Tag Archives: Jewelry

Morrisonite Jasper Jewelry

Treasures from the Tucson Gem Shows

Oregon’s Morrisonite Jasper has been called the “King of Jaspers” because of it’s range of colors and patterns. The deposit is located near the Owyhee River; the small town of Watson is nearby..

Many times the Gem Shop will have lovely Morrisonite. The Gem Shop sells both rough and cabochons to lapidary artists. I found one amazing piece that caught my eye at his location. I looked at it 3 times before I decided that I really wanted to make jewelry of it. Yes on occasion I do buy cabochons if they are worthy! Eugene (Gene) Mueller, of the Gem Shop, occasionally mines this material.

What struck me was the simply amazing patterns in this special piece. It seemed other worldly and sort of fit my personality. The difficult part, with this piece, was figuring out what should be the top and bottom. what it boiled down to was the mountain (volcano) in near the center top, that appeared to be spewing lava that runds down the landscape. Forget the cost; I just had to have this piece. Visit our Jasper Jewelry page to see what is currently available.

Rear

Tour of Rio Grande

While travelling through Albuquerque, New Mexico, we usually order and pick up needed jewelry wire, findings, chains or other things needed for our business. Rio Grande is my go-to supplier for all my jewelry making supplies, and has been for years. Originally a Trading Post on historic Route 66 it has grown to be one of the largest suppliers for the jewelry trade in the world.

A history of Rio Grande can be found here: https://www.riogrande.com/ad/History-of-Rio

This year, through prior arrangement we got a special tour of the business from Executive VP, Molly Bell. Her father, Saul Bell, was the founder of the business (read link above). we were humbled that Molly would take time from her busy day to proudly show off the business to us. Much of the work done inside the plant is proprietary, so we did not take photos. You will just have to trust me when I say we were overwhelmed by what we saw inside.

Some of the jewelry making devices were custom designed and made on site. They are sold around the world to other companies. Much of the findings and jewelry is made on site by very skilled craftspeople, who are recruited from mostly America, but some skilled people come from other countries. Rio employs around 300, the majority that have been there over 20 years. This is an impressive statistic that Molly was proud of. Keeping their employees happy is their number one priority. Even though Warren Buffett’s Berkshire-Hathaway Group purchased Rio Grande last year, the leadership and the workers have not changed. The fact that Berkshire-Hathaway bought the company is a testimate to how good Rio is.

We toured areas that were creating lost wax findings and jewelry (I loved the wax trees ready for extrusion), saw banks of ovens and extrusion machines, saw the inventory and shipping areas, where employees wear hi-tech headphones or computers attached to their arms to assure order accuracy. We saw the area where my phone orders are taken by real American Citizens that you can understand. We saw the shipping area where thousands of orders are shipped each day. A UPS semi trailer is filled each day, is addition to Fed-Ex and USPS orders (How they keep everything straight is beyond me).

My personal favorite area was where all my jewelry wire is cut. The wire itself is not manufactured at Rio, but is was mind boggling seeing all the spools filled with shiny precious metal.

The care the Rio employees exhibited was remarkable. I had no idea all the things they do in their plant. The gallery wire machine intrigued me, as it punched out this fancy bezel wire. I do not use sheets of precious metal, but I saw the care the employees take to keep them scratch free.

At Snob Appeal Jewelry we pride ourselves in knowing our gemstones, as well as out materials we use in making your jewelry. By touring the source of much of our wire and chain and many of our findings; we can better answer our customers questions. Thanks to Molly Bell and all the great American workers at Rio Grande, I feel so much better about our truly American Made Jewelry. Quality is what we do, and it was obvious quality is what Rio Grande does also.

Can you make jewelry from Keweenaw Prehnite?

Botrioidal Keweenaw Prehnite rough

A thin Patricianite seam. Yes, that copper sheet is embedded in it.

Patricianite Rough (Non-seam material)

Here’s a little trivia you may not know about the mineral Prehnite: The first modern mineral to be named for a person was…..PREHNITE. Abraham Gottlob Werner of the Freiberg Mining Academy, was a popular teacher, but is also credited for delaying the advance of Geology by insisting upon wrong concepts on the origin of rocks and minerals. He WAS successful in classifying minerals. Werner named the mineral Prehnite after Col. von Prehn after von Prehn brought the mineral to Europe from the Cape of Good Hope (1783), where he found it.

I love rock trivia. I found this knowledge in a 45 year old book I have. Let’s take a look at some of the variations of Keweenaw Prehnite. Where possible I will show the cabochon before it became jewelry.

This Patricianite sports loads of Copper. I think it would look good as jewelry.

Why, yes indeed it did look good as jewelry.

Prehnite is a Copper Associate Mineral in Copper Country. Much of the Prehnite contains copper dust that changes green Prehnite to pink Prehnite. Other inclusions in Prehnite also produce a plethora of colors. Zeolites sometimes mix with Prehnite (A calcium Aluminum Silicate) in the Keweenaw and produce feathery eyes and patterns. Copper and Chlorite included Prehnite is sometimes referred to as “Patricianite” by copper country locals.

Pastel Patricianite with small Copper Inclusions. This was a massive chunk before slabbing.

Another one that made great jewelry.

Pastel Prehnites roll up on the beaches all along the west side of the Keweenaw Peninsula. While looking for agates, beachcombers may see a bright pink stone shimmering among other dull stones. Pick it up, it might be a coppery beauty. These nuggets can have pink and green together, sometimes even purple tones. I have found Prehnite in piles of materials cleared from road construction not far from Calumet. Prehnites are also gleaned from rock spoil piles at some mines. I have a secret hole that I also occasionally excavate for Prehnites. The best Prehnite has always been associated with Austraiia, but gemmy pastel green Keweenaw Prehnite with Copper inclusions, in my opinion, gives the Aussie stuff a run for the money.

Prehnite with Copper. This is the high quality stuff often found in slim seams.

Prehnite with very little Copper. This is the high quality stuff often found in slim seams.

Prehnite is sometimes referred to as U.P. Thomsonite because its’ appearance often mimics Thomsonite, with eyes, radiating sprays, and variegated inclusions. Some Prehnite is difficult to tell from Thomsonite, or other Zeolites, and for many years Prehnite was thought to be a Zeolite. It was determined by Analysis by Michigan Tech geologists that Prehnite is not related to the Zeolites, but can be associated with Zeolites. Prehnite is a Calcium Alumosilicate. More confusing is when Zeoiles mix with Prehnite and make the Prehnite look exactly like Thomsonite. Thomsonte is almost an exclusive American Gemstone (more trivia for you guys), Prehnite is much more scattered and can be found in numerous locales around the world.

Loads of Copper in this Prehnite. Mine seam material.

Loads of Copper runs through this Prehnite, a mine seam material.

A beautiful oddball dug from a hole somewhere in the Keweenaw Peninsula. Prehnite, assorted Zeolite and other stuff. A beautiful mix, don’t you think?

The Apple Green Prehnite from the Keweenaw can be found as small round Crystals, but in most cases as slim veins in the Amydaloidal basalt. I have found much of the Prehnite in my collection in veins that are less that one inch. The Prehnite seems to form within a void from the outside in, meeting in the middle of the void. After extracting the Prenite bearing host basalt, I usually split the Prehnite where it meets in the middle. I can then use both sides to make beautify cabochons and jewelry. I like when the Prehnite sometimes does not completely close off in the middle of the seam, leaving a void where Prehnite Crystals form in a drusy. Remember it is often possible to find copper within the U.P. Prehnite. Copper can be found included in most every Keweenaw mineral.

The Seaman Mineral Museum, in Houghton, Michigan, has some wonderful, large Prehnite crystals found by miners over the years. Knowing that a Mine Captain or Superintendant or other mine management person was a mineral collector, the miners could score some points by turning these specimens over to them. Some of the finest specimens at the Seaman Museum were from these historic collections donated to the museum by heirs or willed by the owners of the collections.. Two of the most prolific collectors were J.T. Reeder, who clerked at several different mines, and L.L. Hubbard who discovered the Champion Mine and served as general manager of the mine. It is interesting to read and learn about these early collectors. Hubbard willed some of his collection to the University of Michigan, and recently the U of M has given many Copper Country specimens, from historic collections, to the Seaman Museum.

Many rockhounds overlook Prehnite or Patricianite while rock collecting in the Keweenaw. it’s one of my favorites and I never miss a chance to pick up nice pieces. So what do you think? Does Prehnite/Patricianite make good jewelry? You are invited to visit my jewelry pages to see the variety created from Keweenaw Treasures, especially Prehnite .

Thomsonite Smiles

Apologies for the logo over the picture, but this is the type of picture that if I did not do this, it would be stolen and posted in unauthorized web locations.

I have been putting some time in recent weeks wading through a stash of Thomsonite from the North Shore. I purchased a collection from an estate that was collected back in the mid-60’s in the old diggings near Grand Marais, Minnesota. This was all gem grade material, much of it the most coveted dark eyed variety, as well as lovely pieces of Pastel Thomsonite.

Thomsonite belongs to a group of minerals called Zeolites. This group of Minerals contains the popular gemstone, Tanzanite. The biggest use for Zeolites is in laundry detergents, but these Alumino-Silicates have 40 natural occurring frameworks and many more synthetic frameworks. These varied frameworks allow Zeolites to have many uses and applications. The Thomsonite Framework is of interest to Lapidary types and jewelry makers, for it includes the beautiful chatoyant Gemstone everyone seems to love.

This dark Thomsonite indicates a mixture of Zeolites and possibly other things.

This dark Thomsonite is so unusual. It resembles an agate, but the material is not Silica. Indicating a mixture of Zeolites, and possibly other things.

Thomsonites (and other Zeolites) often mix together, forming striking and unusual patterns and colors. The Thomsonites from the North Shore of Lake Superior and the Thomsonites from the Keweenaw Peninsula of Michigan, seem to often co-mingle with other Thomsonites and minerals. It is possible to see Copper, Natrolite, Mesolite, Calcite, and many other mixes in Thomsonite.

Sometimes Prehnite resembles Thomsonite or Ocean Jasper. This is why you have to know where you found it.

A form of Zeolite known as Mesolite, and closely related to natrolite (another Zeolite) often has a “feathery” appearance; hence, I call this “feathery Thomsonite”. Because I am not that picky on exact material a Zeolite has in it, I still, in my jewelry, say these are Thomsonites, even though they may be another Zeolite (or mixture thereof). Most of my jewelry buyers could care less about the exact make-up of a Thomsonite-like Zeolite. Some people prefer feathers over eyes in their Zeolites! Sort of like some prefer dark Turkey over White Meat.

I do not find fault in my friends that say something may be more Mesolite than Thomsonite, but I just call any eyed or feathery Zeolite, Thomsonite. If customers are interested in the details, or what exactly I think is in a Thomsonite, I can expound on that for them.

This could really fool someone into believing this is Thomsonite, when it is actually Prehnite (AKA U.P. Thomsonite)

Proof that beauty comes in a small package. What a great Thomsonite.

The pattern, variety, coloration, and inclusions are vast in Thomsonite. It’s common to hear people comment on the unusual nature of the Thomsonites we set into our pendants. Often, customers are surprised at the prices quality Thomsonite demands. The reality with Thomsonite is the same with many other gemstones. The highest quality demands higher prices. Thomsonite lovers understand this reality.

If Thomsonite “pollutes’ Isle Royale Greenstone, it increases the value of the Greenstone. Everyone seems to want one of these amazing mixes that often look like pink flowers among green foliage.

Some minerals and rocks resemble, and are therefore sometimes mistaken for Thomsonites. One common “fooler” mineral is Prehnite. Prehnite is sometimes found in the same vicinity as Thomsonite making identification more confusing. Just because a stone has “eyes” is no guarantee you have a Thomsonite.

Feathery, variegated, eyed Prehnite was originally thought to be Thomsonite until it was tested by Michigan Tech and found to be Prehnite. Locals often refer to Prehnite as “U.P. Thomsonite“.

Copper sometimes appears in Thomsonite. This is a beautiful pastel Thomsonite with Copper Inclusions

Thomsonite is not closely associated with Copper, but Prehnite is. Much of the Prehnite found in the Keweenaw has Copper inclusions in it, and indeed pink Prehnite’s coloration is caused by microscopic copper particles. Prehnite saturated with micro copper is commonly referred to as Patricianite.

To finish this blog I’m going to tell you a recent Thomsonite Story. Many of you know my retail outlet for Snob Appeal Jewelry, in the Upper Peninsula, is Copper World in Calumet. I am proud to have CW represent my jewelry. Tony and Tim Bausano are experts in the rocks, minerals, and gemstones of the Great Lakes, and represent and present my jewelry very well. Plus, they are fun!

Many Copper World customers, and in particular, one lovely, bubbly, lady from Lima, Peru, love my jewelry. She came into Copper World on her weekly visit and spotted a beautiful dark-eyed Thomsonite, but had to check with her husband (who teaches at Michigan Tech) before investing in this nice piece. Unfortunately, when she returned a couple days later, her choice selection had been sold. She was so disappointed, but heard that I would be up doing in-store demos the next weekend. This gave her great hope of finding a suitable replacement.

I was doing in-store demonstrations on a Saturday and Sunday, and had already been alerted by Tim of the Thomsonite tale. She entered the store Saturday on a refreshing breeze; so happy and full of life. After careful consideration, a gorgeous, new dark-eyed Thomsonite cabochon was chosen.

We talked about her vision for the piece, and metal choices were made. She seemed surprised and delighted when I told her I knew exactly what she was looking for. I guaranteed she would like her new pendant, or I would make her another one. I just felt I needed to match her bubbly outlook, but also design an elegant, yet simple piece of jewelry that matched her joyful personality and obviously discriminating tastes.

Here’s the Pendant that got me some hugs.

I got to work on her pendant, and had it done by closing on Saturday. Sunday she bubbled in, and when I showed her the pendant, she was so delighted, I got a big hug. She danced around the store in a state of pure ecstasy. She gave me another me another hug; gave Tim a hug, gave me a hug, and I really expected her to run outside and start hugging random people on the sidewalk. I can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone so eternally blissful.

She spoke with a fairly pronounced accent, and I could not understand everything she was saying while in this state of glee, but it was obvious she was in another plane of enjoyment. Customers generally appreciate my Pendants, but this was at another level entirely. She really made my day, and many other people in the store were also smiling. I ask Tim if she was always like this, and he replied that, yes, this was her normal state. “Sometimes she’s even worse”, he said, smiling. I can’t even imagine her being more hyped.

When she left on the same, fresh breeze she came in on, I walked across the street to a coffee shop. I needed coffee after this encounter; even though any amount of caffeine would not put me in a mood even approaching what I had just witnessed. Guess what? She was in the coffee shop showing everyone her new pendant and just gushing about how delighted she was. “Oh”, she said, smiling “here’s the artist”, as she saw me smiling and standing in line behind her. The owner came over later and bought a Turquoise pendant. Someone, like this vivacious lady will sell more of my jewelry than any amount of advertising I could ever buy.

She already possesses a few pieces of my jewelry, and this piece augmented her collection nicely. I’m sure I Copper World, and I, have long time habitué.

My days of making jewelry are not always as eventful and delightful as this one Saturday was in Calumet, but it’s days like this that convince me I just may be doing something worthwhile in my life!

Thanks for reading my blog. If you like my story, please share with your friends!

Larimar: From Junk Pail to Fine Jewelry

What will this Larimar Rough look like when cut and polished? That's the fun.

How will it look when I cut it? This could be good.

Earlier this month my blog featured a piece of rough Larimar (Pectolite) that I found in someone’s cast offs at Tucson two years ago.

Looking through old buckets of rocks behind a rock shop.

Some things found in a rock show tub.

Looking through spider-infested buckets behind a rock shop out west.

I enjoy the gamble of buying random stones I see around the major shows. You never really know how good one of these rocks will be until you cut it open. Ugly rocks may turn into treasures with careful cutting. I’m a real scavenger, finding these treasures hidden in obscure places, such as in back of a rock shop in old buckets, in old collections grandpa used to have, in a dusty piled-up garage, and scattered treasures at major rock shows. Bonnie is good at this also, and will often point out possible treasures. (I have to keep her away from Sonoran Sunrise though as she thinks every one of those are treasures.)

Let’s get back to the Larimar. Bonnie often comes to the shop area and I asked her to “weed” rocks. That requires bending and twisting. She is more agile than I, and she knows how to weed (retired librarian). She also finds treasures I forgot I had.

During a search for materials she could weed, she located a bucket of rocks I picked at a show (way off the beaten path) in Tucson. In the bucket was a fairly plain chunk of Larimar. If Bonnie finds something she thinks is worthy, she puts it in a “To Cut” pile and I work it into the saw queue. I eventually cut this Larimar and was I surprised and delighted. I got three nice slabs of very high quality gem material.

I cabbed the slab and wrapped up a wonderful pendant for some lucky person to adopt.

I have more stuff in the “To Cut” bucket, so stand by… I’ll get to it eventually and show you.

Keweenaw Point Datolite Pendant

yellowdatosaj

A cute little unit, this pendant is exactly Quarter sized. I used both pulled wires and prongs to secure the gemstone. This is a rare opportunity for you to own this rare little gemstone beauty.

Out of all the endless colorations of Datolite in the Keweenaw Peninsula, arguably the most rare and coveted are the almost canary yellow ones. These are found at the northern point in the Keweenaw (and the northernmost point in Michigan).

The two in the middle are not dateline, but the ones on both sides are.

The best ones were harvested by divers that knew where they were in the basalt. This area had been silted over for quite a few years now, making finding these yellow beauties almost impossible. There are some exposed in outcrops in the area, but very few of any size.

Rare is an understatement with regards to yellow Keweenaw Point Datolite. What makes these unusual is that most Datolite in the Keweenaw is colored by copper, but these yellows derive their colors from Manganese.

The unusual story of this particular Datolite is that I found it in Tucson, in a small tray of Datolites at Gary Wilson’s booth at one of the wholesale shows. (Just look for the hub of eager buyers–it is the busiest sales booth at the show.) He sells cabochons that are coveted by the wire wrappers. (This is what makes me different than most wire wrappers; I actually cut most of my own stones). The Datolite tray was picked over, but others did not recognize the sweet yellow one.

This Datolite is NOT from Lower Michigan, but it acts that way.

Copper World-A Special Appearance

Everyones favorite gift shop.

I will be making jewelry in Calumet Friday evening, July 5th (First Friday gala in Calumet), and all day July 6th. I’ll be so happy to be back in the U.P. and to visit all my friends and fans old and new.

I will be making jewelry from local rocks, minerals, and gemstones (most found by myself and Bonnie). I can also make something for you from my stones or yours. See you soon.

Happy 4th of July and God Bless America

Morrisonite-The KING of Jaspers

Morrisonite (Morrison Ranch Jasper) is considered one of the finest Jaspers in the world, and is often referred to as “The KING of Jaspers”. Unfortunately it has not been commercially mined from its source in SE Oregon, along the Owyhee River, since 1996.

Marvelous coloration is a trademark of the finest Morrisonite. The slab needs to be a piece of Jewelry.

The rockhound’s favorite government agency, the Bureau of Land Management, closed the hunting area and dynamited some of the mines, deeming them unsafe. I heard Gene Mueller of The Gem Shop speak on hunting the area before it was closed. It took a lot of material to produce any “good stuff”.

The combination of the area closing and the limited production in the past has driven priced to several hundred dollars a slab in recent years.

I recently discovered that I had some Morrisonite from an old collection I acquired last fall. I suspect this material may be 40 years old.

It did indeed need to be a pendant. Morrisonite like this is so very rare!

When we bought this collection I hardly checked the material. We just loaded all the rock in buckets, loaded the truck, and drove it home. The buckets ended up in storage, then winter set in, so I’m just now discovering what I bought… .Gotta love it!

On the Workbench (August 31, 2011)

My 100th Blog!

Bonnie had a great idea last week that I think will be great fun. She suggested that I show you what is on my workbench. I will show you what I am doing both before making jewelry and after my jewelry is finished.

a 3+ gram Isle Royale greenstone

My first post is a very nice fine-patterned Isle Royale Greenstone that I acquired in Michigan’s U.P. This was a rough nugget that I cut in half. I offer many greenstone cabuchons for sale on my website which folks use to create their own rings and other jewelry. A large stone with a great pattern like this I make into my own wire-wrapped creations.

Here I am making this pendant on the beach at Crystal Lake near Benzonia

Here I am making this gorgeous pendant on the beach at Crystal Lake near Benzonia

I cut it in a designer shape and wrapped it in 14/20 gold fill and Argentium Sterling. I was very pleased with the finished product. You can see this Greenstone pendant on my website along with other chlorastrolite pendants.

A gorgeous Greenstone with included Thomsonite. A winner for sure!

A Luminous Superstar Greenstone with included Thomsonite. A winner for sure!