I was surprised to find a Quarter with BATS on it. I had no idea that American Samoa had a national park, nor did I realize that a quarter, featuring the Fruit Bat was available.The back (or front) of this Bat Coin.
I happened to find a National Park Quarter, from the National Park of American Samoa, last week. This Quarter was very distinctive, with Fruit Bats on the front.
I have wrapped coins for people in the past; Pieces of Eight, Silver Dollars, State Quarters, and other random antique coins, turning them into pendants. Antique buttons are another pendant possibility.
A personal example was when I found an old, tarnished Quarter in the gravel of a Seafood Restaurant near Jacksonville, last year. It was a 1977 Quarter, the year I married Bonnie. This Quarter was probably dropped in the late 70’s. I cleaned the coin just enough that the high points were more enhanced than the lower background. This coin had a heavy brown tarnish, covering its’ surface. Patina? or Grunge?
Savvy Rockhounds always watch the ground. By nature, they habitually look down. That’s how I found this Anniversary Quarter. For 45 years, Thousands of people walked right over this coin. I dubbed it my parking lot quarter.
A very stained Quarter was found as I exited my vehicle at a Seafood Restaurant near Jacksonville.!977 was the year I married my wife in an Apple Orchard in Rochester, Michigan. I guess, after 47 Years, we’re stuck with each other.
I make simple Unisex pendants that do not detract from the coins (the coins are always the star, not my wire wrapping). As you can see from this National Park of American Samoa Quarter, neat and simple is my goal.
Any coin can be made into a pendant, be it gold or silver. I use 14k, double gold fill wire, or tarnish resistant Argentium Sterling. Wrapping a coin is not destructive, and protects any coin.
The wire bundle, encircling the coin, is taller that the coin, as are the wires that are pulled over the coins. There is never any guarantee that if you drop a coin, it will come out unscathed, but your chances are much better if your coin is wire wrapped.
Did you ever think that your valuable (Nostalgic or collectable) coin, could be made into jewelry? Do you have a treasured coin from overseas travel? Do you have, like most people, a small collection of coins that have good memories? Did your grandparents give you a coin you might want made into a pendant? How about a State Quarter, for someone that has moved to another State, or a Quarter featuring a favorite National Park. What a great little gift!
The cost varies, depending on the precious metal you choose, the shape, and the size of your coin.
I treat all these coins as it they were my own. I base my business on honesty and integrity, and I know how much these collectables mean to you. If you need a special coin gift or personal pendant, call us.
Mitimbe, Australia is one of the countries most famous Opal areas. This “Pin Fire”, multi- colored solid opal is dressed in a plethora of pastel bits, like they were salted in this mix.
Bonnie mentioned that I have not written a blog in some time. I have decided to rant a bit about the issue of companies “shrinking” things to make up for rising prices.
Polyhedral Agate. Very cool stuff (if you can find it).Michigan’s Official State stone in the Petoskey Stone and the State Gemstone in the Isle Royale Greenstone. This pendant is a premium example of both stones in one amazing pendant.
Every time we go to the store, we notice the shrinking of cans, or the reduction of sizes. A half gallon of Ice cream is no longer a true half gallon. Tiny half-sized cans of hash have recently appeared on shelves. Cans of soup are about half the size they used to be. Even things like Kentucky Fried Chicken have shrunk from Broiler size pieces to Fryer size pieces, but the prices have not dropped. In many cases the smaller sizes cost more than the original size.
Silver Stardust beads enhance a remarkable Drusy Quartz (that probably does not need enhancing) but doesn’t it look fabulous with the beads?A Float Copper with Quartz inclusions. This is really unique.
When our government raised the minimum wage, the cost of everything has increased; what can companies do? They either increase their prices, or reduce sizes; charging the same money for their goods.
The pendant on the left is Datolite with Copper inclusions (Or Copper with Datolite Inclusions). One the right are a pair of Copper Agates. The top right one is the largest Copper Agate I personally found.These Isle Royale Greenstones came off Isle Royale 65 Years ago. I decidded that these all had to be wrapped in Argentium Sterling.
A good example of this is fish sandwich at McDonalds. Fish sandwiches used to be fairly large and tasty. NOW, instead of a McFish, they’re a McMinnow, featuring tiny buns and a less than satisfying filet. When you pay fast food workers $20 an hour, you are forced to change things in order to be profitable.
How Inflation affects our business
Centennial Datolite is one of the Copper Country’s Favorites
In our jewelry business, even though we try to keep prices down, it is increasingly difficult. Gold, for example, is above $2,600 an ounce. When I started making jewelry, it was under $500. (OK, so I’m older). Small businesses, like ours, suffer with increases like this. Findings, stones, and beads, have also gone up.
I can either make things cheaper, by skimping on quality (like many), or maintain my quality. I could, instead of using 14k double gold fill wire, use gold fill or 10k gold, like many are doing. To the normal consumer, this would be hard to tell the difference. I could use regular Sterling Silver, instead of Tarnish Resistant Argentium Sterling. This would probably not be noticed by most.
I refuse to Compromise on the Quality of my Jewelry
Amethyst Lace Agate. I let the bottom swing free.
Having this attitude, I realize that many consumers would rather purchase less expensive 10k gold fill, or cheap foreign made goods, made with sketchy metal.
I love these multiple TrilobitesA very rare coloration in Ocean Jasper. This variety of Obicular Jasper has been mined out for a decade. Originally it came from the ocean shore of Madagascar.
I have many potential customers that say they are allergic to gold or Sterling Silver. Most are not allergic to these metals; they are allergic to the Nickel that is often added to cheap metal. Our wire is Nickel free, and costs more. Again, a quality issue, I refuse to compromise on.
Turkish Agate is normally beautiful colors, but sometimes we see Black & White.
We are not making our jewelry in China, Pakistan, or India. We are not cheaping on components or precious metals, and fight every day with inflated prices. We try to hold the line on our prices and quality. Many of our pieces of jewelry reflect prices of metal when we made the pieces, not what the current prices are. We cater to the consumers that appreciate quality at a fair price. My jewelry reflects on me. I always chose quality over cheapening.
Mohawkite was found in several mines in the Mohawk area of the Copper Country. Although it comes in Silver and Rainbow, I do like a gold one when I can find it.
We are thankful for our loyal customer base; customers that support American made, small businesses. We cannot compete with foreign companies that pay workers extremely low wages and/or mass produce much of the jewelry seen in department stores. All we can hope for is customers that appreciate our quality, integrity, and honestly.
I cannot, in good conscience, treat my customers to jewelry that is not up to my demanding standards. If Bonnie or I would not, proudly, wear a piece of our hand crafted jewelry, you will not see it sold at our shows, in our retail outlets, or on line. Quality is everything to us; But I still wish gold was $500 an Ounce!
This Montana Moss Agate is named “Yellowstone”, after the river from which it came. It looks like someone took a thick paint brush, and just threw a stripe on it. A somewhat complicated wrap.
Based on my insistence to keep my quality up, I find myself making fewer pendants; Instead trying to up my game by locating more scarce material (digging deep into my stash), and manufacturing better and more complicated jewelry. Overall our inventory is good, but I need the challenge of creating new pieces, that are unique and test my creativity. I’m upping my game, making more complicated Pendants, and using better quality material. I’m using more scarce, better quality. rare gemstones. Even though materials cost more, I have been able to use these rare gemstones, and charging what I paid for them a decade (or more) ago.
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.
Megalodon Teeth with a signature wrap. If you want to awe and impress; these are your ticket. The blue tooth is from the St Johns River, while the tooth with the petrified wood look, came from the Savannah River in Georgia.
I wanted to show you some of my latest creations. from the past couple weeks. Rough stones were selected and cut with designs in mind. My inspirations come from the gemstones. Pattern, color, and pleasing appearances, all are taken into account, in my wire wrapping; But the most important part of my creative thoughts is usually whimsy. If a pendant is not fun to look and and wear, what good is it?
Condor Agate, from Argentina, is considered one of the most colorful types of agate.Ammonite from British Columbia.This is the reverse side of the first Ammonite shown. I wrapped it so if it flips over, both sides show gorgeous, pearlescent colorations
The Ammonites are an fine example of out of the ordinary things that can be wire wrapped. These fossils are simple as compared to some things I’ve created for people.
Porcelain Jasper is a Ryolite from Idaho/Oregon. It’s supposed to instill a calming effect to the wearer. I think I may have to test the stone and see.A handsome pendant of Fordite, wrapped simply in silver. This pendant could be worn by anyone. Fordite is an industrial waste from many years ago, put to a good use.The rarest agates in the Great Lakes Region are the scarce and coveted Copper Agate, from the Kearsarge Lode near Calumet. Copper seeped in and replaced softer areas in the agate. They can vary from a very small amount of copper to lots of copper. They are typically not real big stones and often the copper is mostly on the outer areas.Lake Superior Agate. This one resembles a dust storm rolling across the desert. Or maybe you see a wild lake storm going on?A more typical Laker. with red and white banding (we call these “Candy Stripers”). This particular agate has some shadow effects caused by very close banding.Fairborn Agate from Teepee Canyon, in the Black Hills of South Dakota.I could not decide which side of this cabochon was the best, so I wrapped it as a “flipper”. You can wear it with either side out.Mexican Crazy Lace Agate. If you are lucky enough to find some old stock, the colors and banding can be amazing. This stone as rows of different colors, lined up like an artist might draw them.I decided to enhance this Petoskey Stone with a few Leland Blue Beads. You can find these treasured things on the beaches near Leland, Michigan The Petoskey Stone is Michigan’s Official State Stone, while Leland Blue in a slag Glass from an old foundry in Leland Michigan,A pair of nice Petoskey Stone Pendants; one dark and the other light. Darker Petoskey Stones were Calcified in water containing petroleum, while the light stones were calcified where little petroleum was present. These were also different species of Hexagonaria. This is ascertained by the size of the individual cell structures.Another wild Crazy Lace Agate. This stone is really a crazy, Crazy Lace Agate.Turkish Stick Agate is a pseudomorph (you have to look this word up, and use it every day in your conversations) from the Cubuk region of Turkey. The mineral inclusions line themselves up in unusual ways, making each stick agate piece a surprise. This seems like it’s perfect for the off-kilter kind of person. Like me.
Here’s your Dessert
I cut these Greenstones from old stock material from Isle Royale. All these are spoken for, and will make excellent rings.
I have a big backlog of cutting at my home shop, and am hopeful I will find some lost treasures to work with. I was restricted by the rocks and cabochons I could take to Florida. but I have loads of treasures I can work with as I return to my workshop. Time to get creative now!
We are well known for our Great Lakes Rocks & Minerals (that’s a given), but we are also known for our custom jewelry, and our eclectic collection of rare and unusual ,world-wide, precious and semiprecious gemstones.
Just within the last week, I made a pendant for a customer in Biloxi, Mississippi. He found a beautiful stone on the beach in the state of Washington. He was unsure of what the stone was, and with a bit of research, I determined what he sent me was a piece of Ohanapecosh formation breccia from the older Cascades. The stone was glacially transported from the Mt. Rainier area to the beach where he found it. The identification was not common knowledge to me, or for most anyone else. Obscure; you bet. Just the type of rock I love. This stone was very nostalgic for the owner. I really enjoyed making something for his lady (and she loved it).
Ohanapecosh formation brecciated Quartz from the older Cascades. Wow, that’s a mouthful–I will have to try to work that name into my daily conversations, from here on out. This stone was absolutely stunning and incredible, a custom piece.
New pendants from the work bench
This Baltic Amber has been ready to wire wrap for too long. I purchased this rough from Kaliningrad, Russia a decade ago. I assume none of this is being exported currently. A beautiful clear piece with some silver leaf inclusions. This is a quality piece of Amber; very clear with a glass-like polish. Amber GoldPendant
A little different Pudding Stone, with black, red, and clear Quartz, in the normal mottled Quartzite. Candy FlecksPudding Stone Pendant I loved this agate “porthole window”, in more solid red agate–a very unusual Lake Superior Agate. I could not believe an oval port with Kilroy looking out; like a “Kilroy was here” feel. Kilroy Lake Superior Agate Pendant
Even a short blog takes time some time to write, take pictures, and publish. Some never miss our blog, others stumble onto it, and others do not connect at all. These little blogs do help us with Internet standing. Snob Appeal jewelry is not a Rock Star. We do not get a million people reading this blog. In other ways we are Rock Stars.
Our jewelry Rocks. Our jewelry has Rocks in it. Our jewelry can Rock you. Our jewelry is not made from rocks you commonly find in your local jewelry store (and we don’t want to be). Our goal is to make you something unique. Thank everyone that supports local small businesses, and thank everyone that supports Snob Appeal Jewelry. You mean a lot to us.
My consideration, before making a piece of jewelry is fairly straightforward. It mostly involves the feelings that emanate from a stone, and the enthusiasm, on my part, to proceed. As an artist, I practice seeing what a finished pendant could look like at the conclusion of wire wrapping. Also certain stones “Speak” to me, and tell me what they need.
Being able identify a finished cabochon, while looking at a rough stone has advantages. Rough stones often are cut with a finished piece of jewelry already in mind. The stone that speaks to me one day, may not be the one that speaks to me the next.
I sort through many dozens of stones, until a particular stone stands out from the rest. Once a gemstone is chosen, I can totally concentrate on a pendant until it’s finished. Bonnie knows that my concentration is so complete, that when she talks to me, I often do not hear her. She has learned that if I’m deep into my work, it might be best to not talk to me until I’m done.
Enjoy some new pieces of jewelry
Please enjoy some recent Pendants from 2023. This group is comprised of whatever stone grabbed me. There is no rhyme or reason why I made them. Let’s just say I was having fun flitting across the world of semiprecious gemstones.
Green Petrified Wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon. Green Petrified Wood is found in other places, but this is the only place in the world that the Petrified Wood is from Cedars. Verdant Cedar Petrified Wood PendantAn Actinolite Mix from the North Shore of Lake Superior. Drone ViewActinolite PendantLake Superior Agate. This one is a banded fortification type (AKA Candy Striper). Pastel CandyLake Superior Agate PendantA dime-sized Thomsonte from the North Shore of Lake Superior Soft HoneySonoran Sunset (or Sonoran Sunrise), is a beautiful combination of blue-green Crysocolla and Red Cuprite. The stone got its’ name from the Sonora Desert of Northern Mexico, where it is found. I created this piece as a unisex Pendant. This one is reminiscent of the Southwest and Mexico. Desert Illustration Sonoran Sunset PendantA beautiful example of a Copper Agate found in Mine Spoil piles, and on the beaches near the Kearsage Lode in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Bands of Copper replaced some banding in normal banded agates. Copper SwathesCopper Agate PendantFound on Lake Superior’s Northern region, this unusual Thomsonite stands out. Light pastel colors permeate the White Thomsonite. I love to create pendants from rare and unusual stones, and this hit the mark. Thomsonite SpreePendant
Where to find Snob Appeal Jewelry
The pendants shown may be inventory stock or posted on our ETSY site (snobappealjewelry/etsy.com) or our http://snobappealjewelry.com e-Commerce site. You can also find our jewelry at Copper World in Calumet, Michigan www.calumetcopper.com.
By selecting favoured (Fancy spelling to match our Pendants) Stones and designing masterful Pendants, we invest in our treasured clientele. If a piece of jewelry makes us happy, there’s a good chance the recipient will also be pleased.
I really had fun with this blog, and hope you enjoy it.
Between Christmas and New Years, the holiday rush is over. It’s a great time to create a few new wire-wrapped stone pendants. All I have to do is look thru a few hundred cabochons and see which ones inspire me. Guess what? I found some. So these are the first half dozen pendants that I created in 2023. There are links to the product page, when you “click” on the pictures.
Coober Pedy, in Australia is very famous for Black Opal. This Electric Blue doublet is very fine. A doublet is a slice of opal epoxied to a matrix stone. Blue RadianceCoober Pedy Opal PendantFire Agate is amazing material that requires careful cutting. Quality Fire Agates have Iridescence Botrioidal inclusions in Brown Quartz. The trick is to carefully remove the brown Quartz, so that the maximum iridescence shows through, I ruined a lot of Fire Agate before my skill level blossomed enough that I now know where to stop cutting the brown Quartz, and get the most from this Gemstone. This piece of Fire Agate was mined from Slaughter Mountain, Arizona, and the rough was acquired at the Tucson Gem Shows a decade ago. Supernatural Fire Agate PendantLeland Blue Stone (Slag Glass from Leland Michigan). “Leland Blue” is a very popular material from the old Smelter in Leland (NW Lower Michigan). I cut this one as a Quarter-sized heart. Blue Glaze Leland Blue PendantI’m glad I purchased this Catseye Jade a decade ago. Mined in Siberia, this gemstone, due to Russian embargo. is now very scarce. The gemstone shows a distinct “Cats-eye”, as the stone is moved with light shinining on it. Intimate Glow Cats-eye JadePendantOcean Jasper from the NW coast of Madagascar has always been a popular lapidary material. Circa 2000, it was intoduced in Tucson. Gene Mueller (The Gem Shop) had the good stuff back in the day. Old stock, like this, was mined out around 2006, so the heyday was short.. Particularly popular was the material with orbicular inclusions, like this stone. Spherical Galaxy Ocean Jasper PendantDrusy (Druzy) Quartz in comprised of natural Quartz pockets; some left in their natural state, but the majority of Drusy is manufactured in India, using dyeing and/or Titanium Deposition. This deposition creates fantastic colorations and flashy gemstones. This is a gemstone you wear when you want to be flashy. Frosty GlacierDruzy Pendant
I hope you enjoyed this selection of brand new wire-wrapped stone pendants. We appreciate our customers, and hope you enjoy your new jewelry in 2023, and beyond! Thanks for shopping our small business.
Twelve New handmade pendants for the Twelve Days of Christmas. Appreciate the stones and the short stories of each one. This should make you smile.
The stone stories are worth reading, and may enhance your Holidays
Phenomenal Copper Pendant I would not refer to this as a Copper Agate. as there is a lack of banding. This stone is actually Copper, Prehnite, Epidote, Datolite, and Chlorite. The odd and unusual is what made us famous, and this fits our niche for sure. We were camped in the Keweenaw near Lake Linden this summer, when Bonnie came in and said, “Look who’s just pulled into the campsite next to us”. They tuned out to be friends, from Wisconsin, that camp near us in a campground in Tucson many times, during the Tucson Gem & Mineral Shows. We’ve also hunted the rock spoil piles together in the Keweenaw. Small world. I discovered that our friends had some old stock Cabochons for sale. This, as well as some Copper Agates, and Silver/Copper Nuggets (Half Breeds), got me excited. This was A fun time with old friends; small world.Florid Daze Pudding Stone Pendant Pudding Stones are interesting; Quartzite containing other stones (especially Red Jasper) I’ve seen many other rocks in Pudding Stones. Lake Superior Agate, pieces of colored Quartz, Amethyst, and black Tourmaline. This special piece featured a larger that average piece of bright red Jasper. This Pudding Stone makes me smile whenever i gaze upon it. As a bit of trivia for you: Pudding Stones were glacially transported from their source near Sudbury, Canada. It’s fun to figure out how far they traveled. THE LAST PUDDING STONE I FOUND “SURFED” 326 MILES!!Warm Harmony Thunder Bay Seam Agate Pendant The best I recall, this happened back in 2000. I drove up to Thunder Bay on Lake Superior’s North Shore. I had very good luck digging Amethyst East of Thunder Bay. A small sign along the road said “Thunder Bay Seam Agate”. What is this (?), I thought. I recall a small retail building, where Seam Agate could be purchased, along with jewelry and baubles. People could also go seach the trenched area, and pick up whatever they wanted to purchase. There was a dirt covered employee working hard on breaking up and cutting, larger pieces for the store to sell. I saw one beautiful large, crystal and agate infested chunk of Seam Agate that the worker was ready to break up. This piece would have been around 40 pounds. Was this a good deal, or a bad deal? I offered him some American Cash and threw the rock in the back of my Dakota. After i left, I thought; was the minion suppose to sell me that rock? (or did he just need some American cash?) I did not know; or care, at the time. I think any statute of limitation has long since passed.. Research on “Seam Agate” later revealed that this deposit was exhumed when they were building a new road in the area. Someone purchased the property and opened the mine. I believe that the agate seam flowed all the way down to lake Superior, maybe a mile away. The area all the way down to the beach was all filled with housing and that property that the Seam Agate Mine was on, was probably no more than an acre of two. Eventually after maybe three years that Lode played out, there was some financial situation, and no other areas that could be searched. The mine closed up. I still have a large piece of Seam Agate, and this stuff is very scarce to find and pricey to buy; so I guess I did make a good deal. Being at the right place at the right time often pays off.Brush Fire Moss Agate Pendant Garden Agate from the island of Java in Indonesia, is a beautiful Moss Agate. This piece was located in a Gaylord box in Quartzite; way at the bottom. Back in the day rooting through these big boxes was fun. Today, I would never be wrecking my body “Dumpster Diving”. The background is bright dark red moss agate which allows the green crystals to stand out. Do they look like snow covered pines?Reverie Fordite Pendant “Fordite” is a generic name for oversprayed paint. Sometimes a close search on line, looking at old paint color charts may give a hint as to what the paint was used for. I am not sure about the vehicle, boat, or toy, this paint was used on. It is bright, quite metallic, and patriotic colors. Makes me want to salute. As a word of caution; Much Fordite is manufactured in China, or other countries, nowdays. My love for Victoria Stone goes back to the mid-70’s. Formally known at Iimori Stone, it was marketed in Tucson as Victoria Stone. You can read an extensive blog on this gorgeous man-made stone in my “Snob Blog”. It was fortunate I started purchasing Victoria Stone, when I could find it back then. Now the original Victoria Stone is very scarce, but there are a few simulates out there, (but none as spectacular as the original). I have a fair supply of Victoria Stone, but am bombarded by other collectors to sell some of my stash, which I don’t often do. You will find many brightly colored Victoria Stone pendants on our website. Very recently I was looking over one of my Victoria Stone cabs, and one spectacular bright green beauty called to me. Dark Green and Light Blue were always the most popular colors in Victoria Stone. I held onto it until the joys of Christmas, this year, convinced me to create one of the finest festive Victoria Stone Pendants I’ve ever created. I often have dreams of jewelry I should make, and this was pendant was made when I awoke with the idea at 2am. My jewelry dreams are usually very detailed, except I had to see if Bonnie brought along the beads I needed to create this masterpiece. Not wanting to awaken a sleeping bear, I waited until later in the day. Fortunately she had something that would work. I wanted to design something that could be worn at Christmas, but also during the rest of the year, as a floral wreath. Bonnie has worn the pendant several times this holiday season, and everyone seems to love it.Sunrise Lake Superior Agate Pendant Everyone that knows me well, knows that Lake Superior Agates are my very favorite Gemstones to make jewelry with. I have a friend that owns a cemetery in Minnesota. He has a large parcel of property in an urban area. On that property is a “Reverse” gravel pit. What is that, you are probably asking? Construction types pay him to dump stones on his property; roof ballast, landscape rock, and gravel. This is his private gravel pit. He allows us to hunt there for Lakers. Guess what else? Whenever a construction person needs gravel or rocks, he sells them what people have paid him to dump on his property. He makes money both ways. How awesome is that? I found this stone on that property. What makes this Laker unique is a couple things. First, it contains yellow (somewhat scarce in Lakers). The Agate is also a partial “Shadow Agate”‘ as well as a picture agate. The agate was crack free, and took a glass-like polish. It’s about a Quarter size.Dark Eyed Thomsonite is a North Shore Superior Treasure. Most of it is now found in a small beach, all privately owned near Gran Marais, Minnesota. If you tried to hunt that beach, you would risk injury or death, as the residents are very protective. On a Lake Superior Circle Tour in our RV we stopped at an RV park in Gran Marias. We saw one of the churches in town was putting on a breakfast to raise money. A random conversation with another man at our table, revealed an adventure may be in store. He noticed Bonnie was wearing a Thomsonite and he admitted he lived on Thomsonite beach. He said we could look for Thomsonite on the beach, but he would have to go with us, to ward off other beach residents. A short search produced several nice Thomsonite pieces. This gentleman was quite old, so we returned to his house , after a short beach hunt. I looked at some rocks he had found, and I do not recall if i bought any or not, but this was a wonderful unexpected adventure.Thomsonite Masked Hombre Pendant Another dark Eyed Thomsonite from the North Shore. This one I purchase from an individual that owned property covered with Thomsonite-filled Amigdaloidal Basalt. Thomsonite is very brittle and difficult to extract from its’ host. It is also VERY sensitive to harmonic vibrations and heat. The wheels on my Genie have to be true, broken in, and lots of water emitted on themRipples Lake Superior Agate Pendant Perfect “Candy Striped’ Lakers are classic. These are THE Laker everyone immediately associates with a Lake Superior Agate. I swapped some jewelry for this Agate. First Snowfall Agate Pendant You can invent any number of stories about this beautiful piece of Jasper/Agate. My story starts with a snowy day far in the north. Because of the icy conditions, no matter the weather, a trip out to find food, firewood, or use the outhouse is risky. You really do not want to stray too far out on the icy glacier. For whatever reason you go abroad, it’s aways nice to get back to shelter. It almost looks like a wizard with a pointed hat headed back home,. Telephoto lens picks up the wizard in the ice fog.Wasteland Deschutes Picture Jasper Pendant Imagine the devastating forces, it might look like a science fiction movie scene. The real creation of this is much simpler; Picture Jasper is a type of jasper that forms from mud that drips into gas pockets in molten lava.
Links have been connected to the pictures of the stones that we have for sale on line. Click on any picture to see if it is “linked”.
If you need more information on any of these Story Stones, send an inquiry to us at; Snobappealjewelry@yahoo.com
Did you ever think about how similar Marra Mamba Tigers Eye and Binghamite are? NO, you mean you haven’t? It’s amazing to me how unrelated rocks, that came from places so remote from each other, resemble each other. Let’s first look at Binghamite, then talk about Marra Mamba.
Characterstics of Binghamite
Binghamite/Silkstone Is a highly sought after gemstone material from Minnesota’s Cuyuna Iron Range. The mine where Binghamite was found is long closed, and even the spoil piles are depleated. Binghamite can still be found at swap meets and rock & mineral Shows. Binghamite is also sometimes known as American Pietersite, because of its’ silky chatoyancy. My opinion is that it has the appearance of fine Tiger Iron from Australia more than Pietersite from South Africa. Pietersite generally contains no iron and loads of chatoyancy. Tiger Iron, Marra Mamba, and Binghamite, all contain the iron element, and in my opinion have much more character than does Pietersite.
A flashlight on the face of this amazing Binghamite shows the “glow” of the Goethite and the Hematite in this gorgeous pendant. Binghamite, like this beauty, are very difficult to find.
Do Old Collections Yield Rare Stones?
Purchasing old collections is a wise investment most of the time. When you find things like high grade, picture Binghamite, in an old collection, it’s a special day. Every time I looked at one particular little slab of Binghamite I found in an old collection, I saw new things. I thought I would bring this Cab to the top of my “make jewelry” list; but guess what? I put it in a “safe place” and forgot about it for 10 years! I rediscovered this shiny stone, and put it in a tray to travel to Florida with us this winter. I placed it on my work bench, and looked at it for a couple months. This Binghamite Cabochon was begging me to make it into a pendant, all that time. I cut and polished it with My Pixie Machine out on our picnic table. Man, that stone sparkled in the sun. I cut and shaped this slab into a square picture, a Magical and Ethereal Cabochon indeed.
Binghamite is a rock containing Chalcedony (a form of micro-crystalline Quartz). In the case of Binghamite the Chalcedony contains fibrous iron oxide, Hematite and/or Goethite. It has been explained to me that Binghamite is a Chalcedony replacement of Fibrous Goethite-Hematite. It’s hard to get my head around how this causes a play of color not unlike Tiger’s Eye, but it does.
What is undercutting?
The hardness of Binghamite varies. The more Hematite in the stone, the more difficult to cut and polish. The term “Undercutting” is applied. Undercutting occurs when cutting material with different hardnesses within one stone. Because some areas are softer they tend to cut deeper than surrounding areas. A lot of finesse is involved when cutting, and this is the case with Binghamite. The best polish obtainable may be a Matte Finish.
Really good Binghamite will certainly outshine Tiger Iron, but will not hold a candle to Marra Mamba.
Characteristics of Marra Mamba
Marra Mamba is considered the finest form of Tiger’s Eye ( I refer to Tiger Eye and Tiger’s Eye in this Blog. Both are acceptable) by many collectors and lapidarists. In the Hamersley Ranges of the Pilbara region in Australia, there are a iron rich areas where Australian tiger-eye has been found. The best-known area is near Mount Brockman. A ridge of hills a few miles long has produced good quality golden-colored material from a number of small deposits. The “true” Marra Mamba is a very rare type of Tiger Eye, and was only found in two areas. Vivid chatoyant blues, reds, yellows, gold, and greens! (see note below) can all be present in Marra Mamba.. These areas have been mined out of Marra Mamba since the early 70’s. Hematite is also a major component in Marra Mamba, and in the case of this particular cabochon, makes polishing it very tricky.
Is Marra Mamba still available?
Marra Mamba may be scarce but I found some in Tucson a few years back.Seven years ago I was checking out the tables of Australian Outback Mining at the Tucson Shows. Looking through Glenn Archer’s stash of Tiger Eye and Tiger Iron, I noticed unusual blue colorations in one of his rough pieces. I mentioned to Bonnie that I really thought it was Marra Mamba, but rough MM is very difficult to find and quite expensive. AFTER I bought the rock, I showed it to Glenn, and he confirmed that it was Marra Mamba; “I guess I missed that one”, was his comment. I would not have seen the telltale signs had the bright Tucson sun not been shining on the rock at precisely the right angle. If you are lucky, you can still find this gemstone. What I look for in Marra Mamba that is different from Tigers Eye, is some Blue areas, that you don’t see in ordinary Tigers Eye.
Here’s Binghamite Out in the Florida sunlight,,,AMAZING!! See the picture of the Tigers Iron slab below, and compare to the Binghamite.A large and spectacular, polished piece of Marra Mamba for sale by legendary Miner, Glenn Archer (Owner of Australian Outback Mining) several years ago at the Tucson Shows. I intentionally inserted the short movie of my Binghamite Pendant to directly compare it to the Marra Mamba slab seen at the Tucson shows. It’s unfortunate you cannot see these stones in person. No picture can do this justice!
Another picture from a Tucson gem show trip: Looks like giant Bacon Slabs; and I LOVE Bacon!
About my Finished Binghamite Pendant (It passed Quality Control)
I decided on Gold wire, and I did not “cheap” on the quantity. I piled those wires into a 12 wire high bundle. My usual rule in no more than 10 wires. I wanted to achieve a simple, elegant, yet expensive look, and nothing does this like being extravagant with the gold. Careful planning and excecution, and a couple hours of intense concentration, produced a wire wrap job befitting this stone. Quality Control (Bonnie) smiled, and declared it “elegant”. Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!
Piles of Tiger Eye are occasionally seen in Tucson and Quartzsite. You won’t find piles of Marra Mamba though. These piles are better searched when they are wet.
I understand, from my metaphysically inclined friends that Marra Mamba is a favorite of female Shamans, and has multiple benefits. It is said to invoke the powers of the far seeing eye, and bring health and well being. I know it makes ME happy. I see new things each time I look at this gemstone; amazing landscapes, and fantastic colors seem to reflect different features within. The evening sun shines thru, reflecting rich, chatoyant colors, and mysterious places. Trivia Alert! The Dalai Lama often wears Tiger’s Eye Beads. That may, or may not be and important fact, but I love trivia.
Beautiful Marra Mamba pendant.
Beware of False Claims.
I have noticed much of the Australian Tiger Eye on line, being sold as Marra Mamba, is not real Marra Mamba. Buyers must beware.
Ordinary Tiger’s Eye from Australia is somewhat dull as compared to Tiger Eye from South Africa. Tiger Iron from Australia, on the other had, can be very gemmy.
In Conclusion
Tiger Eye is found in many places around the world, but Australia is the only place where Marra Mamba was, and is, found. While Tiger’s Eye is quite common, Marra Mamba is not. I would love to have more Marra Mamba, as would most Lapidarists and Jewelry Makers, but it is quite scarce. Occasionally I exhume a piece from my old rock piles.
I do not believe I can channel all the metaphysical powers of Tiger’s Eye or Marra Mamba, like the Dalai Lama, but making jewelry from Marra Mamba certainly makes me happy.
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.
