Bonnie was the Greenstone Queen on a recent collecting trip to the Keweenaw.
The Greenstone Queen hold some of her best ones.
I was scheduled to demonstrate wire-wrapping for a couple days at the awesome Copper World in Calumet. I really enjoy making jewelry and visiting with customers, many of them old friends after purchasing Snob Appeal Jewelry over the years. Bonnie went digging Michigan Greenstones (chlorastrolite) while I was busy at CW.
You never know what you have when it comes to Greenstones in the rough. She did dig up quite a few suspects. We went out together the next day and she again out-hunted me.
The spoil piles where we used to just find nice Greenstones left and right are mostly gone, being crushed up for road fill. Right now much of the crushed rock is being used for logging operations. Isle Royale Greenstones, particularly good ones, are getting much harder to find every year. We are just thankful we still have some for sale. I have also noted that these rare Gemstones are not only popular in the Upper Peninsula, but we have sold them to customers in several States. I think some savvy people are noting that these little green beauties are one of the most extraordinary gemstones on earth.
Here is the almost finished Greenstone.
I came home and cut out stones. Most were small with varying quality. Bonnie did find one Quarter sized stone that had a thin, but perfectly patterned layer. I carefully worked this stone to develop its’ pattern. Cutting Greenstones is exceptionally challenging. You have to know precisely when to stop or you will cut right through the pattern. There is a razor thin line between a perfect cut and a worthless stone. Slow and careful is the secret.
After a slight re-cut for balance, I finished this one. Pretty nice!
I ended up with a very fine, chatoyant beauty, of 4 grams. The biggest Greenstone she has ever found, and a real showpiece.
I re-cut the cab slightly to make it more uniform, than wrapped it in Pink Gold and Gold Gold. The Greenstone’s huntress was very happy.
I also found two very large Greenstones with Pink Prehnite inclusions that I purchased. These two stones came off Isle Royale between 1932 and 1942, before Isle Royale was a National Park.
At 8 grams each, these are museum sized beauties with a good story. You seldom find anything like this anymore.
I was told that the area where these were found is buried under a path that the National Park created. The stones were found by a family that rented cabins on the island back in the day. Somebody is going to acquire some nice Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry when I wrap these.
Bonnie done those Greenstones proud. You gotta love a woman that doesn’t mind getting dirty, and looks good doing it.
Not much of a city anymore, but hopping during the Copper Era.