Found in someones' discards.
We were not going to venture out today to the Tucson Rock and Gem Shows. There are shows closing down and the Main Event starts tomorrow. We plan on being in line when the main show opens in the morning.
I went out to The Rock Show and searched through my favorite random rock pile. The vendor that has the pile replenishes it daily. This is my third run at this rock-filled bin.
Silver Slabs in the tub. A surprise find.
Wire Silver-WOW! I wish I owned this.
These are now mine. I should be able to make great jewelry from these.
I saw some very fine Silver Ore the other day at this show. The ore came from the famous Bulldog Silver Mine in Creede, Colorado. The Mine is located on a ridge just west of Creede called Bulldog Mountain. A very interesting history is found at the Mining History Association. The mine was closed in 1985 due to depressed silver prices, but is in pre-development by Hecla Mining Company. There is lots of silver left in “them thar” hills. The name Hecla in familiar to everyone, like myself, that hunts in Michigan’s Keewenaw Peninsula. (We go there to collect Greenstone, Datolite, Prehnite, Mohawkite and many other jewelry-making minerals in that area, left after the copper miners left.) Calumet and Hecla mined Native Copper in The Upper Peninsula for many years, beginning in the 1880’s.
The Silver in Quartz from Creede resembles some of the silver that came out of Michigan’s Copper Country. I was shown a beautiful piece of Wire Silver from Creede that reminded me of the famous wire Silver from Kongberg, Norway. A great specimen indeed.
I was pleased to purchase these Native Silver slabs. I saw them the other day and they have been haunting me. Besides quartz and silver they also have barite, acanthite, and should make some wonderful jewelry.
Resting up for tomorrow…