Tag Archives: chlorastrolite

Why is Don so busy?

The first day of the month came and went and I failed to post a new blog! I apologize for my tardiness, but it’s been unbelievably busy around the shop.

One of my projects was this new Secret Gem-Extracting Set-up, shared with you here for the very first time. Many Michigan Greenstone matrix rocks were hammered here in the last month. Some other folks even tested this slick set-up.

This is my Redneck Gem Extracting Device. Comprised of an old, bent Cadillac Wheel, a Granite Table Top, a Cheap Chair, a leveling “system” for the chair, and some broken patio blocks so the cheap chair doesn’t sink into the porous ground.

A Greenstone-Infested Rock to break.

Here’s one I got!

Another project involves getting ready for our move to the Southwest for the winter–getting lapidary equipment and stones aboard the RV. Bonnie says I have to “limit” what I take to make jewelry from, but it’s hard to chose. The new bead drilling machine requires tumble polished rocks to drill, and I loaded up 50# of beautiful Lake Superior Agates, 25# of Isle Royale Greenstone (Chlorastrolite), 5# of gorgeous, old stock, polished Thomsonite pebbles, and of course, some small polished Petoskey Stones. The Petoskeys will be easy to drill, and the others all have different challenges. I’ve never used the new bead driller, so there will be a learning curve.

I have a rock tumbling system that runs three 12# barrels of stone at one time, but still it has taken me three months to get these little beauties ready for drilling.

Finished, ready to drill.

Are these Thomsonite great, or what?

Screen and rinse before polish. The secret here is to take your time and make sure ALL the grit is off the stones before they are polished.

Finished polish on these Greenstone, sort out the non-Greenstone stuff and I’m good to go.

The custom Christmas orders are appearing in the mailbox, as well as customers purchasing Greenstone cabochons for their jewelers to make jewelry for them. The very old stock Greenstones actually from Isle Royale see popular lately..Bonnie is working on posting several more shortly.

I’ve created several fine Greenstone jewelry pieces for customers, but it is my policy not to post pictures of these until after they are gifted.

This month I’ll just show you my work of the past few months in preparation for winter bead drilling. Some of the Greenstone cabs I’m showing will be on the website soon, or you can call or E-Mail, and I’ll flag the stone for you.

It’s great to keep busy, but there are days when I’m just too busy. I think right now my head is still above water, and I hope it continues. Wish me luck.

Hunting Michigan Greenstones

GREENSTONES GALORE

Thirty years ago things were different in the Keweenaw. Rock hunting sights were plentiful, and hunting was good. Today rock hunting areas are scarce, as mine spoil piles are bought up to be crushed and sold for road fill. Often logging companies purchase the piles to crush and use for logging roads. It seems to me that the Keweenaw has been pilfered of all its soil-based resources, and what is especially disturbing is that the whole area is a national historic park.

I’m setting on the base of what once was a pile of rubble far higher then full grown trees.

Much of the history of the Copper Country revolves around the mining of copper. With the disappearance of the mine waste piles, the history of the area is that much harder to experience and visualize. Most of what is left is privately owned and off limits to rock hounds, except a few times a year when sponsored events are arranged where mine owners are reimbursed for rock hounds hunting their piles.

We travel the Keweenaw every August for art shows at Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor and our retail outlet Copper World in Calumet. (Lake Superior Magazine listed Copper World at the top Michigan gift shop for the sixth year in a row! (It is great to be represented at such a fine store).

At the campground, sorting what to take and what to leave. We really could not tell until we washed the mud off them.

Took these home. I will either cut them out or hammer them out.

What Greenstone look like after being extracting from the mine rock.

Often Greenstone have fallen out of the rocks and can be found just laying on the ground or in the piles.

If you want to hunt Greenstones or other copper-related minerals currently two organized rock hunt opportunities are available, arranged by the Seaman Mineral Museum, and by the Copper Country Rock Club. The groups arrange to have the mine waste piles bulldozed and participants who have paid the fee get to have first look at trying to find a new treasure that has been buried for decades (or eons) and brought to the surface by the bulldozer.Â Â We have participated in many of these hunts over the years. Sometimes they are worthwhile and sometimes they are a disappointment.

Clearly there is Copper in this one.

Rain is the rock hounds friend, rinsing the dirt off the rock that was stirred up in the recent few weeks of organized hunts. This year we were able to go hunting between art shows on a couple of rainy days. We were successful in finding greenstones, datolite, prehnite, and native copper. Often we pick up muddy things that look of interest, and after cleaning may turn out to be wonderful finds. And sometimes a promising rock is disappointing. You often don’t know what you have until you do the lapidary work.

Dopping begins the grinding and polishing process. I use, nails, screws, rivets and glue the stones on to the Dops. Others use dopping wax.

Keweenaw Greenstones are especially tricky, they may have no pattern, or they may break apart. What appears to be a fine Greenstone, as you work it, may in fact be hollow; you have something, than you have nothing. Working Michigan State Gem Greenstones to their maximum potential takes a gentle hand, and lots of patience. When polishing a large stone I get excited if it has a great alligator pattern and a chatoyant surface. The other thing about greenstones is that it dictates how it can be cut. Sometimes the pattern layer is so thin, that you have to know when to stop grinding. YouÂ may or may not be able to eliminate inclusions that distract from a perfect stone. Â Those I give to teachers that teach Earth Sciences. Only experience tells you if you have the stone perfect, or if you can make it better. They are a uniquely difficult gemstone to get right, and in general the highest quality GreenstonesÂ can be pricey.Â Many greenstones must be cut before I get a one that has the qualities expected in a gem. If you have a large stone you want to have polished, be sure to have someone cut it that has experienced in cutting Greenstones. I’ve seen $1000 Greenstones ruined because the person cutting it did not know what they were doing. I liken some Greenstones to Fire Agate; You have to know when to stop, and there is no room for error.

Another truth is that Most Michiganders have never personally seen an Isle Royale Greenstone, and I have been asked things like “is that a Green Petoskey Stone?” or they’ll say things like “I found one of them on Lake Michigan” NOT! One of these , usually small stoned, would never survive the glacial transportation. A picture does not do justice to the lovely, silky, Chatoyancy or Michigan’s State Gemstone. You have to see one in person to appreciate it. They’re like an alligator wearing a shear silky robe.

This is a “Broll”. It’s made my life easier. Do a search if you are interested; it’ll save me answering a bunch of questions. This picture was takenon a Petoskey Stone Hunt.

Bonnie always takes home a couple garden rocks, and our Broll is a handy tool for carrying rocks back to the car. For those who haven’t seen one, you can see and buy a Broll online; we take it on all our rock hunts.

A beautiful Thomsonite flowered Greenstone from the Phoenix Mine.

People look for us at the art shows and bring something that they have found to have a special piece of jewelry made for them. Cutting their rocks and making their jewelry keeps me busy for a while.

Even though gemstone hunting is not what it once was, we still enjoy our trips. The art shows, natural beauty, wonderful sunsets, rock hunts, pasties, Vollwerth’s hot dogs, and monk’s muffins all contribute to a vacation atmosphere while we are doing our work!

The Shades and Patterns of Greenstone (Chlorastrolite)

Every one of these are made from Island Stones.

Greenstone (Chlorastrolite) is the State Gem of Michigan. They are only found in the Keweenaw Peninsula and on Isle Royale (harvesting Greenstones in Isle Royale National Park is prohibited), with a few rolling up on North Shore beaches. These are known facts about Greenstone; but did you know that Greenstones can be many shades of green and contain many types of inclusions?

I thought, in this month’s blog, it might be fun to show you some of the uncounted associated minerals that can be found with Greenstone. I am mostly covering the more common inclusions, but I’ll show you some uncommon inclusions also. The Greenstones were all in my possession at one time, and are from my photo collection after years of Greenstone picking and collecting.

When I write about Greenstones colors, patterns, and inclusions I am speaking of an “average” stone. If I write something in my blog on the subject of Greenstones, someone may comment to the effect that what I wrote is not always the case. “Not always the case” is one of the laws of Greenstone, as well as many Rocks and minerals of Lake Superior.

Greenstone with Silver

Greenstone with Copper. Notice very little pattern to this dark Chlorastrolite.

Rough Greenstone; Some included and some not.

Included with Thomsonite, Calcite, Copper, Datolite

Just when I think I’ve seen it all, there’s something different. Lake Superior Agates, Datolite, Prehnite, Thomsonite, and many other minerals from this area are famous for their surprises.

Greenstones from Isle Royale, in general (remember) are a lighter shade of green than those found in the Keweenaw. Isle Royale Greenstones most likely will be solidly patterned all the way through the stones, and require less skill than cutting a Keweenaw Greenstone that may have the chatoyant alligator pattern in a very thin layer, which is easily cut through. Cutting Keweenaw Greenstone is, many times, more like “erasing” the bad spots, rather than actually grinding. These Keweenaw stones may contain annoying little black dots that definitely do not enhance a Greenstone. I seldom see these dark inclusions in Isle Royale Stones. I have never been clear whether these spots are Chlorite or actually Chlorastrolite. There are other unwanted flaws that can occur in Greenstone; some I deal with, others, forget it. Only experience in Greenstone cutting can help you determine what you can deal with, and what you can’t. I could write a whole book on cutting Greenstones. Only by cutting thousands of these little buggers can you develop some expertise. You must, unfortunately, learn by your mistakes. Making mistakes was a lot easier to take years ago, when Greenstones were easier to find and far less expensive that they are today. I can never answer the question “How do you cut a Greenestone?”. The answer always boils down to the particular Greenstone you are cutting.

Island Greenstones in matrix.

Tumbling these Greenstones from Islae Royale allows weeding. Notice the Thomsonite Inclusions on may little Greenstones.

OK, I got off track there a little bit. The point I wanted to make is not only are there good inclusions in Greenstone, but there are bad ones also.

Now lets look at some of the inclusions that really enhance a Greenstone. Coming from the Copper Country, an inclusion you might expect in Greenstone is Copper. Chlorastrolite filled the small voids in the amydaloidal basalt, as does most of the minerals found in the copper country. Rarely found together, the Copper and Greenstone are so beautiful together. On a rare occasion we may even find a Greenstone with Silver in it.

Greenstone floating in Calcite with Included Copper.

Some Greenstone is almost white.

Datolite is another Copper Associated mineral that often in found in Greenstone, plain white Datolite is common, but other Datolite colors, especially pink, are also seen. Pink Datolite is always caused by micro-Copper in Datolite.

Greenstone with a heart of Thomsonite.

Greenstone in Thomsonite’s ugly cousin Natrolite.

Thomsonite, my favorite Zeolite, is found in Greenstone. You can tell Thomsonite from Datolite by it’s silky, chatoyant, look. Datolite will be more porcelinious without a silky shine. Thomsonite in Greenstone can be pink or white.

A whole garden of flowery Thomsonite.

Chlorite specks mean the Greenstone needs more work to remove them.

Copper and Silver specks in this one.

Could this be Chlorastrolite replacement of Calcite? It sure looks like it to me. The pink is Prehnite.

Greenstone containing Calcite Crystals.

Calcite is probably the most common inclusion, or you might say Greenstone is included in Calcite most of the time we see it together. When I see Greenstone in more clear Calcite, it seems to float as islands on top of the calcite. I love the three-dimensional look that is seen in Greenstone in Calcite. Commonly when Chlorastrolite is seen in Calcite, the Greenstone looks like dark, black-green lilypads instead of the more classic alligator-like pattern common to the gem. I like the lilypad look myself, but the stones do not fetch the price of a patterned Greenstone.

I have seen tiny Calcite crystals floating within the Greenstone also. It’s very nice when that happens, but most buyers of my Greenstone jewelry do not understand the rarity of this phenomenon.

$Greenstone with Cuprite is so rare it baffled the experts at the Seaman Mineral Museum\.$

Greenstone with Cuprite is so rare it baffled the experts at the Seaman Mineral Museum\.

On one occasion, I found bright red Cuprite on Greenstone. I never should have sold that one, as I’ve never seen another like it. It amazed the Director of the Seaman Mineral Museum.

Lastly I want to address the coloration and patterns of Greenstone. Greenstones can range from almost white to olive green to dark forest green. Sometimes Greenstones are so dark you’d swear they were black.

A dark Greenstone from the Central Mine. Notice the larger alligator pattern.

A dark alligator from the Central Mine.

The patterns in Greenstones vary from large alligator to tiny alligator, to dark islands, to hardly any pattern at all. I’ve seen tiny donut circles, to shimmery flower-like chatoyant circles, to just a hint of pattern. When we find an obvious Greenstone without pattern we refer to it as a “Greenstone wanna-be”. Every round pebble on a spoil pole is green, so we pick them all up, perhaps tumble them overnight in 220, and look at the batch in the morning. The Greenstones will survive, but the Chlorite balls will not.

A big. bold Greenstone with Pink prehnite from Isle Royale in the 1940’s.

A Boytrioidal Greenstone from Isle Royale. Notice the unusual green coloration.

A beautiful Island stone in mysterious green.

I’ve been cutting and polishing Greenstones for many years, and have enjoyed the differing colors and patterns in Greenstones; not all Greenstones are equal. My hope is by informing you of these details, you can come to appreciate one of the rarest gemstones on Earth. Greenstones continue to amaze and surprise me, but unfortunately the sources are diminishing.

This would be a very nice Greenstone except it contains unwanted inclusions of Chlorite. After a bit more work, this one became a real beauty.

A simple wire wrap is sometimes best.

Back in mining days, the miners never had a clue that their discarded rubble contained the lovely gem material that today is being crushed and hauled away for road fill. It’s exponentially harder today to find a nice Greenstone in the Keweenaw than it was a decade ago.

I loved this Datolite and Greenstone Pendant.

Explore our wide selection of Greenstone Cabochons, Greenstone Pendants and Greenstone Earrings as well as other jewelry from Keweenaw Minerals.

Greenstone Pendant Marathon

I especially like the old Isle Royale material.

My fully dressed Greenstone Army.

When we went on our road trip to Tucson via Florida last October, I, of course, took our jewelry. I took also a few hundred Chlorastrolite Greenstone Cabochons. We also took a few cases of random cabs to wrap. I’ll show you some new jewelry from the random cabs later, but right now let’s look at some Michigan Greenstones.

After flattening the backs, they are ready for dopping.

I have to be in the right frame of mind to wrap little Greenstones. I scheduled 4 days and put together 25 new GS Pendants. All of these mini-pendants fit in small 1″ plastic containers. I use custom made mini-tools to work these. The stones range from 1″ to 1 3/4″ diameter. Many of them are from old stones collected on Isle Royale many years ago. A few of them even have pink Thomsonite inclusions, like you see in the top photo.

My little greenstone army standing at attention.

I cannot say that these are easily made, but I do not dislike making them. I know how many people love and wear these miniature gemstones. Many of these pendants will be put up on line, others will be sold at art shows, or at Copper World in Calumet. Often people like to buy just the cabochon and have someone they know make it into a special ring for them. They are a perfect size and can be seen close up when they are in a ring.

Sorting the stones takes place at several stages, looking for the best. As I flatten one side I look for the most promising side to be polished. Then they get glued to nails or dop sticks. I use small nails for the smallest ones and glue them on the heads. Polishing seems to be a production line effort also. I have to be careful with the pressure on the wheels or my little Greenstone shoots off to Neverland. My shop is sort of a Black Hole where many stones disappear. My wife really enjoys when I ask her to search around on the shop floor looking under the workbench for my missing treasure. The whole business of polishing rocks consists of creating mud, and dirt that ends up on the workroom floor. Every once in a while I may find a cabochon I was working on a couple years ago, but I’d rather not lose any valuable Greenstones.

Greenstone cutting and wrapping has ceased at the moment in deference to recent purchases I made in Quartzite, Tucson, and Deming.

It's fun to pick just the right ones for wrapping.

I hope you enjoy my new Greenstone army.

Greenstone, Lake Superior Agates, and Custom Jewelry

I have been working on custom orders that mostly came from shows we did in the Upper Peninsula. These projects are always fun, as customers bring in Agates, Greenstones, and other U.P. rocks with ideas for jewelry.

The sister's Greenstones

After sitting in a drawer for 25 years, a pair of small Greenstones were rescued by Katherine and Judy. The Greenstones were already cut and polished, but needed a little extra work and TLC to bring them up to the standards they deserved. These lively sisters (and long-time customers) brought these stones to me and requested a wrap with “all gold and a fancy top”. A nice size for a Greenstone pendant, they converted into gorgeous jewelry . I love doing jewelry that has sentimental value, and these were not the only pieces of this nature I made this trip.

A custom piece for Nancy. Lake Superior Agate

Our buddy Nancy and her family have been long time lovers of our jewelry. She annually brings Lakers, and other interesting local gemstones, in for me to evaluate and make into pendants or polish. Nancy’s husband found what looked like a rather ordinary Lake Superior Agate (although large for a local stone), but when I cut the stone, it turned out to be a fantastic surprise. The reason the Lake Superior Agate is my favorite gemstone is the wide variations in pattern, colors, and types. The stone Nancy gave me was a mostly white, crack free, laker. I (and Nancy) were delighted with this stone. What makes this one special is the sentimental value that her husband actually found it. A great project. Thanks Nancy.

Shirley's Greenstone Geode. This one 1 3/4" across. I cannot believe someone would glue this in a spoon.

Our long-time friend Shirley has one of the most eclectic collections of my jewelry. She believes in supporting local artists, and loves U.P. rocks and minerals. I have fun sometimes in my shop when I see a certain stone, cut it, and immediately get a feeling that Shirley would like this stone. I make a pendant and when I get to a show where I know Shirley will appear immediately when the show opens, so I hide this special pendant (in plain sight) in my local pendant case. Shirley’s sharp eye and discrimination tastes, invariably spots this special pendant. The next time I see it, it’s around her neck.

This year she found a Greenstone Geode at another booth. The vendor had made a pendant with the stone glued into a spoon. I know, why would anyone do this? Shirley wanted me to free the Greenstone from the spoon and make a pendant from it. I had fun making a big, bold pendant. She likes Big, Bold, Pendants; she was very pleased with the finished results. This is a real one-of-a-kind..

Greenstone in matrix I found at a vendor booth.

The Greenstone pendant I made from that rock.This pendant is almost 3" tall. That's a biggun folks.

I found another Greenstone, entrapped in matrix, at the same vendor’ booths, and made a cash exchange with him. I put together a unisex pendant, and expect to wear it myself until someone makes me an offer I can’t refuse.

Before we went to the Keweenaw, I took a side trip to Canada to look at a rock collection. I bartered jewelry (plus some cash) for some of this large collection. One of the rocks was gorgeous;

A close-up view of a beautiful, odd, mystery rock. If you know what this is, let me know.

green and white in color, and even though it has been posted on the Lapidary Facebook site, no one has positively ID’s it. I made a pendant for John, the collection’s owner, and will make more jewelry in the future. My Facebook friends are hovering to get some of this stuff, but I think I will retain the 7 or 8 slabs I have until it is positively ID’d. It has the chatoyancy of Victoria Stone, and the color and starlike quality of chlorastrolite, but much bigger. Some of the material in this collection was obtained 75 years ago, so no telling what this is. It has been a fun research though.

Bonnie's Garden.

Amethyst in a salmon colored Laker. I called this one "Samethyst"

Our 36th Wedding Anniversary was last month. In honor of that and Bonnie’s love of gardening, I created a U.P. Thomsonite Pendant that I called “Bonnie’s Garden”. It is now in her private collection.

I have to show you a couple Laker’s I recently completed for our inventory. One is a red and white “Candy Striper” which is always a popular color combo, and one a rare Salmon colored Laker with Amethyst. Every amethyst Lake Superior Agate necklace I do sells as soon as I put it out!

It is not too early to start thinking of Christmas, especially if you have custom work for me. Now is the time to get your special stone to me; so I have time to do it justice.

Now is also the time to check out this website for special Christmas gifts.

There is so much happening right now with our business. We have grown every year, and expect 2014 will be no different. We try to treat our customers as friends, and if you order from us, like our website and/or like us on Facebook, you too can be kept up to date on all our adventures and jewelry. Let me know if I can do anything for you.

A "Candy Stripe" Laker with tubes.

Greenstone Hunting Plus Fun and Funny Adventures

Chris Cooper makes a tool he calls a "Slammer". It is much more precise, easier, and lighter than a sledge hammer. I love it.

Our current trip to the Keweenaw Peninsula is fun filled with hunting rocks and gemstones that I can make jewelry from, Wire wrapping demonstrations at our retail outlet, Copper World, in Calumet, and art shows in Eagle Harbor and Copper Harbor.

The awesome Copper World

The awesome Copper World hosted me for a couple days, and honestly we were selling jewelry as fast as I could make it. I love chatting with the tourists and locals about Copper Country jewelry and the local rocks and minerals that my pendants are made from. You can always tell the locals (they actually know what Datolite is) and we know many of them that are faithful customers year after year.

Doing my job at CW.

Greenstone (Chlorastrolite) is one of our staples on our website and here in the U.P. We have been concentrating on finding some of this rare gemstone the past couple days, but it is just not easy to find many good gemstones anymore. The good spoil piles from the copper era have been gradually crushed and hauled off for road fill. It is all very depressing. We were signed up this week for a paid hunt at the Central Mine, but it was cancelled because crushers and equipment have been moved in to destroy and remove the piles.

The impossibly rare Blue Datolite from Centennial #2 flies out of the display case at Copper World.

Wouldn't you think there were some Greenstones in this pile of poor rock? They are so hard to fine.

I think these waste piles are an historic treasure in the Keweenaw, and when they are gone, so is the history of them. The Seaman Mineral Museum (Michigan’s Official State Mineral Museum) sponsors hunts this week in an event called the Copper Country Mineral Retreat. We pay for heavy equipment to stir up the piles we have rented from the landowners. Treasures in them are then searched out.

This little bag of Greenstone suspects might produce a couple good ones.

Jacob's Falls

Also we went to the Jam Pot, a bakery run by the Monks (yes real Monks), between Eagle Harbor and Eagle River. We got there at 2pm, thinking there would be a good selection left..NOT. They were pretty much sold out of all their famous, big, tasty muffins. I have withdrawls for Carrot Raisin Muffins. Bonnie found sone Hermit Cookies and some Apricot Muffins, and I found the amazingly decadent rum soaked brownies with raisins and nuts. Right next door is a waterfall (Jacobs Falls) that you can walk over and appreciate.

The strangest thing that happened thus far: I swear this is true: We see a day glow sign advertising a yard sale. There was so much writing on it you would have had to stop in the road and spend 10 minutes reading the fine print. Bonnie saw the word “Copper” so we headed down the road where the sign pointed. Possible error in judgement after 5 miles. What the hell. let’s see where this goes. After 10 miles we see the sister day glow sign on a pole and a front yard landscape comprised of lots of random scrap metal things. The sign had printed (scribbled) on the bottom: (entry fee $2)..If you buy something you get your $2 back. Only in the U.P. has there ever been an entry fee to a yard sale. I spent $4 worth of gas to get there. I should have stopped and charged him $2 to make us even. I think I go up after dark and add a sign that says, “Entry fee ONLY $2”. By the way, I turned around in his drive and back to town we went.

We’ll probably get out today for some hunting and back to Copper World tomorrow. Come see me if you are up here. The adventures continue..stand by.

Greenstone Bonnie

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.

Greenstones on the Workbench

Isle Royale Greenstones (Chlorastrolite) are so striking with their stunning chatoyancy and handsome alligator-like pattern. People think of diamonds as rare, when, in fact, they are artificially scarce due to lack of free market sales and cartel controls.

A recent batch of Greenstones and Thomsonite turned out to be amazing. This photo has not been enhanced. I'm thinking poster!

Michigan Greenstones on the other hand are a one-source gemstone. Nowhere else in the world are Greenstones found other than in Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula and on Isle Royale National Park, where they are illegal to harvest. Chosen as Michigan’s State Gem, the Greenstone represents Michigan uniqueness due to this limited accessibility, but also means it is not well known outside of Michigan residents. In fact many outside of the Upper Peninsula are not familiar with it! Having said that, we are amazed at the wide range of locations across the country that order our Greenstone jewelry and cabochons for jewelry.

Recent depletion of many of the mine waste piles in the Keweenaw to use as road fill is making the Greenstone supply even scarcer. Two of my all-time favorite piles are gone now. There are very few, non-private waste piles still available for the Rock enthusiast to pick up a Michigan Greenstone. Not all piles are worthy of seeking Greenstones in. I expect a big spike in the Greenstone prices over next five years. Now is the time to buy Greenstones, especially quality ones with good patterns and coloration.

This "Michigan Miracle" Pendant is one of our popular used of Isle Royale Greenstone. Also included in this one is Datolite, Lake Superior Agate, and Jasperlite.

Our Greenstone Pendants and Greenstone cabochons are very popular and we continue to sell both on line and at art shows. I cannot say I am the largest Greenstone dealer in the U.S., but I am one of a handful of large volume dealers. I cut all my own stones. I find stones and purchase quality stones from other miners.

Michigan’s State Gemstone should be on everyone’s bucket list. You will never regret having and wearing these lovely and rare treasures.

I have been working up greenstones I just brought back from the Keweenaw, and today I have to dop up another hundred for the lapidary work. Some of these recent stones are absolute killers. I’m going back UP in the next few weeks and I’m going to search for a rumored secret spot to dig Greenstones. Unfortunately the old guy that told me the general area where he used to dig Greenstone has passed away. This will be a treasure hunt for sure.

Be assured I WILL BE watching my rearview mirror to see if YOU are following me.

Greenstone from the Junkpile

I promised you something special on May Day, and here it is.

I have a BVD (Better View Desired) pile in my shop. Rocks that I’m just not sure of, as well as gemstones that need further time-consuming work go into that pile. Stones that are without promise go in the trash bucket, but when they don’t look real promising, I’ll give them a toss in the BVD pile. When I’m feeling patient, I pick through that pile for something to work on.

I placed several possible Greenstones in that pile a few months ago, and today I re-discovered my BVD pile under some other material. I decided to have a little fun and see what I could make out of the BVD pile.

I immediately discovered a large Greenstone that had a small patch of pattern. The rim of the Greenstone showed mostly Calcite. Experience told me that Calcite could be a good sign, or then again maybe not. Calcite often means copper in it. Some of the finest copper crystals are found embedded in Calcite.

When you have Calcite you have to be extra careful. Calcite can sometimes be fragile, and at other times it is very solid.

As I carefully proceeded into the stone, I noticed that fine Greenstone appeared just on the outer layer of the Calcite gradually appearing under the stone’s dark green crust. A beautiful unusual stone began to emerge from an ugly duckling. Greenstone is very striking on pure white Calcite, and this one has fabulous contrast. As a bonus, I noticed that the Calcite was accented with fine copper particles. I love how my close-up photo shows the copper.

Close-up detail reveals fine copper within the calcite.

This is what makes rock collecting and lapidary so satisfying–every stone has it’s own look. This one is WOW!!!

Another amazing Greenstone-I'm So lucky!

The finished Greenstone ended up being a 5.4 gram beauty, one inch tall and about 3/4 inches wide; the largest Greenstone I’ve cut in a while. I was so thrilled about this Greenstone, I wire-wrapped it right away. Gold with a bit of twisted silver was the perfect choice. The regal looking wire top is an ideal enhancement to this beautiful and scarce gemstone. The first person that saw it now owns this dream, so if you want your own greenstone, browse our pendants or cabuchons.

Greenstone with Cuprite-AMAZING!

One thing that scares me is cutting a large Greenstone. You can never tell what you will get. I have what is shaping up to be a thousand dollar greenstone and after meticulously working it for an hour, cut through into a hollow pocket making that marvelous Greenstone garbage.

Most Greenstones never develop from inside a stone. I spend hours and hours cutting worthless Greenstones. People wonder why these gems are so very expensive. I’ll tell you exactly why; they are from one source in the world and you must cut so many to get a good one. Ten stones cut MAY produce one Greenstone, and to get a good stone its one in fifty. To get a large, gem grade stone, my experience has been one in two hundred to five hundred.

Today I wire-wrapped THE most spectacular greenstone I have cut this year. I have never seen a greenstone such as this one (I’ve got you interested now, don’t I?). Since I cannot begin to describe this gemstone I’ll have to show you.

Cuprite on Greenstone-How rare is this?

Cuprite on Greenstone, red on green; never seen it (before now) appeared as I cut this stone. I had to finesse this cut as the Cuprite was much softer than the Chlorastrolite and had a real undercut problem. This stone is very large at 4.6 grams, and I sure didn’t want to mess this up. Imagine the stress; could I cope? YEP. The stone came out amazing as you can see. I really should keep it for Bonnie, but she likes to wear the one she found. I’m going to post it up and it’ll be like selling a child, but I have big shoulders. I know I tell you often how unique, rare, or unusual my stones are, but this is in a class by itself. Very pretty and very distinctive. Buy it for your sweetie–there won’t be another anytime soon!

**I just noticed something, and since I’m sort of weird; IF you move your computer screen or laptop*** like a rocking chair ****while looking at this Greenstone picture you kind of get a Chatoyant effect. This will give you an idea what the REAL flash of this stone might look like….sort of like a cheap thrill for you.

***CAUTION-1. I will not be responsible for any damage that might be incurred while shaking a computer monitor. 2. Do not try this while under the influence of drugs of alcohol.

****Henceforth this will be dubbed “The Reed Maneuver“, and the phenomenon produced from The Reed Maneuver will be dubbed “The Reed Effect”. I will advise you when a piece of jewelry produces this amazing effect. Normal liability disclaimers will apply whenever attempting this.