Tag Archives: Michigan Stone Jewelry

Great Lakes Gemstones-Our Core Products

Isle Royale Greenstones, Thomsonite, Datolite, Lake Superior Agates, Petoskey Stones, Pudding Stones, Kona Dolomite, Copper Agates, and Silver/Copper Nuggets (aka Half-breeds), have always been the base for our business.

The popularity of Thomsonte has been on the upswing. Most of the goos Thomsonte comes from secret spots on the North Shore of Lake Superior. There’s something about this beautiful, pastel pink, Zeolite, that people love.

Our main products consist of Great Lakes Rocks & Minerals. Some of these core stones have been found by us, Others were purchased from collectors in the Great Lakes Region. I will publish this blog in two parts. I have loads of pictures to show you and will share images of some of our most popular jewelry gemstones. The second part will be jewelry made from those Great Lakes gemstones.

Michigan’s Official State Gemstone may be out most popular, and most rare of anything we sell. Greenstones are found nowhere else in the world; only on Isle Royale and on the old spoil piles of some of the copper mines in the Keweenaw Peninsula.

Copper Agates are found in some of the mine spoil piles in the Keargarge Lode. They are very coveted, and hard to find.

Our customers search our Snobappealjewelry.com or ETSY site for jewelry made from all these Michigan Gemstones.

Our pride in Michigan, and the Gemstones found there, reflects in our jewelry. We have many happy customers, that return again and again to purchase more pieces of jewelry to add to their collections, or to give as treasured gifts.

Unakite (top) is a Granite comprised of Pink Feldspar, Epidote, and Quartz. It is commonly found on the Lake Superior Beaches. I personally think it makes wonderful jewelry.
On the bottom is Mohawkite from several Mines near Mohawk, Michigan. Some people love it, but we that cut it, must be careful because of the Arsenides in it. It is safe to wear, as we seal it with a two part industrial epoxy.

Datolite is another Copper-associated rock. Where you see Datolite, there is usually copper in the neighborhood. Copper often permeates into the Datolite, causing the Datolite to have a pink tinge. Sometimes you can see the Copper in the stone, as you do here. The above Datolite also contains Green Epidote.

Orders come from all over the country. We wonder and are often awestruck at how people, in Utah or California for example, know about Isle Royale Greenstones or Copper Agates. Sometimes we have the chance to ask them where they heard of Petoskey Stones or Datolite, and more often than not, they have some connection to Michigan. They may have hunted the rockpiles in the Keweenaw, or the beaches of Lake Michigan. Their family has roots in Michigan, or they attended Michigan Tech in Houghton (Go Huskies!). At times they may have found a piece of jewelry at Copper World in Calumet, or bought something from us at an art show in Eagle Harbor or Copper Harbor. Customers can have Nostalgic memories of hunting the beaches with their families in the U.P. for rock treasures.

Sure evidence that Greenstones and copper can be found together in many copper mines. This little gem is a lucky strike for sure, a rare find!

Nostalgia often is associated with the custom jewelry pieces we make. People send stones they have found, saying things like “I’ve been looking for someone, for years, that can make a piece of jewelry from a Laker (or other rock) that I found while with my Grandpa decades ago on the shores of the Lake Superior or Lake Michigan”. “YES; I can do this for you; What did you have in mind”?

Copper Firebrick was formed when the bricks used for construction of Copper smelters, got permiated with Copper Vapors and molten Copper.
The Datolite was a lucky cut, with an interior in the form of the Lower Peninsula.

This blog includes, but not limited to, rocks and minerals we most often make jewelry from. Since we live in Michigan we specialize in Michigan State Stone (Petoskey Stone) and Michigan State Gem (Greenstone).

Petoskey Stone is Michigan’s Official State Stone. We make many things from this, and other Devonian Fossils. Cladapora is the other fossil seen in this picture.

Our website contains well over a thousand unique pieces of jewelry. We’re proud to individually make each piece. We do not have cheap “Buy-sell” things made in foreign countries. We are a locally owned Michigan small business, proudly sharing our handcrafted Great Lakes stone jewelry with people across the country.

Have fun looking at our core Great Lakes treasures. If you see something you like, call or E-mail us. If you have an idea for a custom wire wrap, or beaded treasure, get ahold of us.

50 Shades of Isle Royale Greenstones

**50 Little Isle Royale Greenstones awaiting new homes**

Have you always wanted to own and wear something from Isle Royale? How great would it be if it was a Greenstone Pendant? Greenstone pendants made with Greenstones from Isle Royale are treasured for their beauty and rarity.

Several years ago I purchased a Greenstone collection that had been hidden in a garage in Lake Linden, Michigan for 50 years.

Over the years this stash has been my go-to trove for creating some of my best Isle Royale Greenstone Jewelry, although I already had some Isle Royale stones from other sources.

Our best sellers, by far, are small Greenstone pendants. While in Florida this last winter, my goal was to produce an entire tray of little Greenstone dazzlers. A “tray” consists of 50 Greenstone Pendants (each one fits in a 1 1/8″ X 3/4″ Acrylic container).

Isle Royale Greenstone Pendant — Isle Royale Greenstone with Feldspar in this one.

The smaller the Greenstone the more difficult it is to make a pendant, using conventional wire wrapping tools and techniques. I make many of my own tools to facilitate wrapping these small gemstones. The circumference of these stones are generally between an inch to an inch and a half. Good tools are one secret to producing good jewelry with precious metal wire. I purchase quality tools and adapt them, so I can create delicate pendants. Some of the handtools I create don’t work quite right, but after a couple decades of trial and error, I have invented just the right tools to make small pendants. Although the pendants appear simple, they are not easy to make.

A little Thomsonte inclusion adds to the excellent Chlorastrolite.

If I ever write a book on wire wrapping, I’ll show some adapted wire wrapping tools, but for now I keep some secrets. My best sellers are these small Greenstone Pendants, and I just don’t want the market to be flooded with Snob Appeal Knockoffs.

My small Greenstone pendants have some common traits. 1. They fit in 1-1/8″ X 3/4″ round acrylic gemstone jars. 2. They are made from my finest Greenstones from Isle Royale. 3. They are simply wrapped so as not to distract from the beautiful Greenstones 4. They have small bails that match the small stones (IF you put a larger bail on a tiny stone the proportions become incorrect). 5. The wire wrapping is fairly simple (again so as not to distract form the pattern of these little shiners. 6. Most are under $200! (not bad for a Greenstone actually from Isle Royale).

Each Greenstone has its’ own character, coloration, green shade, and pattern. Greenstones from Isle Royale are generally distinctive from greenstones from the mine dumps in the Keweenaw. Although I have found many mainland stones that you cannot tell from Island Stones, on the whole, and on the average, Island stones are more solid with better patterns.

I sell these little beauties on line, as well as at Copper World in Calumet, Miners North in Traverse City, and The Miners Den in Royal Oak.

Think you can’t afford a Greenstone? As an investment or heirloom, these small Isle Royal Greenstones top the list. They are made from delicate-looking 24 gauge double gold fill wire (Rose or Gold), Argentium Sterling (Tarnish resistant sterling silver), or a combination of the three precious metals. In any setting they make a graduation gift like no other, or a Mother’s Day gift that won’t be forgotten by next week!

These pendants are exceptional examples of Michigan’s official State gemstone, that can be worn with anything. Add a pair of Greenstones earrings, for a beautiful ensemble.

Shop our Michigan Greenstone pendants and earrings now!

Petoskey Stone Pendant Sale!

A Petoskey Stone Pendant sale just in time for Christmas!

Our art shows are over for the year so we are working on the web site, adding more pictures and descriptions of the Petoskey Stone pendants. We decided to offer some Petoskey Stone pendants for sale. If you are quick and alert, you can snag a great gift for Christmas. Check out our Sale Page for the currently available items. We included some of the Pink Petoskey stones as well. Look for nice patterns and unusual ones.

Here is a tip for the savviest shopper. There may be some sale pendants showing there that are not on the sale page. The resident data enterer, my wife Bonnie, sometimes forgets to check the two boxes that would make them appear both on Sale and on the Sale page. So to compensate for this, be sure to check out both the Petoskey Stone Pendant page and the Pink Petoskey Stone page for the best selection. If you missed my article about Pink Pets you should read all about them.

Order now for best selection! Go to our Sale Page now!

Isle Royale Greenstone Jewelry Bonanza

I use whatever I have to make dop sticks, screws, nails, etc. I had perhaps 100 Greenstones dopped in this bunch, ready to be cut and polished.

A Big, Bold, Greenstone about Quarter sized. Greenstone of this size are becoming extremely scarce. Many of the mine waste piles, where Greenstones were once found, have been crushed and hauled away for road fill.

Sometimes I wonder why certain things randomly happen. Why would someone decide they were going to sell grandpa’s rock collection, and pick me over the many thousands of rockhounds or jewelry makers?

A beautiful small Isle Royale Greenstone.

A non-island stone (this one from Central X)

On occasion I purchase Greenstones from other collectors. This is our Michigan State Gem, and collecting it is a challenge.The problem with Isle Royale Greenstone is that collection in the National Park is now illegal. My policy is to only purchase stones with provenance documenting that they were collected many years ago. These stones can only be found in old collections. The opportunity to purchase these historic stones presents itself on very rare occasions. A couple Greenstone collections have been acquired recently. Some from old mine waste piles and some from a very old Isle Royale collection.

Participating in Keweenaw peninsula Arts & Crafts shows allows us to meet many people. It is not uncommon when we are selling our Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry at arts & crafts shows for some random person to mention that Grandpa used to collect rocks and/or make jewelry. My response to these statements is always to query what happened to all of Grandpa’s rocks? Responses vary, but the ones I like are a derivative of Oh they are in my garage, basement, collecting dust, or some other relative has them. Most often we hear that they are lost or were sold off many years ago.

At a recent Art Show I returned to our booth and Bonnie was taking to a lady. Bonnie has a much more friendly face than I, and people seem to connect with her. I overheard the word Greenstone, but we generally do not interrupt conversations. An old Greenstone collection had been in storage for over 20 years! A worker on the island had spent free time walking the beaches and trails and collecting. This treasure we certainly were interested in looking at. The question of why people might chose us over someone else, to sell an old collection to, is obviously the awesome Bonnie’s friendly disposition and “good looks”; This statement should score me some points….

A couple days later I excitedly watched as an old wooden box was opened up to expose ten pounds of wonderful, but small, Isle Royale Greenstones! How long would it take me to find so many Greenstones in this day and age? It just can’t be done.

After a few days these Greenstones ended up changing hands. Bonnie thought I was crazy, but knew I was happy to have new stones to sort, dop, cut, polish, and wire wrap into Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry.

On the Keweenaw Peninsula, mine waste piles are being crushed and used for road fill; accelerated, recently, due to the storm damage to roads in the some areas. Historic Greenstone sources are gone forever. How long would it take you to dig ten pounds of Keweenaw Greenstones? Where could you even locate this many Island Stones? I have found many Greenstones in the past, but it is not like the old days folks.

Beautifully patterned Island Stone.

A Thomsonite-flowered Greenstone from Isle Royale.

Some prefer a smaller pattern. This chatoyant beauty is from Isle Royale.

A very cool bubbly Island Greenstone desert with a whipped Zeolite topping.

An amazing light Green, broad patterned, Island stone is small, but very worthy.

I have been happily cutting this hoard; the shop machine have been humming, and I have been smiling. These beautiful Greenstones were actually within a few miles of us every time we went to the Keweenaw, but just like magic, they eventually migrated to me. I think it was Kharma, or it could have been just plain luck resulting in Isle Royale Greenstone jewelry!

During November and December, many of these spectacular stones will appear in some new jewelry and sold on our website in the Greenstone area. If you need a perfect Greenstone, like what you see in this blog, get ahold of us. Christmas is not that far away when it comes to getting custom jewelry made. If you hope to get a ring, buy a stone from us and take it to your jeweler (or make something yourself). I guarantee this new trove is producing the very finest Isle Royale Greenstones available. I have cut thousands of Greenstones, and these new (old) gemstones are great quality stones.

We have been frantically trying to post up as many new Greenstone pendants as we can for Holiday Season sales. Most of the stones in this post can be found on our website.

See our pendants and cabs at Greenstone jewelry and cabochons

Read our history of the Michigan State Greenstone gem

Read interesting Isle Royale information

Visit the official Isle Royale NPS website

Making Custom Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

Among our Great Lakes stone jewelry pieces, every year one or two pendants stand out as very special. One extraordinary stone pendant this year was a triple segmented pendant of three semiprecious gemstones from the Great Lakes area. A gorgeous Minnesota Thomsonite, a Keweenaw silver nugget, and a copper-filled Keweenaw Datolite show off the great influence of metals in stone through this fancy piece. The photo does not do it justice. In person, it shines in many directions and swings freely, and the pinks in the top and bottom complement each other.

This special piece was custom made for a most discriminating customer. Annually she searches through my inventory to find my best new pendants. Also she picks out stones that fit her bold and eclectic tastes, offering design challenges in the late summer and allowing me to create something very special over the winter months. She is an advocate of Michigan artists as well as loving Michigan stones and the great jewelry that can come from Great Lakes stones.

Great Lakes Stone Jewelry

You can see that the size of this pendant is big and bold; this one is around five inches in length. The silver nugget was most likely picked from a mine ore crusher many years ago somewhere in the Keweenaw Peninsula. The Thomsonite was an inch tall and even wider, and dug in Grand Marais Minnesota years ago before the famous Thomsonite site was filled and and a park was created. The Datolite with loads of copper inclusions, was located on the Delaware Mine waste piles, making the entire pendant from places no longer existing. Most of these stones I’ve had for many, many years.

In order to make these large, multi-stone pendants, I think freedom or movement in the pendant is vitally important for comfortable wearing. When sitting, the pendant conforms to the different body positions.

Next year’s Extraordinary Pendant is being designed and, to be honest, I do not yet have the perfect stones. I’ve been feverishly searching my stash. I am not satisfied yet.

Recently I have created several custom pieces for other customers, and I can create one for you. I’ll work with your stones or mine. Christmas is approaching fast. Please think of us for your gifting needs.

Here are a couple custom pieces I’ve recently done from customer stones.

From one jasper a customer found on a romantic getaway. I love these nostalgic pieces.

A beautifully, customer cut CZ. It was a big faceted stone. The wire wrap challenge was matching the carefully calibrated stone with the wraps. The flowing design in the top directed the eye down into the stone. Michael’s wife will wear this on a romantic cruise in the near future.

You can see earlier examples of our Custom Work.

See a recent bridal set at Custom Rock Cutting,Lapidary and Wire Jewelry, Created Just for You!

Blue Stone Jewelry to Die For!

A stunning example of blue stone jewelry, a Lightning Ridge opal

Gorgeous Lightning Ridge Opal

Singing the Blues might mean you have a sad tale to tell, but what about wearing the blues? Let the Blues, blue stone jewelry that is, cheer you! You will not find anything sad about this happy color.

From ancient time people have been charmed to find dark blue Lapis, or sea-colored turquoise, and have loved owning it and wearing it. Like Cleopatra or native queens, lucky women wore beautifully colored stone. A precious blue stone from another location was money in the bank for ancient traders.

Blue Stone Jewelry includes An opal pendant

Blue Angel Opal Pendant is a sparkling Boulder Opal with Mercury Mist Topaz. Will you look great wearing it?

Larimar; notice the copper in one of the cabs?

Ocean Shadows Larimar Pendant looks like the ocean waves washing up on the sandy beach. Who wants to call it Pectolite?

Two of the finest Larimar cabs I ever owned.

Here in northwestern lower Michigan beachcombers seek Leland Blue for their blue stone jewelry. A left-over product of industry from a bygone era, various colors of the blue slag glass are loved for the color they add to a beach stone hunt. Often smoky blue, it can vary in purity of color and depth of color, each appreciated by different folks. Other areas of the world also have colored glass, we saw some from Sweden at our last Tucson gem show.

Bonnie’s Centennial Blue Datolite with Copper Lightning running down the gemstone.

Another special Michigan blue stone comes from the Copper Country in the Upper Peninsula, the Centennial Blue Datolite. Currently we have the Centennial Charmer and Icy Blue pendants available.

Blue Lace Agate is a favorite blue stone for jewelry. Formed in volcanic south African areas, Blue Lace agate is characterized by close linear stripes of tones of pale blue or white. Sometimes natural druzy pockets make lovely variations, older stock can be deep blue.

The blue with white shadows of Larimar jewelry reminds me of a pristine lake where you are looking at the sunny reflections of sun on the lake. Larimar comes from the Caribbean area and it seems right that it should look so waterlike.

Beautiful Sleeping Beauty Turquoise

Turquoise is probably the most popular blue stone ever found. We have a very pure Intensive Flair Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Pendant. Other stones from Royston or Kingman have matrix incorporated in the stone color, making more interest for many stone collectors.

Dark Blue Lapis Pendant in gold fill

Another famous blue stone is Lapis. Found in mountains on the Afghanistan and Pakistan border, the political and geographic situations make it a challenging stone to get. We have several faceted dark blue pieces as well as a denim lapis heart. Pyrite is often found in Lapis stone. A stone of the ancient pharaohs, it decorated the tomb of King Tut.

Our Blue Opal Angel Pendant is an Australian opal.

Morenci Flowers Azurite/Malachite Pendant with gemstones

Close-up Azurite/MalachiteAzurite is a lovely blue stone but is not as well known. Our favorite pieces often combine with malachite and originate from our own southwest copper mines, Morenci and Bisbee being the most famous. Lasting Romance Azurite-Malachite Pendant is dressed up with some other precious gems to make a beautiful piece. Morenci Flowers Azurite Malachite Pendant is a smaller stone with various shades of blue and is also enhanced by precious gems.

And if that isn’t enough choices for you, how about the Victoria Stone which has some dressy and vibrant blues. The most popular is the bright blue like the Hues of Blue Victoria Stone Pendant, but you might also like the Indigo Bling Victoria Stone Pendant dressed up with London Blue Topaz.

Indigo Blue Victoria Stone with London Blue Topaz

Our gemstone pendant inventory goes far beyond what you see on the web. If you desire Lightning Ridge Blue opal, Kyanite, Sodalite, Dumortierite, Hemimorphite or Holly Blue Chalcedony, there’s a good chance that we can make a custom blue stone jewelry piece just for you. It might sound expensive, but it really depends on your stone choice. Go ahead, ask us!

After all that beauty, you must be over the Blues! Which blue stone jewelry is your favorite? Order today before it is gone!

Greenstone Jewelry, Where’d you get that big one?

Compared to a normal sized Greenstone, this one is a giant!. I can hear that little one screaming “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy”.

Unfortunately, one of my long time friends in the Keweenaw developed some medical issues and can no longer cut rocks. On a recent trip up north, I was able to purchase some Greenstones that he will no longer be able to process into gemstones. A few were sizable.

Greenstones fill vugs in the Amygdaloidal (bubbly) basalt. These bubbles were created as gasses tried to escape from the lava as it cooled. In the Keweenaw the little bubble voids (Vugs), eventually filled with Silica (that produced Agates) or other minerals like Datolite, Thomsonite, or Greenstone. Copper and Silver also filled open areas in the basalt. Most all minerals and metals percolated up as super-heated, mineral and metal rich steams. That’s the very simple explanation of the Keweenaw lava. These lava flows were some of the most massive eruptions ever on earth. Most of the lavas in the Keweenaw simply bubbled up from giant rifts in the earth.

OK, I got off track here; so I see these Greenstone nodules in my mine rock and use small extraction tools to “pop” these out (where did that one fly off to?).

I always get excited when I work a really big Greenstone nodule. I’ve also learned not to get my hopes up too high; a lot of these big potentials turn out to be hollow or have a poor pattern.

Hidden under this pendant is a Quarter. Not the largest I’ve ever cut, but not a slouch by any means.

The back was fairly dead.

I usually grind the Chlorite husk off and see what’s inside. This particular stone had potentially nice pattern on one side, but was dead (no pattern), on the other. More than an hour later a really fine, big, Greenstone was finished. It’s now jewelry.

I wrapped that 9 gram Greenstone unisex style so anyone can wear it. At about 1″ across in all directions, it’s a fine piece. There is actually a Quarter under it, to give you an idea. I’ve cut many bigger ones, but these big ones are getting very scarce now days, as the old spoil piles are being crushed and hauled off for road fill.

I’ve been very busy cutting Greenstones lately, and sometimes I get a bit of a surprise. I thought you might appreciate a few oddballs and a couple very nice Greenstone.

A great Greenstone all the way around.

“Holy Greenstone Batman, it’s a Ninja Turtle”. Zeolite lining in depression.

Awesome! Greenstone in Patricianite.

Greenstone in Calcite

The reverse is all Calcite

There’s something unusual about the reverse.

The back side is Quartz. You can see the Chlorastrolite through the Quartz.

Nothing special, just a nice little Greenstone.

These other beauties are on the “to wrap” list or will be sold for other’s to work with. These are all from different locales and different hunts. Be sure to visit our Greenstone Pendants page and our Greenstone cabochon page to see current offerings.

It’s always a thrill when a plan comes together; and it did with this stone.

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!

Multi-Stone Lake Superior Agate Pendants

In my quest to have jewelry that no one else has, I’ve created a line of multi-stone Pendants. My first ones were scarfed right up by discriminating buyers that wanted something no one else has.

These pendants are all comprised of two or three individual parts tied together by hinges or eyes so they can all move individually. This is such a complicated procedure, it may take up to ten hours to make a pendant (I suppose if it were easy, everyone would do it). I use a multitude of precious metal wires: 14/20 rolled gold gold, Pink Gold, and Argentium Sterling, often in multi-colors.

In this blog, I’ve taken a few Triple Threat Lakers and broke them down to show you why I like the varieties of Lakers. Although the Dinosaur Bone pendant pictured is nice, all three pieces are cut from the same stone, whereas in the Lakers I wanted to mix varieties.

This transparent Gembone gave me the idea for my Triple Threat Laker Pendants.

Movement is important to me in these multi-Stone Triples.

In the past I have created some multi-stone pendants, but the Lake Superior Agate ones I recently finished, are in a class of their own. I mixed metals as well as different types of Lake Superior Agates for each one. Even though many feet of precious metal wire is used, it is used in my usual classical style; neat, precise, and elegant, yet not used in a way that takes way from the inherent beauty of the Lakers

This made the perfect Mother’s Day Gift for a great mother (and wife).

Great “Shadow” effect in this one; very deep.

A beauty; Mauve, banded, perfect!

Red and White Paint Agate.

Unusual Tube Agate

Gorgeous Candy Striped pastel Fortification

Paint Agate with Water Level (Gravitationally Banded)

The Lake Superior Agate is the Minnesota State Gem. Incorporating some of the different varieties of agate colors and patterns, (paint, tube, candy striper, fortification) you see here why this is such a prized stone throughout the Great Lakes region.

As you can see, the construction process began with finding wonderful agates and winnowing them down to three special pieces that go well together. Skillful cabochon cutting and careful jewelry design are the next steps. The spacing and careful blending of shapes requires patient and masterful wire wrapping. Creative work requires time to think through and create each pendant. The work is so meticulous, I need many breaks, thinking through the next steps, how the pieces will connect. Lake Superior Agates are my favorites and this jewelry has become my new way to showcase them. I have also enjoyed wearing them and talking with people about these multi-stone agate pendants.

A lot going on with this Floater

A Floater with floating banding. A special featutreat the banding shows the the bands actually are red Quartz Phantoms

A classic “Painted” Laker

Specular Hematite at the Beacon Mine in Champion Michigan

It can be a bit confusing when I say that we picked up some Speccular Hematite at the Champion mine in Champion, Michigan. The old abandoned mine dump in Champion is actually the Beacon Mine. The Champion Mine is a copper mine that is located near Painesdale in the Keweenaw Peninsula. This month I’m strictly speaking about the Iron mine in Champion.

Bonnie is picking up small pieces of Specular Hematite for kids grab bags.

A great place to stop on the way back from rock hunting or participating in Art Shows in the Keweenaw Peninsula is the old Beacon Mine in Champion, Michigan. On a sunny day this place looks like a fairy land. The Iron Mica- rich Specular Hematite (Specularite) exudes a silvery sheen. Driving back to the old piles on a sumny day you notice the two-track road is covered with silvery, shiny dust. When you leave this place your clothes and vehicle will sparkle. I have found, many times, my tire sidewalls still sparking after several days back home. Even it you don’t pick up any Specularite (Yeah right!) you should still go take a look at the stunningly shiny, silvery piles and roads. I know one lady that puts the road sand in small vials and gives them away as “fairy dust”.

Specularite can vary in coloration and makeup.

Google earth and this website will direct you to the mine dump: http://www.mindat.org/loc-3839.html. Turn at the blinker on US-41 in Champion, go up the hill and keep going until you see a little road that looks like a driveway AT/AAJ I think is the street. Anyway look for the “AT” the street starts with. Take that street and it will turn into a mica-covered single track road that goes back to the piles.

The waste piles produce a never-ending supply of rock. Specular Hematite is mostly a garden rock; iron that is slow to rust and adds a little shimmery touch to any garden, especially on a sunny day. This stuff is iron-rich and heavy.

Quartz is a fairly common inclusion at the Beacon Hill Mine. Many minerals have been found associated with the Specular Hematite.

You can cut and make jewelry from Specularite, but this rock makes a black, muddy mess of your saws and equipment. The black mud will get all over you and your shop. Specularite should be coated and stabilized when in jewelry because of its crumbly nature, and its’ habit of shedding Mica. I speak from experience here, when I tell you it is not worth the effort of making jewelry from this material.

You could be lucky to find drill cores at the mine in Champion.

Bring a strong back, especially if you find the perfect specimen a ways from your vehicle. If we have some room in our truck, we always stop at Champion and throw in some ballast. The piles can be unstable, so I recommend steel-toed boots and good leather gloves. Boots have saved my toes a couple times. Don’t blame me for smashed fingers. Also a sturdy shovel or pry bar can help if you go for the big ones. A strong wife or big, dumb, buddy can also be of assistance. “Hey, I’ll bet you can’t carry that piece back to the truck”. This will always get the macho guys motivated. I admit, in my younger days, I fell for this line a few times.

Siderite: An Iron Carbonate

Careful hunting may produce wonderful specimens of Specularite, Magnetite, Tourmaline (Black) in Quartz, Pyrite, Mica, Masonite, and on rare occasions Garnets. I have also found Siderite, and the list of minerals you might find is substantial (on the Mindat website). If you are lucky, you may find Specularite drill cores. I love the Golden Mica and Specularite combinations careful rockhounding might produce.

I see piles of Champion rock being sold in Quartzsite and Tucson for $1.00 a pound (“If you take a hundred pounds”). So you can buy this stuff at the shows or go get some yourself for much less. (I’m not counting your travel costs, that’s up to you!)

Pictures don’t do justice at this mine dump. You have to see the magic with your own eyes, especially if it is a sunny day, when it looks like fairy dust everywhere! Have fun and don’t hurt yourselves. I accept no liability for greed and/or stupidity at this location.