I’ve been ahead of the curve as it relates to this isolation. In January, I opted for an Ankle Fusion (not as much fun as it sounds). I was in three different casts in 6 weeks, than a boot for another 6 weeks, now a walking boot. During that time I could not get out and about.
This isolation allowed me to be pretty much home bound in an RV in Florida. You cannot imagine how much jewelry a person can manufacture with so much time. I took the opportunity to up my jewelry game by making not only more jewelry, but more complicated and innovative jewelry.
This blog will be things I’ve made just the past month. All are for sale, but may not be on line or in our show inventory yet. If you are interested in any of these, call or message me.
I love reaching into a vug at one of the Amethyst Mines near Thunder Bay, Ontario, and feeling the sharp points of mud-encrusted Amethyst. Careful prodding and pulling will often dislodge an excellent specimen. this one had set around for a decade in my shop, finally attracting my attention.Condor Agates, from remote mountain areas in Argentina, are some of the most colorful agates on Earth. You have to wade through a lot of Condors to find exceptional ones. This designer cut beauty came out very nice, and sports some remarkable colors and patterns.A couple custom rings were recently made for a couple awesome ladies. The top is a Pink Topaz, while the bottom one is Isle Royale Greenstone with assorted Copper and Silver Beads.Yellow Cat Petrified wood is a rare limb cast wood from Grand County, Utah. Back in the day all of this material was bought up by Tiffany and made into jewelry. Parts of this wood glow green under the UV light. Small amounts at large prices are sometimes found at the major Gemshows in Tucson or Quartzsite.I found this piece of Dinosaur Bone at the Tucson Gen Shows a few years back. I was attracted to it because of the scenic picture, and unusual Agate/D-Bone mix.The top is an Actinolite mix from Canada, and the bottom is extremely rare Oppu Rhodochrosite from Japan. Oppu is easily recognized by its Raspberry color.A Centennial (Mine), blue Datolite and a Silver-Copper Nugget. Centennial Datolite is very rare, and is one of the most coveted varieties of Datolite. This one has so much Copper in it that it has a beautiful pink sheen.I found a large (2 1/2″h x 1 1/2″w) Fordite that had a wavy, gray surface. I thought to just his the high spots of the surface. WOW! How amazing is this? The rear (shown below) is also very fine.The rear of the above Fordite. Hey; I wrapped this one so you can wear either side to the front, as your mood suggests! Ruby in Fuchsite is a beautiful stone primarily from India. The striking combination of red Ruby and pastel green Fuchsite makes this stone very sought after.Under a UV light, the Rubies just glow like fiery embers. Ooooh!I love these little Silver-Copper and Silver Nuggets from Michigan’s Copper Country. They are not so easy to find since many of the waste piles at the Copper mines have been hauled away for road fill. A fun reminder of the Copper Country.A blue, pink, and orange Petoskey Stone. It’s got a lot going on. Chrysocolla, Azurite, and other things combine to make a stunning gemstone.Just a really nice Pink Petoskey with a simple Unisex wrap.Drusy (Druzy) Quartz’s are natural Quartz pockets that are sometimes dyed, sometimes treated with Titanium Vapor Depositions; sometimes both. They’s always popular and attention getting.Chrysoprase is the most expensive member of the Quartz family. Most of the “Prase” is scarfed up by the Asian markets and is known as Australian Jade. It rivals jade in beauty, if you find a fine pure piece, like this one.Big and bold, these Elrathia Kingii Trilobites from Utah, are in my opinion, one of the finest types of Trilobites. Most still have their “cheeks”, and make great jewelry.Lastly a large custom pendant, I made for a special lady. The large Silver-Copper was hers, and I added a large Greenstone and a smaller nugget of silver and copper. This one was over three inches and is a real stunner.
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.
Recovering from ankle surgery has me homebound this winter. The good side is that it has forced me to focus on making many new jewelry pendants.
Having the extra time has also allowed me to make more complicated stone pieces. This blog will concentrate on pendants with multiple pieces. Many of them are hinged so the bottom moves. There are advantages to this configuration. When you sit, stand, or move, the pendant will react and make it more noticeable (and who doesn’t want to be noticed?). There is no reason why everything in life needs to be static. (Man, that’s a pretty profound statement). Enjoy these new artworks, as much as I did making them.
The collection posted features primarily Great Lakes Regional Gemstones, but there are a couple non-Great Lakes Gems in the mix.
An Isle Royale Greenstone with Thomsonite inclusions, was combined with Blue Centennial Datolite. Sorry; this one is sold.
Leland Blue slag glass looks great with flashy crystal CZ’s
I call these Yooperland Specials; The U.P. is Firebrick. The Isle Royale Greenstone (from the Island), and they are all on a Blue Lace Agate base.
From the Kearsarge Lode near Calumet Michigan, this Copper Agate is coupled with Pink Gold Beads. The beads and the Pink Gold in the wrapping, bring out the Copper Inclusions in the Agate.
A petite double Greenstone pendant .One of the best Pink Petoskey Stones I’ve done in a while.
This will be the first part of two or three blogs on new jewelry I’ve made recently. Most of the new ones are for sale on line, or are in our show inventory. If you are interested in any of them call or e-mail us at Snobappealjewelry@yahoo.com.
Are you wondering what Snob Appeal Jewelry Christmas gifts were delivered by Santa this year?
In this blog I wanted to show you what some special people got for Christmas. At our house all the girls received special Abalone Shell Pendants accompanied by the singing of “It’s an Abalone Christmas” to the tune of “It’s a Holly Jolly Christmas”.
It’s an Abalone Christmas, and a great time of the year. Everybody have an Abalone Christmas; this year.
California Abalone shells.
This was great fun!
New Zealand’s famous Paua Shells are arguably the most beautiful and colorful mother of pearl available. You have to wear a mask when cutting these, as the fumes they emit are very toxic. I learned the hard way a few years ago.. I discover this shell shard in the bottom of a bucket of rocks that I had no idea where they came from. A nice surprise I saved for Bonnie.
My favorite girl (aka Bonnie) did not receive an Abalone, but did get a Paua Shell pendant. I consider these beautiful shells, the Cadillac of shells becaue of their fantastic pastel colors and amazing pearlescents. I read recently that the Maori people believe they see the symbolic eyes of ancestors gazing down from the night sky.
Bonnie also got a special pendant from Santa. I have saved the stones for a few years, waiting for the right time to make it and the inspiration. Both of these stones are super special. First comes a three gram Michigan Greenstone from the Phoenix Mine with a fantastic pattern, and second, probably the most fantastically colored yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite, I’ve ever seen. When you say “Canary Yellow”, this one exceeds that description. The best “Points” are found by diving off the tip of the Keweenaw.
WOW! The jewelry makers’s wife owns this beauty.
The pendant is a two-piece unit where the bottom swings from the top. The wrapping was a challenge, but the results were worth it. My jewelry model loved it, and it was one of the first Christmas gift jewelry pieces that was a real surprise for her.
Since we offer the best Michigan Chlorastrolite Greenstones on the web, we sell many of them. Here are some pictures of a few pendants that are being worn by customers wives and girlfriends.
It seems that the Gemstone pendants chosen were very diverse this year. Here are a few of those. We have heard from several happy gifters and giftees.
First, here’s a new 2020 pendant for sale, Remarkable Couple, just off the workbench. A Blue Datolite from the Isle Royale Mine. The Isle Royale cosisted of 14 shafts located in Houghton County (top of the hill past the present day Walmart). Most people associate blue Datolite with the Centennial Mine, but there were other mines that also had blue. This Datolite made friends with a nice North Shore Thomsonite.This was a wierd Fordite that I was inspired to do some creating cutting and wrapping on. A Century Boat Paint from Manistee, I refered to this one as “The Alien”. A whimsical favorite around here, it became a Christmas gift to a lucky lady.A pair representing many Greenstones sold this year as Christmas gifts. The left one is one I found at the Central mine years ago, and the right one is boitrioidal and filled with copper. I’m not sure where I found this one; but both have happy new homes. WOW!Teepee Canyon Agates are close relatives of Fairburn Agates. Arguably they are Fairbun Agates that are still in their matrix. Some old ones I’ve had sported Amethyst, but the nice ones look like this. Someone is now wearing this gift that Santa delivered.
I hope you enjoyed this review of some of the Snob Appeal Jewelry Christmas gifts that went out this year. Didn’t get your favorite? Start shopping now!
Looking back through the year Bonnie has been remembering some of the unique stone pendants that I have created. We miss some of our favorites, but are glad they have gone to new owners. Of the ones that are available, here are some new favorites, Top 7 Stone Pendants (or maybe a bit more)!
Now this was a tough choice. We added three new sets recently, and they are all really nice. Malachite is trendy today and the On Target Malachite Set Sma350 is very cool, but Smooth Sailing Blue Lace Agate Jewelry Set Sbl350 gets my vote today. The pastel blue of Blue Lace Agate is so popular, this set is stately and a useful addition to you jewelry collection.
Waves and Mountains Lake Superior Agateclose up of Waves and Mountain Lake Superior Agate
For rareness, different coloring, and just unique you might choose Banded Steel Iron Lace Pls330. Prefer green in your Laker? My favorite of the year is Waves and Mountains Pls355. For impact, paint agate, pink with banding,
Do you like yours pure dark blue, light blue, or with bits of gray? Again, so many ways to classify your stone. Top rank goes to one paired with a Petoskey Stone and Greenstone beads, making a Michigan Trilogy Pendant Ppe350.
The Weirdest Fossil Pendant
King Family Trilobites Pendant
The Kingii Family Trilobites Ptri350 rises to mind as the most unique fossil ever wire wrapped. We have had doubles before, but triple? It sort of evokes the maternal nature of family life, always together. But what about Wonderful Worm Homes Pendant Psh350? Isn’t it a fossil lovers dream to own a calcereous worm tubes jewelry piece? I almost forgot the large, in your face, amazing pyritized Ammonite. Mastadon Teeth, Dinosaur Bones, Dinosaur Dung also fit in the odd fossil category. It’s so hard to choose! The large Ammonite is my favorite, contact us if you are interested, it is in our show inventory.
Did you love our Top 7 Stone Pendants? If you want more to choose from, in the last two months we have added new pendants to so many places, visit these categories:
Definitions: A Bill is a Legislative Proposal offered for debate before its enactment.
An Act is a Statute, law. or a decision by a Legislative Body.
An Enrolled House Bill is the final copy of a bill or joint resolution that has passed both houses of congress in identical form. An Enrolled House Bill is the document that is eventually signed by the Governor. This is important. I have seen online Posts identifying HB 2297 as the bill that made Petoskey Stones the State Stone of Michigan, but Act No. 89, Public Acts of 1965 is the Legal Authority that made the Petoskey Stone Michigan’s Official State Stone.
All the stones featured in this blog are, or contain Petoskey Stone. Color, Pattern, or Species make no difference. They are all our Official State Stone.
From my archives via an estate sale. This is a rare copy of the Endorsed bill that Gov. Romney signed into Act No. 89 on June 28, 1965
History of Legislation
In 1965 a bill was authored by Representatives- Eugene R. Cater-Ludington and Stanley Powell-Ionia (that being HB2297). This bill was to make the PETOSKEY STONE the official State Stone of Michigan. The legislature passed rapidly through to the Governor’s desk. Act No. 89, of Public Acts of 1965 was signed by Governor Romney on June 28, 1965. This Act made the Petoskey Stone Michigan’s Official State Stone. The Act simply states that the PETOSKEY STONE is the Official State Stone of Michigan. There was no mention of one specific species of Hexagonaria being Michigan’s State Stone. In 1965 there were at least 7 recognized species of Hexagonaria. Now there at at least 9 recognized types of Hexagonaria. By making Act No. 89 general in nature, the Act still applies to newly identified species. There have never been any amendments to Act No. 89, according to State Archives.
This Petoskey Stone is soon to be a pendant
Prior to retirement, I enforced State Laws for 40 years. I have been involved with writing legislation and testifying before a State committee on a couple proposed Bills, helping write one of them. I’m well versed in how the government works, and how Acts and laws are passed. You cannot read into State Legislation what is not there, and this seems to be the case with Act No. 89, PA 1965, where various people; a lot of people; have added information that is not present in the law or Act itself.
Red Matrix over Petoskey StoneYellow Petoskey Stone with a hint of pink, both caused by Iron Staining. The Pink was iron that got into the calcite as the Petoskey Stone Calcified. The yellow was Iron stains at a later date.
Some Things About the Author
I admit that even though I have hunted thousands of pounds of Petoskey Stones over 50 years or so, and sold thousands of pounds of them, I am still not good enough to identify specific species of them. I can pretty much ID a Hexagonaria percarinata because it’s the most common Petoskey Stone I find, and Hexagonaria anna because it’s very large, but the other Hexagonaria usually stump me. To me, as with most, finding a Petoskey Stone is good enough. An article I co-wrote with Dr. George Robinson in Rocks and Minerals (May/June 2013, Vol 88, No. 3) introduced Pink Petoskey Stones to the world. A pink Petoskey that I found and donated to the A.E. Seaman Mineral Museum is now on display in their Michigan Fossil Case.
This is the beautiful palm-sized Pink Petoskey that I found and donated to the Seaman Mineral Museum, and now resides in their Michigan Fossil case.Matrix present, but still a Petoskey Stone.
AboutPetoskey Stones
Some think a Hexgonaria does not become a Petoskey Stone until it has been polished, but commonly the rough waterwashed stones are called Petoskey Stones. The intent of Act 89 was clearly to include the stones people find in random Michigan locations. Some refer to Hexagonaria from other states and localities around the world, as Petoskey Stone. Very simply, the Act NEVER mentions that a particular species of Hexagonaria was the Official State Stone. The bill simply states that the Petoskey Stone is Michigan’s Official State Stone. Most people liked the general nature of Act 89. If you found a Petoskey Stone (Hexagonaria), no matter what species, you still can claim you found an Official State Stone, giving you a happy time feeling. I, as well as most Petoskey Stone Hunters believe that if you find a Michigan fossil of colonial coral with six sides, it’s a Petoskey Stone. This is not really the case, but close enough for me.
In the Geology of Michigan (John A. Dorr, Jr., c1970) he states “Colonial coral fragments eroded from these rocks (the ledges and Devonian Age Reefs) often are found along the beaches of lakes in the Lower Peninsula. When polished by the abrasive action of the waves, these are called “Petoskey stones”.”
Small patterns do not mean this is a baby Petoskey. It simply means that this is a different species. What species? I do not know. No matter the species, it’s still a Petoskey Stone.
Dr. Stumm’s Position
The suggestion that Hexagonaria pericarnata be Michigan’s State Stone. was made by Dr. Erwin C. (Win) Stumm in 1969 (4 years after the State Act was signed into law). Dr. Strumm made this distinction based on his extensive knowledge of fossils. He knew that percarinata was the most common Hexagonaria found in Michigan. Dr. Strumm died on April 24, 1969. He was undoubtedly the leading expert in the world on Devonian Invertabrate fossils at that time. A paper published in 1970, after Stumm’s death. You can read his Corals of the Traverse Group of Michigan Part 13 Hexagonaria and see photos of various species. This is a heavy duty scientific paper.
In the paper, Stumm writes “Hexagonaria percarinata is the famous Petoskey Stone adopted by the legislature as The State Stone of Michigan”. Could it be that Stumm did not know what the State Act said? It was too late to ask him by the time his paper was published.
Just a real nice polished Petoskey Stone
This was all well and good, that Dr Stumm suggested Hexagonaria percarinata was the state stone, but Dr. Stumm did not have the legal authority to change State Legislation. ONLY a lawmaking body can make changes in already passed State Legislation. Act No. 89 of Public Acts of 1965 was never amended. Off and on people have suggested that the historical and common term of Petoskey Stone be more clearly defined. I do not think it should. Take a look at the photos in his paper. Would you know the difference in species, when you pick up a Petoskey Stone?
Act 89 has never been changed, therefore the Petoskey Stone remains Michigan’s Official State Stone designation-NOT Hexagonaria percarinata. People have been told, by so called experts, that what they found was NOT a Petoskey Stone, because it was not a Hexagonaria percarinata. Is Hexagonaria percarinata a Petoskey Stone? Yes it is; but so are many other Hexagonaria species.
Just because Stumm stated that Hexagonaria percarinata was his selection as the State Stone, it did not make it so. Shortly after Stumm made his statement, false information started to appear that somehow Hexagonaria percarinata became the Official State Stone. Not the case friends, no change in the law took place.
Today, you may read on the web; Petoskey Stone-(Hexagonaria percarinata) this and Petoskey Stone-(Hexagonaria percarinata) that, whenever Michigan’s State Stone is mentioned. The term (Hexagonaria Percarinata) always seems to be in parenthesis, following Petoskey Stone on the web, and in print. I’ve never seen an Official State document that has parenthesis in it. This is a dead giveaway that someone just added this information later. In a legal document. parenthesis are never used. It is impossible to track down when exactly placing (Hexagonaria Percarinata) after Petoskey Stone became common practice, but it did.
I really think it is way too late to do anything about the proliferation of mis-information on the web, and many other places, but certainly the facts are the facts. I come from a prior life of Incident Reports, legal docs, Investigations,and facts. (“Just the facts, ma’am.”) If you can convince me I’m incorrect in what I write, feel free to let me know.
If someone tells you that Hexagonaria percarinata is the State Stone, You are welcome to show the copy of Act 89, PA 1965 that is posted in this blog. Ask them where in this Michigan Act, it says anything about Hexagonaria percarinata?
Some of you may doubt what I have written is true, but the evidence and facts are readily available. Check the facts yourself. It’s unfortunate so many people believe what they read on the Internet without checking the facts.
I have a good track record in identifying rocks and minerals, especially from the Great Lakes area. I’m not a know-it-all type person, but I have seen a lot of rocks and minerals in my day. Our website is an example of the variety of stones we use.
This is the back side, showing where the bottom is connected and how the botton swings. The bottom shows to be crooked, but that’s just the way I set it down.
I generally do not use common jewelry store gems; ours are usually much more rare. My rock club friends, and others, will ask me to attempt an ID for them.
At our recent Club Show a random shopper was referred to me by another club member to identify some odd looking stones. She had an old bracelet from a garage sale; the stones falling off a base metal finding. I identified the stones as Thomsonite from the North Shore of Superior. Most of the cabs were small rounds, but the main cab was a very unusual, pastel Thomsonite, sporting a red banding not unlike a Lake Superior Agate.
Closeup of the beautiful Greenstone//Thomsonite beads, the link visually tying the two large stones together.
I asked her what she was going to do with the stones (I was not interested in the metal, which looked like it came from the kids table), as they were loose in a bag. She decided to swap the stones for a bracelet we were selling. Sometimes a stone calls me to create jewelry immediately, and this was the case with this Thomsonite. It was so unusual for a Thomsonite, at first glance I though it was an agate.
I knew what I was going to do with the main stone when I traded for it. The only concern was the stability of the Thomsonite. The stone was thick, and Thomsonite is fairly brittle with an iffy crystal structure at times. Thomsonite does not tolerate harmonic vibrations, and requires careful cutting, grinding, and polishing.
First I used a 4″ ProSlicer high speed saw blade. ProSlicers are thin, for cutting valuable material. I used a .012 blade to cut the Thomsonite. Water and a couple drops of coolant are a must. I carefully sliced the Thomsonite, but a small piece broke off, turning a round stone into one with a flat side. The majority of the gemstone remained intact. I’d rather a gemstone break early in the process. I can’t begin to count the stones I’ve rejected over the years, because they did not live up to my standards. In many cases a customer would not even know there was a problem, BUT I DO. I refuse to sell substandard jewelry.
After a Thomsonite was sliced, the breakage can still occur. Grinding wheels must be broken in and only the soft wheels on the Genie or Pixie (lapidary machines) can be used (remember the harmonic issue?). Happily, the grinding and polishing turned out well.
The Thomsonite could have been a stand-alone pendant, but I love to upgrade if I can. In this case the upgrade was an gorgeous Isle Royale Greenstone, collected off the island 50 years ago; swinging from the bottom of the Thomsonite. This Thomsonite and Greenstone Pendant turned out amazing. If a pendant turns out amazing, I feel amazing, and I know the customer will feel amazing! Life is good!
It turns out identifying a random baggie of garage sale stones could be reworked to something stunningly beautiful! You can own and love the finished product! Visit our Thomsonite page today!
If you have followed my blogs over the years, you should have noticed many are about Isle Royale Greestones. I am amazed by orders from all over the country for cabochons, pendants, and earrings. How do these people know about these rare, one-source gemstones?
Many people have visited Isle Royale National Park, and know these stones can be found on the Island, but park regulations do not allow collecting Greenstone, as well as other specifically listed rocks and minerals. Having said this, the National Park Service policies have changed over the years in regards to picking up Greenstone. Isle Royale Greenstone have actually been protected since isle Royale National Park was estabished in April of 1940. There are individuals, even today, that harvest a few Greenstones while visiting Isle Royale. I guess my personal feeling is neutral on this subject, but they could pay a price if caught.
The Park service looked the other way, back in the day, when visitors picked up a few Greenstones on the beaches. Tiny little Greenstone, although fairly tough, were eventually ground up by the mighty Lake Superior, so why not let a few go home as mementos. The problem came with commercial Greenstone expeditions, where thousands of Greenstone were harvested by divers or “professional pickers”, and sold on the mainland for massive profit. The park service cracked down on these greedy private business collectors, and began enforcing the collecting rules that were always on the books. Today, there is a strict and enforced policy against removal of certain Gemstones and Copper from Isle Royale.
Over the years, I often have conversations with customers about old rock collections from decades ago. The collections are sometimes discovered by heirs in basements, garages, or sheds. My ears perk up at the sound of “grandpa’s old rocks”. Last year I bought an old Greenstone collection that was stored in a barn for fifty years, the rockhound that collected them was remembered by the jewelry he made, but some stones remained.
I am an obcessed person when it comes to cutting and polishing Greenstone. I try to limit myself to 100-150 of them for marathon cutting and polishing (I can oly average 4 Greenstones an hour). I’ll select the beach tumbled stones from my stash, throw them in my redneck bowl (CoolWhip), and take them to my shop to flatten the backs for Dopping. FYI; the rough Copper-Greenstone, featured in the opening blog photo, is at 12 O’clock in the bowl. I thought it was just a Thomsonite-included stone. There was no indication it had Copper in it until it was cut (with me smiling).After the backs are flattened, I push them, flat side up, into that crispy Styrofoam used for making wreaths. Sometimes I get lucky, and am able to get broken scraps.
Finishing Isle Royale Greenstones
Whenever the urge presents itself, or my inventory depletes, I decide to have a Greenstone production week. Production usually involves sorting out stones for both pendants and earrings. Earrings are generally sorted for color, size, and quality AFTER the Stones have been dopped, cut and polished, and removed from the dopsticks.
Depending on the size, pendant stones may or may not need to be dopped. Dopping involves gluing or hot waxing a stone to a wooden stick, a nail or a screw, to allow safe cutting without the skin touching the diamond imbedded wheels of the Lapidary Machine. Some bleeding is often present even though the stones are Dopped. I tell Bonnie, that a little blood on the stone improves the polish (NOT). I do heal fast. Some of my cutting and polishing of Greenstone methods I keep under wraps, but standard methods work well for most. I may continue, starting with how I remove the stones from the Dopsticks, and proceed from there.
A tiny Greenstone, from the Jeremy Graham collection, I recently wire wrapped for him. An unusual yellowish-green Island stone with Thomsonite inclusions.. Many times good things come in small packages.
Greenstone Quality
Island Stones are usually superior to Keweenaw stones in all respects. They generally harder and the pattern goes completely through the stone. The pattern most often, is a finer pattern, and often the color is a pale sage green. Because of the hardness of the Island material, Isle Royale Greenstone take a super deluxe polish. You can read more about the colors and inclusions in Greenstone in the Snob Blog article, The Shades and Patterns of Greenstone (Chlorastrolite).
Island Stones make wonderful stud earrings due to the fine pattern that is usually present. Isle Royale stones cost a little more money, but are lovely.
Another phenomena of Island stones is their color variations; some are so unusual you can have doubts that they are actually Chlorastrolite.
Ledge Agate, Keweenaw Agate or Brockway Mountain Agate
Keweenaw Seam Agate (SISU required)
SISU is a Finish word we hear often in the Upper Peninsula. It means going beyond ones’ Mental or Physical threshold. Most Lake Superior Agates are fairly easy to harvest, but Keweenaw Ledge agates require quite a bit of digging, pounding, and more digging and pounding work, to obtain. They require a lot of SISU to harvest.
Rocks and Trees are not an issue with SISUIn the SISU zone (2013)
On a previous blog (circa 2013) I showed the adventures digging ledge agates from the base of Brockway Mountain. A type of paint Lake Superior Agate, found mostly south of Copper Harbor, and not well known. I found a pocket of red chunks of agate in a secret hole. When I got home, I put these buckets of Keweenaw Agate in my barn to work on “later” and they rose to the top when Bonnie was cleaning and neatening out there recently. I didn’t have time to work with them right away, but one piece was so unusual it went right to the saw. Of the many Ledge Agates I have cut and seen, I have not seen one like this agate. Ledge Agates are pretty unique, but this one goes beyond unique
The back side of this Keweenaw Seam Agate is fairly mundane.The front is really amazing. Like the big lake is has waves and mountains.A close look reveals evidence of tubes, surrounded by red agate “eyes”The green/ blue is probably a Chlorite deposition within the silica.
Keweenaw Agates are generally opaque with a porcelain surface, and little or no fortification banding. This particular agate had those attributes, and also eyes surrounded by red agate. The base color of the agate is reddish, but it also had green in it, indicating a chlorite deposition in the agate. I cut it and made a pendant as you can see here. I am hopeful that as I rummage through these buckets of seam agate I will find other nice pieces from this lucky pocket.
It took 5 or 6 years to show you Keweenaw Agate from this hunt, but hopefully I’ll find more good stuff to show you later. I probably missed some of the nuances in this stone. Feel free to comment at whatever link source you got here from.
When Bonnie comes to the shop all excited, it usually means she wants to show me something.
I was polishing a batch of Petoskey Stones when she appeared to tell me it was raining and all the my Greenstone-infested mine rocks were lit up with Greenstone. I had only a small pile of rubble outside that I have been working Greenstones out of them, off and on. Most of these rocks only have small Greenstone in them, and those I keep for teacher specimens. Sometimes a larger Greenstone may appear, and sometimes I see what appears to be a small Greenstone, and it turns out it’s really a big Greenstone. Let’s take a look:
Some of my tailings pile rock appears to be full of Greenstone, but it is full of, what most Greenstone hunters call “Half-baked Greenstone” or “Greenstone wannabes”. This material is dark and soft, showing no pattern. The wannabes usually occur in softer mine rock, whereas the good Greenstone occurs in hard rock (hard rock=hard greenstone). I’ve included a picture of this Half-baked material. This softer material may contain Chlorastrolite, but is mostly Chlorite. Unfortunately, like most of my fellow Greenstone hunters, I wasted a lot of time, over the years, on this half-baked dull junk. Not every green stone is our beloved gemstone Greenstone!
Soft, dark green Chlorite (Possibly with some Chlorastrolite) often inhabits soft mine waste.
Today I found one rock that I could see had a Greenstone poking out from the surface. I thought, based on my experience, that I might be able to break the rock open, and the little Greenstone might pop out. I whacked that mine rock and I broke that small Greenstone right in half. IT WAS A BIG-UN! I don’t mind at all that the stone broke in half. Now I can make two Greenstones!
The additional nodule shows some promise also.
This particular Greenstone has a center filled with some type of Zeolite. Often the Zeolites in Greenstones is soft and rotten, but this stone seems to be solid. The extraction now involves carefully cutting out the stones. More work, but the rewards may be worth the extra effort. Based on the thousands of these I’ve cut, I will not get real excited unless the final gemstone is finished and really is a worthy Gemstone.
Because of my workload right now, I cannot show you a finished piece and we don’t know if it’s a winner or a loser. The end of this story will have to wait…sorry!
to be continued
“You can’t count on a Greenstone Gem until the finished stone comes off the polisher”-Don Reed 2019
