One of my recent Facebook Posts about Fordite generated some questions about the safety of handling and/or cutting potentially hazardous Rocks and Minerals. Old Fordite contains lead.

This Fordite looks like candy, but don't eat it.

We here in Michigan have been known to “lick” our rocks (don’t say you haven’t done this also). In NW lower Michigan the Calcite Fossils, Quartz’s, and Igneous glacial till is fairly docile and the pattern is much more prominent when moist.

While hunting in Utah with local expert rockhounds, we were told, “Do not lick the rocks here like you do in Michigan”. It was explained that many western rocks contain Copper (Cu), Lead (Pb), Arsenic (As), Mercury (Hg), and other things you should not put into your body. A great article I found through a Google is at: http://wildaboutrocks.com/Articles-Show-Reports/Toxic-Minerals

Azurite/Malachite makes beautiful jewelry, but is one of the gemstones we should be cautious cutting.

Those that collect rocks and minerals are exposed to hazardous specimens all the time. Mercury-containing minerals like Cinnabar or Realgar are two that come to mine, but other minerals that we lapidary-types come in contact with are generally fairly docile, but release hazardous materials when cut.

Fordite is paint layers that formed in paint booths from overspray. Much was laid down in the 60’s +/- and contained lead. Years ago we were not as aware of exposure to this mineral, but today we know, and are cognizant of the hazards of exposure to certain minerals.

Malachite, wonderful stuff but contains copper.

In general ANY Mineral that contains the aforementioned Minerals, as well as others can be potentially harmful. Michigan Minerals from the Copper Country are of particular concern. Any copper related mineral like Chrysocolla, Cuprite, or in particular Mohawkite should be cut with caution. Mohawkite is a Silver-Copper-Arsenate found in the mine waste piles in the central Keweenaw. I wait until my saws are ready to be cleaned out before slicing Mohawkite, then dispose of the saw oil in a safe manner.

Whenever I cut one of the minerals containing a hazardous mineral I always use loads of water, mask, and rubber gloves. Malachite is one stone that really concerned me is that many people just cut without any protection. If a tart, metallic taste is detected, or if you can taste any rock dust, be concerned and take action. Every time I see all the cut Malachite in Tucson I think of how many poor, unaware Africans are being poisoned making this stuff.

Mohawkite is a Silver/Copper/Arsenate. After I cut my cabs, I seal them in Industrial Epoxy. I do this so they do not tarnish, but it also seals in anything that may be hazardous.

Most of the hazardous gemstones can safely be worn in jewelry with little or no concern.

The bottom line is; ALWAYS be aware of what you are cutting. Try not to inhale the spray generated in cutting (even Quartz-Silica dust should not be induced into you lungs). Be safe in your shop. The internet is a great place to check on the hazards of rocks and minerals. Check the chemical makeup of the rocks you are working with. If the rock contains any of the minerals I’ve mentioned earlier, be wary.

Tiffany Stone (Betrandite). I named the pendant "X marks the spot".

I haven’t even mentioned the radioactive minerals. In general, we do not use those minerals in jewelry making.( wait; my wife mentioned Tiffany Stone) Tiffany Stone is an Opalite material from Utah that contains the radioactive mineral Beryllium. The percentage of Beryllium in Tiffany Stone is so small it is considered not to be of a concern.

I am going to also post this up for my Facebook friends. This short blog is only a start for this discussion. Feel free to add your comments and suggestions. I know I left things out. I’ve only had one cup of coffee so far.

Our stylish new business card.

I just completed updating our business cards.

We love our current business cards, but wanted to step them up a notch or two. Our trademark logo of the snobbish woman with her nose in the air over our stylized red SAJ logo was not changed; just updated.

I changed our tagline to read “Specializing in masterful wire-wrapping of uncommonly rare gemstones from Michigan and throughout the world”. This slogan more reflects our philosophy of producing the highest quality jewelry made from gemstones both scarce and unique. Many people use the term “one of a kind”, so much so that it has become a cliche. Every rock is “one of a kind”, offering so many opportunities for the lapidarist and jewelry artist. The combination of cutting and polishing my own diverse rocks, as well as my meticulous wire-wrapping, make my jewelry unlike any other jewelry on the market. We know this is one of the things that keep people looking at and buying our semiprecious stone jewelry, again and again.

We have also added a business Facebook page, so of course we want people to “like us“.

I continue to custom cut and wire wrap stones others bring me. I especially love it when customers bring me assorted rocks or gems that their parents or grandparents have found in years past. Some of these have much more sentimental value than intrinsic value. No matter how plain these stones may be, I dress them up so they can be proudly worn.

What do you guys think of the new business card? See me at a show or order something off the website and I will give you one absolutely free!

August 15th

Beautiful sunset from the top of Brockway Mountain.

Bonnie and I went out rock hunting with our friends Chris and Crystal today. We started at an old mine that is not on any map where we found U.P. Thomsonite (Prehnite nodules and nice Patricianite which is a mix of pink and green prehnite with bits of copper. It is a wonderful cutting material. Crystal found a few Greenstones.

It was quite sunny and hot on this first pile so we headed to Thomsonite Hill near Eagle Harbor and dug a bit of Prehnite under and old pine tree. I was not real excited and we all bailed out of there and found a logging road a couple years old. I hunted the road for small prenite nodules and Datolite. The road was constructed from tailing out of the Delaware mine so there is always the possibility for datolite. Bonnie and I each found a Datolite. Bonnie’s Datolite was much nicer than mine. I can see I’ll have to make her another pendant (but that’s what I do).

Chris with his first piece of Float Copper. I'm surprised he stood still for this picture as excited as he was.

Chris' float copper after preliminary cleaning.

I told Chris that these logging operations are often times great for finding float copper. Float copper was gouged out and carried by glaciers in the area. Pieces have been found weighing several tons. Chris grabbed his trusty White and headed into the bush. Within 10 minutes he had a nice two to three pond piece of float copper. Finding a nice piece of float copper has been Chris’ goal and I really have never seen him so excited. So, in honor of Chris’ first “floater” I dedicate this blog to him.

Later he cleaned the copper up and brought it to our campsite at Fort Wilkins State Park. What a great find! We have to go back to the bush Wednesday and find some more. I forgot my detector today, but I will have it Wednesday. I’ll keep you all informed.

Advertised as the “last hunt at the Historic Cliff Mine”, rockhounds paid a generous fee to have this tailings pile moved around so they have a better chance to uncover a long-ignored piece of copper. I found a different treasure there which I’ll tell you about, but first some basic history.

Everyone waits with anticipation to be let onto the rock pile.

The backhoe was busy at the Cliff digging trenches for us to hunt.

The Cliff mine was the first successful copper mine in the Copper Country. The mine is at the now-abandoned town of Clifton in Keweenaw County. Mining began in 1845, and the Cliff was the most productive copper mine in the United States from 1845 through 1854. Large-scale mining stopped in 1878. The cliff mine was a vertical lode (the vein ran almost straight down). I can only imagine how much trouble mining was at this location.

View from the top of the Cliff pile.

Diggers on the rockpile.

There are tailings piles remaining at the Cliff. One of the piles has been re-worked for copper in the 60’s but still contains small specimens. The backhoe was in constant operations on these piles and we are happy we pid for that extra deep digging. The cliff has not been dug this deep in recent years. Everyone was getting small chunky copper pieces. There could be copper crystals on a few I found, but I have to clean them up. The Cliff Mine area has been worked for copper by natives since prehistoric times. Chisel Chips from these prehistoric mining operations can still be found at the Cliff and most people found a few using sensitive metal detectors. I found a couple, but they were small. Valuable ones can reach 12″ or more. I saw no one that found one that size.

There are also silver and copper crystals at the Cliff and silver-copper “halfbreeds”. I might have some of these, but I need to acid off the Calcite from the specimens I found. It was a very pleasant day on the rock pile.

OK, since you have patiently read this far I’ll tell you what my best find was. I was searching with the metal detector, but I still look around for other minerals I can make jewelry out of. I saw a gorgeous apple green Prehnite just sitting on the surface. Other searchers were so concentrating on copper and listening to their metal detectors, that they totally missed this treasure. Of course not everyone makes jewelry, but it still was the finest piece of gem grade prehnite I have ever found in the Keweenaw. I just can’t wait to get it home and make something from it! Stay tuned for the cutting and wrapping!

Next blog: Last night we went to the new Seaman Museum’s open house and picnic. This will be reported later. We are having a real problem finding Internet Hot Spots up here so I can get this blog done. But even though these may be a couple days late I hope you still appreciate these reports.

The Quincy Mine's Gift shop is in this building and the tours start there also.

Wednesday August 10th

One of the highlights of the Copper Country Mineral Retreat is the swap meet that takes place at the Quincy Mine’s parking lot. Dealers from all over the area bring in their local stuff and set it out on tables for the many rock enthusiasts to drool over and purchase.

Mine Hoist Building at the Quincy

Bonnie liked these mine related relics.

By carefully searching the tables, bargains can be located. A savvy and knowledgeable rockhound can make some great deals as all the dealers enjoy bargaining. Prices can vary for the same item dealer to dealer, so a quick go-round is in order, then a more careful look and the games can begin. After attending the show for many years, I know most of the dealers. I consider many of them friends as we also hunt on the same rock piles.

The most fun is meeting up with old friends that are there to look and buy. We have good friends from Wisconsin, Maryland, and Michigan that we saw and chatted with.

I bought some great Lake Superior Agates, Mexican Fire Opal, Datolite, and Pink Opal from out west. I am always looking for different colors, great banding or patterns, crack-free, and jewelry potential. My spending was limited, but I’m like a frog when a bug flies by–he just can’t resist snapping it up. When I see high quality stuff that my customers would like, I snatch it up quick.

There were also some dealers geared for the history buffs. Books on the copper mines, documents of share ownership, lights, and paraphernalia from earlier copper mining days were available along with great copper specimens.

Some "Lakers" for sale.

I love this colorful Datolite and even bought some for future jewelry.

some of the rabid rockhounds at the swap meet.

This swap meet is open to anyone, and is a great tourist attraction. Rock shows are a great training place for newbie rock enthusiasts, with such friendly people and a wide variety of stone and minerals. Rockhounds at a swap–we’re in heaven!

Next I will report on the hunt at the historic Cliff Mine.

Sunny 73

The Tucson Gem & Mineral Show (The Main Event) opened today. The show is sponsored by the Tucson Gem & Mineral Club.

Bonnie and I were in there like rabbits. I have one dealer I go to at this show that on the average has the best cabs at any of the shows. Right away I found a big slab of Luna Agate and a fantastic slab of bright red Dinosaur bone. I added some assorted jasper and some amazing uncut Laguna Agates. It did pay to get over there and get the first dibs.

We checked out the entire show and found that, as usual, there were a lot of jewelers, and many were really good.

We also saw some way over the top jewelry that no one in Michigan would be caught dead in. There is no way to describe this stuff, other then to say it would cause the ordinary person’s neck to spasm, later resulting in a trip to the chiropractor. I doubt if there is any drug I could be on that would cause my brain to spew out any jewelry like this. Apparently people (like rock stars) actually buy the stuff. OK; enough of that rant. No, wait; I forgot the artist had a about a one pound piece of Turquoise hanging on a sort of rope device (like a noose) hanging down and somehow attaching to her waist area. She seemed insulted when I asked her what she did with the anchor? I know that’s wrong, but I calls em like I sees em! Hey, I heard you laugh!

ps. Bonnie is not here right now, otherwise, being a nice person like she is, she probably would tell me not to say these things. There is no one here to keep me from posting this, so here it is. You better read this fast before she gets back.

Today I am going to post up some of the neat and cool things we saw. Unlike many other shows in Tucson, you can take photos. Tomorrow I will feature the main focus of the displays, the rocks, minerals, and gem treasures of California.

Digging through slabs. Hey guys, I already scarfed up the best ones.

There were not a great many people there today, but don’t expect no crowds on the weekends.

Great agate cabs!

Rainbow Obsidian Cabs and Opal inlayed turtles.

Rain Forest Jasper Toad (or frog)

Tables of petrified wood.

The most amazing carving we saw at the show had a highly detailed western motif. Stunning in Turquoise. At Tides by the Sea

Sunny low 70s

If you want to see the new Diamond Pacific Xpert, I put a picture from their flyer in yesterday’s blog.

When this show is all over with, and we get back home, I will take some great photos of things we purchased here. I have a small photo studio I use to take my web photos. The issue here, in Tucson, is getting everything to look good. I cannot get the good close-up shots you deserve to see. I am also putting together a program for the Grand Traverse Area Rock & Mineral Club back home with many photos you have not seen on my blog (can you imagine there are more photos?).

I went up on Sentinel Peak yesterday and took a few shots. The big mountains in the back are the Catalina Mountains, and the Santa Rita Mountains are connected also.

Tucson

To the left is downtown Tucson. Just to the right of downtown is the Convention Center. AGTA was there and they are setting up for the main show this weekend. Toward you, across from the Convention Center is the giant GJX tent that I’ve referred to before. Go left a few blocks and you see the tent for the GJM Show. Toward you this side of I-1o is one of the many shows on the strip, the Pueblo Show and some of the Rapa River Show.

Let’s have a little undersea adventure from the Fossil Show.

Xiphactinus (common spelling:)) Niobrara Formation-Cretaceous Period-Western Kansas

I have two more really nice pictures of a display in the lobby of the Tucson City Center.

Tourmaline

Mostly Rutile.

Tomorrow the main show opens with wonderful displays. Expect great photos.

mid-70’s sunny as usual

We are making those little side trips to the minor shows looking in the nooks and crannies for unfound treasure.

This table was covered with geode spheres at JGM.

Detail from sphere table.

We found a little event today at the Tucson Showplace, which sounds big and exciting, but is in fact a small group of dealers in a little mall-like area. I usually go there for Ocean Jasper as the original miner is there from Madigascar. Here we found Gene Mueller (The Gem Shop) from Wisconsin, a legendary miner of Mexican material. He also has some of the best rough rock at the best prices of any of the shows. It is always worth while to check out his rockpiles. Bonnie had fun searching through the Condor Agate rough, while I looked for a couple pieces of Laguna Agate from Mexico. We both found some pieces we thought would cut nice: but you never know what might be inside. That’s the thrill of lapidary work.

Small intarsia tables.

Detail from Ocean Jasper tables.

Jessica leaning the Sea Monster.

There was a young lady outside one of a fossil dealer there cleaning a Mosasaur fossil from Morocco outside of Infinity Traders. This was a late cretaceous period creature. Although this was a small one, really big ones were the kings of the sea; nasty creatures. I think I saw one of these in the movie “Sea Monsters”. The National Geographic Society made a short 3D movie by the aforementioned name a few years back. If you did not see this movie, you really missed out. It is out on DVD, but it is not the same as seeing it on the big screen in 3D.

Bonnie and I also made a quick go through of the JGM (Jewelry, Gem, and Mineral Exposition) show tent near 22nd Street along the freeway. I took a couple photos, but we bought only a few cabs and some beads.

Ocean Jasper galore.

The weather was just remarkable and we noticed most of the parking lots at the shows we went by were full.