Copper Mines in the Mohawk, Michigan area of the Keweenaw Peninsula. This piece is very unusual as it appears slightly pink. I do not know what caused this hueLeland Blue slag glass from the old Leland Foundry has become a popular jewelry making item in recent years.Pectolite var. Larimar that I recently acquired from the guy that introduced Larimar to the world, at the Tucson Gem Shows in 1986The reverse side of the picture above. I wrapped the pendant so either side count be out.
Some of these new items are available on line, while others are in our show inventory. Nearly all are still available. Give us a call on these scarce, beautiful, and rare gemstones. We are known to have the things no one else does.
