Haderly Posted January 14, 2011 Share Posted January 14, 2011 I concur....SteveSure is dino bone Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted January 17, 2011 Share Posted January 17, 2011 G'Day HaderlyI would really like to jump on the dino, but the color is putting me off. Regardless a very nice piece.CheersJohnno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haderly Posted January 18, 2011 Share Posted January 18, 2011 I was also a little skeptical that it was dino bone. The outside looks just like other dino bone that I have except for the color. I have taken it to 4 different dino bone dealers at the rock and gem shows and all have said that it is absolutely dino bone. They said it is called blue dino bone even though it appears more whitish to me. I have Goggled “Blue Fossilized Dinosaur Bone” and found a few examples that almost match my piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnno Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I was also a little skeptical that it was dino bone. The outside looks just like other dino bone that I have except for the color. I have taken it to 4 different dino bone dealers at the rock and gem shows and all have said that it is absolutely dino bone. They said it is called blue dino bone even though it appears more whitish to me. I have Goggled “Blue Fossilized Dinosaur Bone” and found a few examples that almost match my piece.G'Day HaderlyI'm impressed. I don't possess any dino bone, but what I've seen so far has been awesome, but yours takes the cake! Excellent!CheersJohnno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haderly Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 My dino bone is good but Mark Anderson has some outstanding stuff. His jewelry is also very nice. Mark is also one of the people that helped me confirm that my chuck was dino bone. Here is a link to his Flickr Gallery http://www.flickr.com/photos/gembonegallery/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 19, 2011 Share Posted January 19, 2011 I posted that link earlier on this forum. Also inquired about buying a piece of Mark Andersons gem grade dino bone but it's way too pricey for me.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nugget Shooter Posted January 24, 2011 Author Share Posted January 24, 2011 OK here is one I do not have a proper ID on yet at first it seemed obvious, but after cutting I am having trouble finding a sure answer. So test your skills and give me an answer...Found in Vulture Mountains, AZIt was laying on a small mine dump and there is actually some more there, but permission would be needed to collect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 Like a lot of mineral specimens, they often contain more then one species and I think that's what you have. I don't have a clue on the yellow mineral but my guess on the blue is chrysocolla which is rather common in Arizona and in particular- that area. If I knew the name of the mine or location, I could do a little more research to find out what other minerals are in those samples.Unlikely to be turquoise as the only occurrence I know in that vicinity is the Sacred Frog mine which is near Wickenburg or somewhere in that area. I have known those types of tailings to carry precious metals so you could have it assayed if you wanted to, just out of curiosity. Looks a little too soft for lapidary purposes but it can be stabilized for $25.00 a pound. There's some lapidary grade natural Chrysocolla in black tenorite down there somewhere past Aguila. Hard to get out it in large pieces though since the deposit goes straight down into the ground and it's really tough chiseling . Now if a guy had some dynamite.... Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haderly Posted January 24, 2011 Share Posted January 24, 2011 I agree with Steve that the blue is most likely chrysocolla. The only wild guess that I have for the yellow would be Mimetite and the black could be Tenorite. I sure would like to get some and see how it will polish. The colors are nice and would be well worth doing a little stabilizing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adam Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Bill ,if you have a UV lamp, put it over it....If it is highly fluorescent then the yellow stuff may very well be willemite which is fairly common out here. Commonly found with Manganese, Iron, zincite, franklinite, and calcite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Adam brings up another good point about minerals - florescence. There's a nice market for florescent minerals specimens so it could very well be worthwhile to buy a good battery powered UV lamp for night time use or checking samples. No doubt I have missed many finds by not doing so which was a good lesson for me.This guy is a pretty prominent dealer right here in Az. The link below shows florescent minerals from one of the premier location in the USA - Sterling Hill in New Jersey.http://polmanminerals.com/html/franklin_sterling_hill.htmlAnd of course his collection - a must see if you live in Arizona.http://polmanminerals.com/html/visiting_polman_minerals.htmlSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigrex Posted January 25, 2011 Share Posted January 25, 2011 Dave, Thanks for the additional information on emeralds, kyanite and corundum. I've been out to Chunky Gal briefly once and didn't find anything during the trip. I do have a Chunky Gal specimen that a regular of the Jacobs Mine let us have or traded to us, I can't remember which. I think you traded one to me as well. That would be quite the find to see kyanite in the greenish rock with corundum. Blue sapphire in kyanite matrix?! That would be a sight.We used to have some kyanite at the mine, but all of it was very small and virtually none of it in matrix although I did save one little piece I found in-situ. I'll have to look into trying iron out. The muriatic is safe as long as you work quick and hold your breath, but your product sounds much safer since I doubt it's an acid or as caustic. I just found some links to Walker Creek kyanite, they even have a few pictures of faceted stones. Looks like some really nice deep blue specimens, that's a shame that someone messed up the site for everyone else:http://www.wncrocks.com/magma/VIRTUALMUSEUMWALKERCREEK.htmlhttp://www.wncrocks.com/book/chapter%20photos/walkercreek/walkercreek.htmSorry this is kind of becoming a thread within a thread :huh: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I found these out in Trona,Ca.... Hanksite with borax Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Nice looking specimen. Have seen many specimens from Trona. Came close to visiting that area years ago. Can that be cleaned up a little bit or is it best left alone? If it can be cleaned, what do you use?Thanks for posting.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 Steve, Yes it could be cleaned up a bit more. Hanksite should only be cleand with brine because it is water soluble, and then brushed with mineral oil to preserve it. I have so much of it I dont know what to do with it all ..I think ill just go to the gem-o-rama next year and get some more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 29, 2011 Share Posted January 29, 2011 I just had to look up Hanksite since I had never even heard of it before. This is what I found for cleaning up.http://www.ehow.com/how_4533142_clean-hanksite-crystals.htmlAbout Hanksite in general-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HanksiteAnd priceshttp://www.bestcrystals.com/hanksite.htmYou should try and make some money selling them. Went to the Gem-o-Rama website and saw the picture of pink halite. That's gorgeous.http://www1.iwvisp.com/tronagemclub/Auction2000.htmSteve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Well I did manage to bring home some Pink Halite while I was there I could try to sell some of it, but ive only seen it sold on ebay for very inexpensive..is there some kinna Gem & mineral website where I could post it for sale? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 That's a really nice specimen of pink halite. What would you expect to get for that on Ebay? If I ever make it out west again, I'll try to go and collect my own at the Gem-O-Rama.Here's just one mineral auction site that I know of that you can sell specimens. http://www.the-vug.com/vug/vugauctions.htmlI'm sure there's more of them if you just do a search for "online mineral auctions"Some of them allow collectors to sell their own specimens. Others are just for the dealer who operates the website and puts only his specimens up for bid. Just have to check and see which ones you can use.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 For the halite im not sure maby like 10-30$ ...the hanksite maby like 5-12$ If u want a pice of the hanksite let me know i have a ton of it.thanks for the info!Brandon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 30, 2011 Share Posted January 30, 2011 Brandon-The key to selling minerals online is what I call good "descriptive photography". You've heard of the phrase "a picture is worth a 1000 words"? Good photography is essential for selling online. And so is a detailed description. You took some nice photos but you wouldn't want to use those for an online auction. There's a method to this madness. It may take some extra time to become proficient but it will make a difference in the prices you get.http://www.mindat.org/article.php/339/Beginners+%22Budget%22+Mineral+Photography+Setuphttp://www.johnbetts-fineminerals.com/jhbnyc/articles/photo.htmThere's other websites to look at if you do a search on mineral photography.Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 Borax crystal from Trona,Ca Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 The borax looks really fragile. I like the pink halite and hanksite crystals much better. Thanks for posting...Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bdog Posted February 2, 2011 Share Posted February 2, 2011 This one is really soft, I think its white agate. Found it out in the hills by the General Patton Memorial Museum in California. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haderly Posted April 4, 2011 Share Posted April 4, 2011 I guess I will resurrect this post with an easy oneThe roughCab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goldfinger Posted April 5, 2011 Share Posted April 5, 2011 Hi Haderly -That's what I would call Dendritic agate but there's probably other names for it also. Nice looking cabochon. Is cutting that type of rough messy? You also make some nice jewelry. Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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