Rock Tumbler & Polisher, Lapidary Equipment, Rock Hammer, Mineral Specimen-Our Specialties

P.E.T.R.® Our acronym is for People for the Ethical Treatment of Rocks

2011-10-07T11:17:00.000-06:00

P.E.T.R.®

Yes this is really an organization. One that I just started, today.

Our acronym is for People for the Ethical Treatment of Rocks.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Rocks(PETR) is the largest rock rights organization in the world, with more than 2 members and supporters.

PETR focuses its attention on the four areas in which the largest numbers of rocks suffer the most intensely for the longest periods of time: on factory smelters, in the clothing trade, in laboratories, and in the entertainment industry. We also work on a variety of other issues, including the cruel mining of minerals, geologic formations, and other "geologic oddities" as well as cruelty to domesticated rocks.

PETR works through public education, cruelty investigations, research, legislation, special events, celebrity involvement (currently neither of our memebers are celebrities), and protest campaigns.

Our Expeditions are designed to educate people on how to ethically collect rocks and minerals.

We have been given a special opportunity to collect rare Bixbyite crystals associated with topaz on October 22nd. This is not to our typical collecting site at the Solar Wind Claim but about 25 feet below it. See how the professionals mine this treasure and collect your own (ethically of course).

Worldwide, bixbyite is rare. Crystals of bixbyites up to, but not larger than 4mm, are found in less than a dozen sites around the world. The Solar Wind Claim produces crystals up to 30mm (1.25 inches)! Often associated with brown topaz (now nearly extinct breed mostly due to overharvesting).

We will be liberating these crystals, with the appropriate hand tools, from their cruel captivity all day and preserving them in special wrapping so they can be transported home safely.

All our mining of domesticated rocks at this location will be done with complete respect to the rocks and the geologic surroundings. No rocks will be tortured in this process (except the ones that get broken, we do exclude Matrix and Leverites from our Ethical standards).

If you bring in your finds to the rock shop laboratory we will be glad to clean them for you using methods that are proven to be safe on the rocks. We do not do harmful experiments or testing on any rocks or minerals (except for those that get trimmed). All our chemicals are rock friendly and safe (No More Tears® for these rocks).

We believe in treating all rocks and rock formations in this respectful manner. Join us on any of our expeditions and find the same results.

We are currently looking for more celebrities (any) to get involved. If you attended our last rock shop show in September you would have meet BaROCK Obama, J.D. ROCKerfeller, Orin Porter ROCKwell, Norman ROCKwell, The King of ROCK (Elvis), and ROCKy.

A History of Bixbyite Starting With Maynard Bixby

2011-10-06T15:57:00.000-06:00

It is impossible to talk about bixbyite without looking into the past of Maynard Bixby. Maynard was born June 28^th, 1853 in Pennsylvania where he worked as a clerk in his father’s dry goods store until he moved off to college. He graduated from Lafayette College in Eastern Pennsylvania, along with his brother, in 1870.

Maynard and his brother and their father and his current wife all moved to Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and worked either operating or for a bank. Maynard studied law during this period but shortly decided to travel the U.S. looking for an adventure. He discovered mining in Colorado and Arizona. He eventually worked his way back to Chicago and then traveled to England in 1884 for a few months and then came back the U.S. It has been speculated this was a mineral collecting trip.

By 1890 he was living in Salt Lake City and had married Katherine. In Utah he explored a lot of the mining districts but is most famous for his work in the Thomas Range.

Here he had claims for topaz and in his advertisements he states; "For several years I have collected the very finest of the Utah minerals and have concluded to offer them direct to collectors at the following low prices ..."

It is here that he discovered what is now bixbyite, named in his honor.

He also discovered the red beryl which was named bixbite in his honor. It has been discredited as a separate mineral species and labeled a variety of beryl (red beryl).

Using his formal education and his field experience he wrote articles for “The Mineral Collector”. This is only a partial list of articles he wrote;

A description of topaz crystals, their localities and occurrences in Utah (1894)

A collector in Colorado (1894)

Montana Sapphires (1896)

Idaho Opals (1894)

Notes on Collecting in Utah (1897)

Notable minerals in western mines (1894-1895)

Pseudomorphs from Utah (1896)

A trip to the Utah desert (1897)

A trip to the Old Jordan & Galena Mines, Bingham, Utah (1896)

In 1906 he published his first edition of “A catalog of Utah minerals and their localities”.

By 1935 he and his wife and daughter had moved to San Diego, California where he died on February 18^th, 1935.

Bixbyite forms as black shiny cubes (or modified cubes) associated with topaz, red beryl, pseudobrookite, hematite, fluorite, sanadine, and quartz. It is rarely associated with holfertite at the holfertite pit. The majority of bixbyite crystals are single crystals but twinning does occur commonly.

Thomas Range

Bixbyite is found in many places around the world but the most recognizable, the largest, the most distinct crystals come from one place; the Solar Wind Claim on the north end of the Thomas Range in Juab County, Utah. Here crystals form from 1mm to over 30mm often associated with, and on, sherry colored topaz. The Thomas range formed 33-35 mya when rhyolite erupted from the ground. All the minerals found here tend to be concentrated in vertical fissures where hot gases were escaping from within the earth. These gases deposited the minerals on the walls of these vertical fissures and within the sandy filling of the fissures.

Other Utah locations for bixbyite include the Wah Wah Mountains and a rhyolite flow in Marysvale. Both locations produce bixbyite crystals to 4mm.

Bixbyite is found in a number of other localities around the world. Most notably include;

Mexico has a couple of locations for bixbyite. Here it occurs to 7mm crystals.

Germany also produces some 3mm crystals.

N'Chwaning Mines, Kuruman, Kalahari manganese fields, Northern Cape Province, South Africa. Specimens from here are small plates composed of clusters of crystals.

New Mexico.

2011-09-18T10:00:00.001-06:00

Brontotheriums are a family of extinct mammals which include horses, rhinoceroses, and tapirs. They resemble a rhino but are more closely related to horses. They thrived 56 to 34 million years ago during the Eocene.

These Horn Sections show distinct Bite Marks and Claw Marks from predators or Scavengers.

Go here to see these horns for sale!

American Scientists (Forever) Stamp Collection

2011-09-16T10:39:00.000-06:00

The postal system has issued a set of 4 stamps honoring scientists. They have all made significant contributions to science but many have never heard of them.

Melvin Calvin was an American scientist who spent most of his 5 decade career at the University of California in Berkley. His won the Nobel Peace prize in 1961 for his ground breaking work on photosynthesis.He and two other scientists traced the path of carbon-14 through a plant mapping the path of carbon through photosynthesis. He was able to prove that sunlight acts on chlorophyll in a plant to aid in the manufacturing of organic compounds and not carbon dioxide, as previously believed in the organic chemistry world.

Asa Gray was Charles Darwin’s closest friend. He traveled twice to the American west to collect botanical samples. He climbed Gray’s Peak in Colorado, which is named after him. He authored many books. His donation of his book collection and plant collection was donated to Harvard, where he was a professor. This donation created a botany department at Harvard, where he is still held in high honors.

Maria Goeppert Mayer is a German-born American theoretical physicist who in 1963 won the Nobel laureate for proposing the nuclear shell model for the atom nucleon. She should be considered one of the greatest minds of all time. Her work is as important as Einstein’s. She was escorted into the Nobel Ceremony by King Gustaf VI Adolf of Sweden.

Severo Ochoa was a Spanish-American doctor and biochemist who won the Nobel Prize for his work in physiology. His work was ground breaking in protein synthesis and replicating RNA viruses. He was a world traveler.

Prints In Time A Dinosaur Story - Plus New Dinosaur Foot Prints In-Stock

2011-09-12T21:55:00.000-06:00

We just acquired 3 new dinosaur foot prints. These are very large and attractive. They range from $500 to $2500.

Here is the rest of the story. These are formed as dinosaurs step into soft sediment such as a boggy marsh leaving a deep foot print on the ground. More sand and gravel wash into the indent in the ground filling it. Even more sediment covers the entire marsh or bog. Such much more sediment, that the marsh is compressed from hundreds of feet thick to only a foot thick. This pressure transforms the marshy material into coal.

Fast forward 65 million years and now humans are extracting the coal for electricity. As the miners are removing the coal, these dinosaur feet prints stick to the ceiling of the mine and are later extracted by workers for safety reasons. The prints tend to break loose and fall from the ceiling “stepping” on and killing miners.

Most of the mining companies have a strict policy to not save these prints. So even though they are rather common in the mines they are rarely seen outside of museums.

We are offering an opportunity to own a piece of dinosaur memorabilia that is not only rare but is also exquisitely preserved as well as aesthetic. What a conversation piece!

These prints come from the coal mine in Huntington Canyon, Emery County, Utah.

Enter Into The Rock Shop Rock Show Best of Season 2011

2011-09-02T21:38:00.000-06:00

We know that many of you have been itching to show off some of the fantastic specimens you've been finding on the rock hounding trips this year!

To help you show them off and win some great prizes we're setting up a special cabinet just for you to display your favorite pieces during the 2nd Annual Rock Shop Rock Show!

First prize will be a rock hounding holster (you've seen the kids wearing them out in the field) and the Best of Season Rock Hounding Award, There will also be prizes for "junior" rockhounders.

Just call and RSVP so we can make sure to have enough space. You'll also need to drop your specimens off sometime between now and September 7th! You won't want to miss this opportunity to show off and win big!

If you need help cleaning up your favorite specimens before the show, NO PROBLEM, Rick will be more than happy to help! Just stop by anytime Rick's there. You may want to call first and keep in mind he'll be out in the field on Saturday this week for the Azurite & Malachite Trip to the La Sal Mountains. Speaking of which, if you haven't gotten to go on this amazing adventure yet, this is the last time we'll offer this trip during the 2011 season so sign up quickly and get your gear ready!

We can't wait to see all the finds September 9th and 10th! Good luck!

What About Silicon

2011-09-02T21:36:00.002-06:00

What About Silicon?

Silicon is the second most common element in the earth's crust, with oxygen being number one. This means man has figured out how to use it to our advantage. We use it for abrasives, making glass, silicon chips for computers, in grease and caulking.

Oddly, it is not naturally found in or incorporated into our bodies, which is surprising given its abundance. Because silicon is so closely related to carbon (the next element in the periodic table),science fiction writers have speculated relentlessly about life forms made of pure silicon from other planets. Indianaa Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull made hype of this. I love the scene where he says the skull was carved from a single piece of silicon, against the grain. Indiana says ," ...even today we couldn't cut a piece of quartz like that without it exploding." I think he means HE couldn't do it. Even though some forms of quartz do show grain, I know we can polish it here at the rock shop without anything exploding. Most agates (banded chalcedony) do have a grain to them. But in the movie it was clear quartz that the skull was made of and large pieces of clear quartz crystals tend to not have a grain. If you do any tumbling or polishing of rocks you know you can polish against the grain without any explosions!

Silicon easily bonds with oxygen to form a tetrahedral molecule called silicate. This silicate by itself is called quartz. When the silicate molecule bonds with sodium or potassium it forms feldspar minerals. When it bonds with iron/manganese it can form garnets. When it bonds with beryllium it forms aquamarine/red beryl/emeralds/goshenite. The list goes on and on to as there are hundreds of silicate minerals. See Mindat.org for a complete list.

Health Benefits of Minerals

2011-08-22T09:23:00.000-06:00

Health Benefits of Minerals

People purchase things all the time to help improve their health. We have composed a list showing ways collecting rocks, minerals, and fossils are healthy for you.

1. They are fat free.

2. Most, but not all, are low sodium.

3. All rocks, minerals, and fossils are free of ALL trans-fats including hydrogenated oils (some may only be per serving).

4. If you collect minerals, all you have to do is move your collection around in your house. By reorganizing your displays you can get a little cardio-workout. If you move faster, then you can get a good cardio-workout. If you have heavy specimens, then you can call it weight training.

5. When purchasing a specimen for you collection, if you pay with cash, your wallet will appear thinner making your butt look better. If you purchase expensive specimens this way, you can appear to loose a lot of weight making you look a lot slimmer. If you carry a large purse on your shoulder and you pay with cash, your hips will look slimmer. This is another reason why credit cards are bad-they make us look fat.

6. Some minerals can be ground into a fine powder and used as makeup. Avoid the toxic and radioactive ones for this.

7. If you carry a rock in your pocket or purse you can use it for self defense. The bigger the specimen, the better the defense and the more expensive the specimen, the better the chance of getting acquitted. ( If you purchased the expensive specimen from the rock shop, see benefit #5 above).

Want to join the conversation about Health Benefits of Rocks and Minerals? Click on over to our Facebook Page and post your favorite benefits as well as seen everyone else's!

Bolivian Minerals

2011-08-08T12:58:00.000-06:00

Most, if not all, mineral collectors are familiar with the incredible mineral wealth of Brazil. Many collectors are not as familiar with the mineral contributions of Bolivia. Bolivia has produced many spectacular and divers minerals. Mining history goes back to the Incas who accumulated gold and gems. The Spanish who explored the area brutally relieved the Incas of their bounty. Pre-Incan artifacts have been found dating back to the 1400-1100 B.C.

In the past 50 years Bolivia has produced some of the finest minerals specimens of many different species. Specimens of phosphosphyllite, ludlamite, vivianite, cassiterite, nickischerite, silver, gold, vauxite, greenockite, quartz, native copper replacing aragonite crystals, among many, many more.

Lapidary materials from Bolivia include sodalite, stromatolite, fluorite, and ametrine.

How To Make Wine Glass and Mug Makers Using Beads!

2011-06-22T15:52:00.000-06:00

Little Wine Glass & Mug Charms are so popular in all the stores right now that we keep having people ask us what's involved in making their own. Here is a simple step-by-step guide on how to make these adorable charms that ensure you always know which glass is yours at all your summer bbq's and parties!

Here is what you'll need:

1- 6 different colors of seed beads

(These strands of seed beads are just $1.49 each

and can do about a total of 3 complete sets of charms)

2- 6 Charms Such as These Little Mice

(These cute little Tibetan Silver charms are just .39 Cents Each)

3- Jump Rings

(This bag of a dozen jump rings is just .50 cents

and, will do 2 complete sets of charms.)

4 - 6 Wire Charm Hoops

(A bag of 6 wire hoops costs about $1.25)

Making the total cost for this project approx. $12.79 with enough beads left over to do 2 more sets, and enough jump rings to do 1 more complete set.

Step #1 - String the beads onto the wire hoops.

1 hoop done in each of the 6 colors.

Step #2 - Use jump ring to attach

the charm onto the hoop.

Once the charm is attached you're done!

Total time to make a set of 6 is about 15 minutes.

This is an easy and fun project.

Note: the cost decreases from $12.79 to just $7.18 a set if you make 3 sets at a time (the amount the strands of seed beads will make.)

Silver Smithing Classes At The Rockshop

2011-06-02T17:09:00.002-06:00

Introducing our new silver-smithing classes! Just one more exciting event at the rock shop this summer! Circle your calendars on Wednesday, June 15th and Saturday, June 18th, and join us for a new exciting adventure with guest teacher Ray. Each class will be 5 hours long and each student will be able to finish a pendant or ring (your choice of one) during the class. This is construction silver smithing (not casting). We will have all tools and machinery required for your use, the price is $255 per person and includes the use of all tools, instruction, silver, and lunch! Please bring the stone you'd like to use for your project. For more details or to sign up click hereor call 801-355-7952. There is a limit of 6 people per class.

Rock Hounding Etiquette

2011-06-01T15:58:00.002-06:00

Rock Hounding Etiquette,

With all the rock hounding expeditions and the fact it is finally started to act like spring, we have been seeing and hearing about a lot of bad etiquette from our rock friends.

I thought it would be prudent to remind people of a few ground rules when rock hounding. I understand that these suggestions don’t apply to most of us. It is just a few who need a little reminder.

*A claim is public land that is being used, with permission from the governing authority, by someone or some company, to make money. For example, the Solarwind Claim is claimed by John Holfert and Jeremy Fuller for the purpose mining the topaz and bixbyite specimens. This means you can walk across the claim with no problem. However, if you bend over and pick up a rock, they can LEGALLY shoot you. I have never heard of this happening in Utah but I understand it is common in Alaska and other remote parts of the country.

So how do you know if you are someone’s claim? You don’t always know. If there is no signs and no one is around you may not realize you are on a claim. But when someone shows up and tells you that you are trespassing then you should move off. If you feel you are not trespassing then you will have to go to the governing agency’s office and do a little research and find out if you were or were not trespassing. GPS coordinates help. If you really think the person who asked you to leave is wrong, I recommend getting a name and license plate number, and a phone number. If they really are the claim owners they will not have a problem giving this info to you.

A good rule of thumb; an area that looks like it is being worked is probably a claim or active mine and you should avoid it.

*Our expeditions make arrangements with the land owners to collect. Going back to a private site to collect covertly, is the same as sneaking in a closed store and helping yourself to what ever you want. It is stealing.

You can be prosecuted for stealing or grand larceny. I don’t know of any mine owner that has prosecuted someone for this but it is a possibility. At a minimum you will get a $400 trespassing ticket—these are becoming more and more common.

Asking me how I collect without paying is the same as asking me how I steal. I do not trespass or collect on posted land without permission.

*If you pack it in, pack it out. This is a common courtesy to anyone who owns the land or may ever see the land. I think most of us will agree that it is just ugly to get somewhere in nature to find a discarded water bottle, beer can, or any other garbage.

*It is illegal to buy, sell, or trade anything you collect off of public land. This means if you find a piece of agate, you can not tumble it and then sell it. This is a standard practice that is not really policed. That doesn’t make it any less illegal.

*It is illegal to collect vertebrate fossils off of public land! There is no way around this!

*If you take your dog into the wild, keep track of it. No one likes stepping in a mess. No one likes listening to a dog bark when they are in the wild. No one likes being peed on by a dog. Yes, that has happened in the field with our groups.

*if you have something to add please do. We will revise this article and post it online and then email it out again.

Mindat Museum Display

2011-05-31T07:44:00.000-06:00

Check out our Mindat Museum Display! CLICK HERE

Like many mineral collectors, I have been collecting minerals since I was in elementary school. I attended Montana Tech in Butte, Montana, where I worked as the School's Mineral Museum Student Curator under Lester Zeihen and Richard (Dick) Berg. For family reasons, I transferred to the University of Utah's Geological & Mining Engineering programs in Salt Lake City, Utah. While in my last year of school I had the opportunity to buy Lewis Rock Shop. My mentor, David Lewis Sr., known to many locals (and not so local) as "Old Man Lewis" started me collecting and kept me going through the years, starting in elementary school. At the Rock Shop, now Rockpick Legend Co., I've created a museum-type display of over 500 Utah minerals, rocks, and fossils in an effort to educate and entertain mineral collectors, teachers, students, scouts and everyone with an interest in Utah's rich mineral heritage. My wife, Anita, and I have raised our children in a rock shop life style where they learn rocks and minerals as well as lapidary, jewelry making, and a strong since of good business ethics. Adrienne, our oldest daughter, does our marketing and photography. We have lead expeditions to collecting sites for over 13 years now.

The Best Rockhounding Story Contest

2011-05-04T19:52:00.002-06:00

#1 - One of my camping trips as a young boy I found a small black/semi shiny rock off the side of the road. When we got home I had pulled it out of my pocket and set it on the coffee table downstairs. And of course being a kid, I forgot about it. A few weeks prior my mom had bought my dad a bucket of black coal licorice. It came with a little hammer to break off the pieces of licorice to make it easier to eat. My dad loved his black licorice.

The next day after our camping trip my dad had planted himself in his chair to watch TV like he always did to relax. He noticed a piece of his licorice laying there. Of course it was my mystery rock. After a 1/2 hour of sucking and trying to

bight the piece of licorice he yelled at me to come down stairs. He then confronted me about this super hard piece of candy. I mentioned that we were out of the licorice for a while. He then spit out the piece of licorice and asked what it was. I was laughing at this point that I almost wet myself. -Chuck Murillo

#2 - Okay, here is my story. This rockhunting trip begun as a deer hunting trip. We were up in the RockCreek/Blindstream area and came upon a basin. So the wife and I got out and was looking around when we notice some quartz. So I left my muzzleloader in the truck and started picking up the rocks. Suddenly the wife ducks and starts whispering and pointing. I look up and notice a group of the largest bucks I have seen staring at us. I drop my rocks and run for the truck the bucks took off running in the other direction. The wife was left in the middle laughing and still gathering rocks. Needless to say I didn't go home empty handed, I had some real nice quartz. :) -Dwayne Rasmussen

#3 - My grandpa was a school teacher born and raised in Milford Utah.. He was absolutely astounded by the minerals in that area. He would always give me very vague direction on where to find the best mineral specimens in the area and he was physically incapable of showing me. he would say be patient and feel where they can be found. when he died a few months ago he left me a map that he had put together over the years of exactly where and what to look for as well as how many steps were needed to get to these places. following the map and knowing that I was walking in his foot steps was a truly rewarding experience. as well as some very nice specimans. - Jordan Hall

#4 - Ok, so a couple of years ago I was in Afghanistan. I had already spent five years in the Marine Corps, but in this case I was a civilian contractor. Anyway, I was wandering around a very small base, getting ready to run around the perimeter, when I looked down and saw a weird looking rock. Being a rockologist ( :) ) I picked it up and flipped it over. There was a ton of Garnets (not gem quality) on the other side. There was even one, had it remained in perfect condition, that would have measured over eight inches across. Of course this excited the Army Soldiers on base, and I taught them what to look for. -Stewart Taylor

Turquoise and The Colorback Mine

2011-04-25T20:24:00.000-06:00

One of the most recognizable gemstones to anyone in the world is the blue stone turquoise. There is not another like it. It has become the symbolic color and gemstone of the American southwest. Its history starts in ancient Egypt where it was mined on the Sinai Peninsula. Later Prussian turquoise was mined as a solid sky blue and Tibet turquoise is wondrous blue-green and is so sacred it is considered a national treasure. More recently, the Native Americans of the southwest have mined it in many shades of blues and greens.

In the 1950’s to the 1970’s turquoise was highly prized and sought after by consumers. It was to the point that a poor prospector could find a new deposit and be wealthy beyond dream within months. By the mid-1970’s turquoise was loosing favor with consumers and the demand dwindled to a small trickle we see today. There is still some demand for high quality gem material with jewelers and mineral collectors but not enough to cause the huge price spike from the 1970’s.

In recent years the demand has increased. Much quality turquoise, like at the Colorback Mine, sell for as much as a $1000 per pound or more. That’s nearly $70 per ounce or $1.80 per carat. Carat per carat this price doesn’t seem like much when comparing prices to a diamond. That shouldn’t diminish the value of turquoise as its beauty far exceeds the beauty of a clear diamond.

Colorback Mine I and II:

The Colorback mine I or in the old days Turquoise Boy mine is one half mile north of the famous Badger mine (another famous turquoise mine) and 3.5 miles North-Northwest of Tenabo (a mining district & ghost town known for its gold) just south of Crescent Valley, Nevada.

Turquoise is associated with an opalized sill that dips intruding black chert. The chert adjacent to the sill is brecciated and that is where the turquoise was formed.

The Colorback II mine has more Chalcosiderite and Variscite rather than turquoise as the major constituent. The Chalcosiderite has a beautiful black spider web pattern with white, blue, green, yellow, or orange hues.

The variscite is a beautiful light green to “icy” green with black spider webbing or matrix throughout the stones.

Much of the material from this mine is a mix of turquoise, variscite, and chalcosidierite. An easy and fairly reliable way to determine what you have is by color. If your stone is more blue it is predominately turquoise. If it is more of a strong green it is predominately variscite and if it is pale green or whitish then it is predominately chalcosidierite. However, on the gem market it is usually ALL sold as turquoise.

Mixing of minerals like this is not uncommon. Much of the turquoise from around the world is a mix of turquoise and other minerals.

All About Serpentine

2011-04-06T12:20:00.002-06:00

Serpentine is not a mineral, it is a group of 20 minerals that are all related chemically and structurally, all being silicate minerals. Serpentine minerals have gotten a bad rap lately by politicians because they form fibrous minerals referred to as asbestos. Asbestos is a house-hold word with a bad connotation. The word asbestos describes minerals that can be pulled apart in parallel, lengthwise, flexible fibers. Asbestos minerals have had been used in industrial applications for a number of different things.

Despite being a very important economic mineral, it has become the target of some California politicians who have characterized it as toxic. They were trying to get serpentine removed from the records as California’s State Rock. This is being done out of fear more than education. Of the 20 or so asbestos minerals, only a few produce a fiber that are actually dangerous to humans.

California politicians have made a crucial error in their rational. Serpentine doesn’t always contain asbestos minerals and many of the ones it does are not harmful. Even when serpentine does contain harmful fibers, the amount of danger it poses is dependent on many factors include how it is released from the host rock, bioavailability, length of the fibers, whether the host is a smoker, and the degree of exposure. With all the factors, it is not hard to realize serpentine is a safe rock to have around. Nor is serpentine is not toxic as they claimed. Once more of the politicians were educated, the bill was left to die with little fan fare.

Rock Ramblings of Rick

2011-03-15T13:44:00.002-06:00

For me, the joy and satisfaction of collecting minerals comes from a knowledge and appreciation of the minerals. Some of the appreciation is from knowing just how and where they form. Some of it comes from knowing of their chemical makeup or why the crystals make the shapes they do. Minerals with rare earth elements are uncommon in nature and even though they are usually black and ugly they enjoy a status among collectors. Minerals like orpiment and realgar have a duel appeal. They are bright colors and their chemical formula is interesting. Realgar is made up of arsenic and sulfur making its formula AsS.

Sometimes the appreciation comes because of their beautiful color, form and shape, rarity, or clarity. And sometimes it is because I feel a personal connection to them. The one factor I pay the least attention to is price or value. Price doesn’t reflect MY true appreciation of a specimen. I can really appreciate a specimen without owning it.

Any specimen from Utah will always get my attention. I love the variety Utah has to offer. I also have a connection to Texas specimens. This comes from being stationed there for 2.5 years in the Army and getting to field collect on a regular basis.

I went to Montana College of Mineral Science & Technology in Butte for a couple of years. You cannot go to school in Montana and not develop a deep appreciation for copper minerals and all the variety Montana has to offer. Here are some ramblings on different minerals I like and why. This list is not comprehensive. There are plenty of minerals I like and for different reasons.

I like topaz for several reasons. One is high quality specimens come from Utah and can be collected with a moderate amount of work. Another of the reasons I like Utah topaz is that it comes in clusters that often resemble star bursts. Utah topaz is unique in this way. The same kind of topaz that is found in Utah is found in a band of similar rhyolite flows that stretch from Utah to northern Mexico. But the Utah occurrence is unique because of the mineral association. Here in Utah topaz is associated with pseudobrookite, bixbyite, garnets pseudomorphed to hematite, ilmenite, holfertite, andesine, quartz, fluorite, and opal plus a few other uncommon minerals.

Topaz forms in 2 different environments; granite and rhyolite. Rhyolite topaz are the rarest and Utah provides the best examples of this type of topaz-easily! Granite-type topaz deposits produce the largest crystals and in a greater array of colors. One reason to appreciate topaz from the Solarwind claim is that it produces topaz with bixbyites attached to them. Not only do they make a beautiful combination but the bixbyites from this location are considered the best in the world with some reaching over an inch. All the topaz from Utah will fade from the sherry (brown) color to clear (colorless) when exposed to sunlight. Except the topaz from the Solarwind Claim which tends to fades to a dusty rose pink! Click Here To See Our Expedition Schedule to the Solarwind Claim.

True pink, vivid pink topaz is common at the jewelry store. In nature it is extremely rare. Much of the common topaz can be treated to produce pink topaz just like the pale blue topaz can be treated to make stunning blue topaz. The best of the best pink topaz comes from Katlang, Mardan district, Pakistan. These are highly prized for their rarity and color.

I like topaz from all over the world. Blue topaz is one I have a personal connection to. Old Man Lewis, the guy who got me started when I was about 9, showed me a crystal that will stick with me for the rest of my life. One day while poking around his store, he pulled a prized specimen out of an old torn up box. It was wrapped in newspaper from Taiwan. The crystal must have weighed ten pounds if it weighed an ounce. It was an incredible aquamarine blue. After I cleaned up the drool, he showed me several more that HE had just acquired in Taiwan while searching for specimens for several museums.

That specimen is seared deep into my mind along with a peridote crystal of the same size and many rubies and sapphires. Lewis was famous for his adventures into the wild and bringing back world class specimens. I also have a deep appreciation of topaz from the Zapot claim in Nevada. This topaz is from a pegmatite and is associated with amazonite and smoky quartz and some shorl. But my connection is they often fluoresce yellow under UV light. The topaz from Idaho also fluoresces but it fluoresces dark neon green. Both yellow and green are the rarest colors topaz will fluoresce. I am not the only one to have an obsession with topaz. The ministry of mining building in Johannesburg, South Africa was designed after a large single topaz crystal.

Another of my favorites is chalcedony. Chalcedony is variety of quartz. It is what most of us call agate. It alone holds a special place of stature because of its variety. The many forms and internal patterns and huge array of colors makes agate so desirable that many collectors specialize in collecting just agate.

Chalcedony is not appreciated for its rarity. It is one of the most common minerals on earth. For those who are not agate enthusiasts, it may be hard to understand why it is so popular. But when you ponder the variety of patterns, textures, and colors it doesn’t take long to start to see the beauty involved with agate. The patterns alone have caused scientists to theorize for decades how they could form. Today we are no closer to understanding agate patterns than we were a decade ago.

Chalcedony is a common replacement in fossils preserving wood, bone, shells, and many other things for all time. Utah has a many different agates from lots of locations. One of the most famous is the Green River agate beds of central Utah. If you need help understanding the attraction to agate, just visit a rock shop. Or better yet, visit an agate bed and collect some and you will quickly discover that no two pieces are alike.

Copper and Copper Minerals

Many people like the appearance of metals. Copper, aka the red metal, is very popular with mineral collectors as much as with interior decorators. I personally love the aesthetics of the red metal and have built a large collection with pieces from all over the world. The red metal comes in a huge variety of forms including nuggets, crystals, wires, dendrites, and more. Each is as interesting as the other.

Copper is very reactive with other elements because it copper can mix with oxygen, sulfur, carbonate, water, arsenic, selenium, gold, silver, and many others. One of the major properties of copper minerals is they tend to be very attractive in form and color. Copper minerals come in every shade of blue and green and every combination of the two! Of the roughly 4300 mineral species about 1/4^th of them are copper minerals. I find the variety of copper minerals as interesting as their beauty, and color.

Quartz

Quartz is one of the most common minerals on earth and is one of the most collected. Quartz comes in over 200 crystal habits, a wide variety of colors, and many very aesthetic forms. Quartz comes in purple (amethyst), pink (rose), yellow or brown (citrine), dark brown to black (smoky), red (ferruginous), lemon yellow, blue, green (chrysoprase), clear, white, to name a few. Another wonder of quartz is the amount and type of inclusions quartz can contain. Inclusions are one mineral trapped inside another. Minerals like goethite, ajoite, fluorite, pyrite, rutile, and tourmaline are common inside quartz. So is water. There are dozens of other minerals that have been found as inclusions inside quartz. Quartz has many crystal or structural habits. Adjectives like scepter, reverse scepter, cathedral, hopper, cactus, cubic, gwendle, along with many others are used to describe the way a quartz crystal can appear.

A couple of other favorites are the beryl family and the garnet family, but that is another story.

There is a small list of minerals I don’t have an appreciation for.

Cut diamonds are much more common than marketers would let you believe. Even thought diamonds are the hardest and have a very high refractive index, they can be easily replaced with synthetics or simulants without much notice. We have a joke in our family that white cut diamonds are about as interesting as white cut glass. In my opinion, diamonds are overvalued. Colored diamonds and natural diamond crystals are a different story!

Gold specimens are highly sought after many by collectors. It represents a pure element and it has an appeal about it because of its warm yellow color. Its value is long rooted in history but and with more of it available the appeal has been lost. The more it is used in jewelry the more “intrinsic” value it will gain. For me it is over used and overvalued.

Beryllium

2011-03-09T15:48:00.001-07:00

One of the most important industrial metals in the world is mined right here in Utah. It’s mined from the largest deposit of its kind on earth right here in our own back yard.Beryllium: one of the most strategic metals is mined at the Brush-Wellman Mine west of Topaz Mountain near Delta. The reason this metal is so important is because of its physical properties. It is twice as light as aluminum, has an incredibly high melting point at 1287°C, it is not affected by air or water even when it is red hot, and it is many times stronger that other metals, even engineered metals such as titanium and steel alloys.It is used in a wide range of tools including chisels. It is used in high-end clock and watch movements. It is used for making bearings that will resist extreme heat. It is also very corrosion resistant when alloyed with copper. Because of its high strength and light weight it is used to hold the guidance systems in many missiles and rockets.NASA is working on a 30 inch telescope mirror made from gem-grade optical beryllium. This special material is mined from the largest deposit of beryllium ore in the world and it’s just west of Spor Mountain which is west of Topaz Mountain. The deposit is mined in several large open pits.

The ore is in the form of a clay mineral called bertrandite, a beryllium oxide. It is often stained purple by fluorite. Manganese, opal, and quartz all soak into the clay making it hard. Some is hard enough to cut and polish and with the fluorite and manganese this material is stunning and known as Tiffany Stone.Beryllium is also found in the beryl family of gems. Emeralds, aquamarine, red beryl, morganite and the rest of the beryl family contain enough beryllium to make them valuable as an ore. Fortunately, most of these gemstones are not mined as ore. Massive beryl is mined in some places like Russia for beryllium. The Brush-Wellman mine produces about 60% of the world’s beryllium. Stop in the store and see some of our display of beryllium including a processed rod, copper/beryllium hammer, hard drive reader arm, and ore.Warning: Beryllium is very toxic. Do not ingest any material or breathe in the dust from grinding and polishing.

Descriptions and Ratings of Rock Hounding Sites

2011-03-07T14:27:00.005-07:00

Trilobite Trip - Delta, Utah - A New Dig Mine

There are over 15,000 species of trilobites. Many collectors and experts believe Utah is home to as many as 600 of those species. An individual species can be described from a single trilobite or even a part of a trilobite. The fun of trilobites is that everyone recognizes them. We like to say that they are 350,000,000 year old roaches, but they are actually ancestors of the Horseshoe Crab. Utah trilobites range in size from less than 1/8 inch to a whopping 12+ inches. In recent years some very rare trilobites (olinoides sp.) were discovered in the Little Drum Mountains that exceed 12 inches. At our favorite collecting site (A New Dig) there are several species including: Elrathia kingi, Modocia typicallus, Altiocculus, Peronopsis, Alokistocare, Agnostus, Asaphiscus wheeleri, and more. Other fossils found in the Utah trilobite beds include corals, sponges, Gogia sp. (Sea lily flower head), Chancelloria (Jelly Fish), several different brachiopods, worm tracks, trilobite tracks, star fish, jelly fish, and more. Parking for the pits is within a 100 yards. It is uneven ground but mostly flat. Collecting is very easy and kids 3 and up will easily find trilobites with some adult help (and often without help). It is very rare that someone doesn’t find a good amount of trilobites with a small amount of effort. Tools that are needed include; a fossil hammer, chisel, (some find a flat tip screw driver & a putty knife helpful but these are optional).

Tools: Fossil Hammer (or Rock Hammer with Fossil Chisel), Crack Hammer, Buckets and Wrapping Materials.

Available Facilities: Outhouse Style Restrooms on Property. Parking less then 100 feet from pit.

Required Vehicle: Suitable for small cars with low clearance.

Green River, Utah

Collect agates, petrified wood, and some fossils, but mostly agates. It is abundant in various shades of reds, yellows, mustards, mauve, some limy greens, and white.

This may be the easiest collecting you'll do all year!! There are not tools required, but a bucket to put your rocks into. Good for collectors of all ages that can walk. Typical desert ground that is uneven but there are large flat areas that can be collected in.

Tools: Bucket (you may want a shovel).

Available Facilities: Less then 15 minutes away from the town.

Required Vehicle: Suitable for small cars with low clearance.

Gold Hill, Utah

Gold Hill is in the north end of the Deep Creek Mountains. These mountains have been mined since the min-1800's. These mountains proved to be rich in silver, copper, arsenic, cobalt, and tungsten. When the miners first started at Gold Hill, they were after gold, and thought that they hit it rich. But the mine was low in gold, and rich in copper and arsenic. Gold Hill itself was closed in 1925. It was reopened and mined for a short period of time during W.W.II for arsenic. The geology consists of three intrusions into a Paleozoic limestone. This is what created the skarn deposits that produced the garnets (grossular-andradite in solid solution), wollastonite, diopside, and zoisite. The primary sulfides were deposited by hydrothermal ground water after the skarn. This is where the main copper minerals came from. The Gold Hill Mine, was fairly extensive. From the top of the peak the mine went down to the 925' level. There are a number of levels that can still be accessed, though ground water has reached the 400' level, making to impossible to go deeper. Austinite & juanitaite were first discovered at Gold Hill. Austinite was encountered near the surface in the first diggings at Gold Hill. Juanitaite was discovered in the 150’ level. Tools needed at Gold Hill include; a rock pick, chisels, crack hammer, a good quality hand lens, toilet paper and something to pack specimens into.

This expedition requires hard work. There is a steep trial to the top of the mine. Tools must be carried up and specimens add to the weight to come back down.

Because this is a old mining area, there are inherent dangers. It is not advisable for kids under 12. Click Here to see a list of minerals that come from this location.

Tools: Rock Hammer, Chisels, Shovel, Crack Hammer, Geo Pick, Buckets and Wrapping Materials

Available Facilities: None

Required Vehicle: 4x4 to reach the site, Small cars with half mile hike to the site.

Turquoise ~ Colorback Mine ~ Nevada

Colorback Mine I and II:

The Colorback mine I or in the old days Turquoise Boy mine is one half mile north of the famous Badger mine ( another famous turquoise mine) and 3.5 miles North-Northwest of Tenabo ( a mining district & ghost town known for its gold) just south of Crescent Valley, Nevada.

Turquoise is associated with an opalized sill that dips intruding black chert. The chert adjacent to the sill is brecciated and that is where the turquoise was formed.

he variscite is a beautiful light green to “icy” green with black spider webbing or matrix throughout the stones.

ixing of minerals like this is not uncommon. Much of the turquoise from around the world is a mix of turquoise and other minerals.

This may be the most strenuous expedition we do. It is not advisable for kids under 12. To find the turquoise requires a huge amounts of work with little reward. But when that reward comes, it comes big! W

ith turquoise from this mine fetching prices in the $1000 per pound area, it doesn’t take much to make the entire days work worthwhile.

Tools required to be successful here will include a shovel, a good rock pick, crack hammer, and an immense amount of patience. Not everyone is successful in finding 3 full pounds of high grade turquoise!

In my opinion, the other minerals found here are a rewarding 2^nd place prize. Chalcosiderite and variscite from this mine are all sold as turquoise but are a different shade of green with a hint of blue.

Tools: Rock Hammer, Chisels, Shovel, Crack Hammer, Geo Pick, Buckets and Wrapping Materials

Available Facilities: Camper with Restroom

Required Vehicle: Small cars are okay but you'll have to hike a small distance (less then a mile), 4x4 cars can drive up to the site with no hiking.

Topaz, Bixbyite and Red Beryl ~ Solar Wind Claim ~ Utah

The Solarwind claim is most famous for its unusual and large Bixbyites! However, the Topaz found here is also unique in that it doesn't turn clear in the sun light it turns pink! There are also the famous Red Beryl found at this location. Previously owned by J. Holfert and famous world wide for the stunning specimens it has produced. To see more of what comes from this claim CLICK HERE.

Tools: Rock Hammer, Chisels, Shovel, Crack Hammer, Geo Pick, Buckets and Wrapping Materials

Available Facilities: None

Required Vehicle: Small cars are okay.

Septarian Nodule Claim

Septarian nodules are hardened mud balls. They are very common around the world. Many are plain and solid on the interior. The septarians that come from southern Utah are famous for their bright yellow interiors. Often they are hollow with with yellow calcite crystals growing in the hollow spaces. Often there is a fracture pattern of the brown or grey mudstone that has been filled with the yellow calcite. The mud balls usually formed around something that gave them a starting point. Crabs, clams, and shells are just some of the things found in the centers. Septarians with large open cavities have been speculated to have formed around algae that decayed away leaving the hollow cavity where later the yellow calcite filled in. Other minerals have been found in the centers also. Barite, pyrite, amethyst, snow white quartz, and siderite are not that uncommon.

This expedition requires some walking around. There are lots of hills to climb. Collecting is very close to the road and may spectacular specimens have been found in the road. This is a good trip for the whole family.

Tools: Shovel, Geo-Pick and Buckets

Available Facilities: None

Required Vehicle: Small cars are okay.

Azurite & Malachite ~ Blue Crystal Mine ~ La Sal, Utah

There are not a lot of tools required for this expedition. Hammers should NOT be used as they cause to much damage. A garden trowel with 3 prongs on one side is the ideal tool. Wrapping for your specimens should be kept handy as the collecting is easy and plentiful.

Small cloth bags and toilet paper or paper towels are a must.

Parking for this site is right off the paved road and the collecting site is all within a couple of hundred yards. The ground is very uneven but not strenuous at all. The blue berries are very abundant but the crystal clusters require a lot of patience and hard work to find. The majority of people last year were able to find good clusters with hard work.

Tools: Hand Trowel, Rock Hammer, Wrapping Materials

Available Facilities: Camper with Restrooms, and Restroom

Required Vehicle: Small cars are okay.

Sapphire & Garnet ~ El Dorado Bar ~ Montana

This expedition is best done as a 2 to 3 day trip. It is an easy 8 hour drive there. We will be collecting at the El Dorado bar. This is a world famous sapphire location. Sapphires from here have been used in jewelry and royalty jewelry all over the world for over 100 years. We will be collecting raw sapphires, meaning that they color or be very pale in color. The colors are blue, blue/green, green, yellow, pink, and very rarely orange. They may or may not have inclusions. But many that are found are gem grade and can be used in jewelry once faceted (this is offered by the mine owner as a special service and can take an up to 3 months to get them back at the cost of $20 per faceted carat with a one carat minimum). There are garnets found along with the sapphires. They can be a brilliant red to strong orange. In recent years these have become almost as valuable as the sapphires. At the mine we will be sorting through 5 gallon buckets of gravel to search for the sapphires. These buckets are virgin material (not high graded) and are NOT salted. We get 10 buckets, which is a good days work. Tools required for this expedition include a set of screens. The larger screen should be 3/8^th inch and the smaller screen should be 1/8^th inch. THESE SCREENS ARE NOT PROVIDED. YOU SHOULD MAKE YOUR OWN OR SEE THE ROCKS SHOP FOR MORE DETAILS. A shovel and garden trowel are also handy. We are high in the Rocky Mountains at this mine and weather is at best unpredictable. You will want to bring winter clothing, spring clothing, and a tee shirt just in case. This expedition is successful to the hard working and lucky. It is appropriate for all age groups. The beauty of this area is breath taking. A beautiful agate fossils replaced with goethite (a brown rusty mineral similar to hematite), and petrified wood are also available for collecting and are sold by the pound (half price for our group) if you want to collect them. Additional gem gravel may be purchased also.

Tools: Hand Trowel, Gold Pans, Rock Hammers, Screens, Bags, Wrapping Materials

Available Facilities: Less Then 15 Minutes

Required Vehicle: Small cars are okay.

All About Bixbyites

2011-02-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

Bixbyite is Manganese Oxide and forms black cubes or modified cubes. The Maynard Claim is the type locality for bixbyite (where it was first discovered ). Until recently most crystals were 5-12mm with the largest on record a whopping 15/16ths. This large bixbyite was the pride of the species and is housed in the Smithsonian Institute. About 3 years ago a mineral dealer made a discovery a few miles away from the Maynard Claim where he was finding bixbyite crystals over an inch. One was 1.5 inches! These crystals immediately became a hit with major collectors with some of the larger examples rumored to sell for tens of thousands of dollars.
At this new location on the north end of the Thomas Range, bixbyite is found with topaz, pseudobrookite, red beryl, and garnet. Often the bixbyite has a topaz crystal growing right through it. The topaz from this location starts out like the brown topaz from the south end of the range (Topaz Mountain), but when left in the sun it doesn’t fade to a clear crystal. It turns pink, a very dusty/rosy pink.
Now the claim is gone now because the bixbyite and topaz have been mined to exhaustion. This location is destined to become one of the legendary “classic” locations in the chronicles of the mineral world!

The Prefect Vibra-Lap Polish

2011-02-24T10:15:00.003-07:00

Vibra-lapping is the art of taking a rock with a flat face and polishing it. This is a very fun and rewarding aspect of the rock hounding hobby. However, it can be frustrating when things don’t go just right and you end up with a poor polish or worse yet a partial polish.
I use a 4 step process when I vibra-lap that works great. Here is how I do it...
1a. Make sure the rock is clean of loose debris. When I polish geodes I like to make sure they are scrubbed clean of all the clay or ash that might be on them. I do this before I cut them so I don’t end up with the crud in my saw. I have noticed a lot of people just put the rock in the saw and don’t clean it first. If little pieces do come off during any stage of the vibra-lappiong process remove them or they will get under the rocks and cause little squiggly lines in the rock that will make it so you have to start all over. This is tragic when you are in the polishing stage and discover them.
Make sure the cut-off burrs are gone. Often when you are finishing a cut there is a little burr on the rocks where it separates at the end. Don’t put these rocks into the vibra lap pans as it can damage the pan. I either grind them off or knock them off with a hammer.
1b. Charge the pan with 80 grit silicon carbide. The amount of grit to use depends on the size of pan you have. I use a 16" Covington lap and I charge it with a ½ cup of grit. Add enough water to make it a slurry and place the rocks on top of the grit and water. Make sure you add enough rocks to fill the pan 3/4 full. If you don’t use enough rocks you will "dish" the pan. Putting one rock in with the water and grit will act as a drill and cut into the pan. Because of the physics involved, the rock, grit, and water want to go to the center of the pan. If you don’t have enough rocks to fill the pan you will wear it down faster in the middle and it won’t be flat enough to do a good job. You can ruin a pan in about 2 hours of grinding.
1c. After 6 to 8 hours pick out a rock and scribble all over the face you are polishing with a pencil. Don’t use a marker! Place the rock back in the pan and let it go for 5 or so minutes. Remove the rock and rinse it with water. Don’t wipe it. If you can still see the pencil marks it is not ready for the next stage so place it back in the pan and add a couple of tablespoons of grit. If all the pencil marks are gone it is ready for the next stage. Now test all the rocks. Some rocks wear down faster than others.
1d. To get your rocks ready for the next stage you will have to wash them thoroughly!!! Once you have them washed, re-wash them and when you are done, wash them again. None of the grit can go into the next stage. Once the rocks are clean then you have to wash the pan or use a separate pan for the next girt.
If you have a different pan for each stage you will save yourself a great deal of time and effort in washing. Also by using a different pan you will cut down the chances of contaminating the next stage with grit from the last stage. I use a different pan for each stage, and it is amazing how much faster and more fun it makes the whole process.
2. Start the whole process over again with the second stage. I recommend 220 grit silicon carbide for 8 to 10 hours.
3. For the third stage I have tried several different options and have had the best success using 600 grit silicon carbide. 500 grit silicon carbide will work for about half the price but it may take a few hours longer.
4. Now for the polish stage. This is very critical. DO NOT LET ANY GRIT GET INTO THE POLISHING PAD!!!! Make sure your hands, rock, pan, and any covers you are using are free from all grit.
I recommend the felt pads as they are superior to any carpet or other types of pads in their results. The only polish to use is Tin Oxide. I have tried cerium oxide, and it works OK on some rocks. It doesn’t work on all rocks. Tin oxide works on all rocks and is faster and creates a better polish.
Tip 1. When you are not using the polish pan or pad keep it in a clean garbage bag to keep the dust and grit out of it.
Tip 2. If for some reason you need to leave the rocks for more than a day or so make sure they are soaking in water or it will take forever to get the grit off.
Tip 3. Tin oxide is next to impossible to get off if it dries on for more than a day or so. I just set the rock in a bucket of water and let them soak if I don’t have time to clean them right away.
Tip 4. I have found it very helpful to cover the vibra-lap with a cardboard box that is open on the front. This allows me to view the rock and air to circulate around the motor while containing the splashing. I "make" these boxes by using regular cardboard packing boxes, turning them upside down over the vibra-lap, then cutting one side completely away to allow enough air circulation.
Tip 5. Just about any rock will lap to a great polish. Some that don’t include sandstone, shale, clay stones or any rock that is very crumbly. You can seal these types of rocks with a sealant like Opticon (TM) or Hot Stuff (TM) and then polish them. It works very well.
Tip 6. Most vibra-laps are designed to hold up to about 35 pounds.
Tip 7. When you have a load of rocks going they tend to pound against each other. Sometimes when this is happening the edges of your rocks will get chipped. Obsidian and glass are really bad for this. I use old inner tubes and cut them up like really wide rubber bands and put them around the rocks. Placing a wooded dowel between them is another way of controlling the damage. But my favorite method and one that works really well is to wrap the rock with a layer or two of duct tape. You can peel it off between stages and add new tape to eliminate contamination.

Maintaining Your Rock Tumbler

2011-02-23T11:22:00.000-07:00

When you purchase a high quality rock tumbler you can perform a few small maintenance steps that will insure it lasts for decades.
1. Oil all 4 bushings once a week. This one step alone will extend the life of a tumbler by years. Use light weight oil. We use Zoom® brand and it works great. Do NOT use WD-40.
2. Keep it covered so dust doesn't get in the bushings and motor when not in use.
3. If the lid comes off the barrel and gets grit or polish in the bushings, REMOVE them and wash them with warm soap and water. This may seem excessive but it is not. A clean machine will last a lot longer than a dirty one.
4. Do not put harsh chemicals in the barrels. Vinegar is about as strong of something you want to put in the barrel. If you plan on running acid or harsh detergents use a glass jar or metal can with a lid instead of the barrel.
5. Do not let your tumbler freeze in the winter. Move it to a warmer place to run or empty it and restart it in the spring.

Pyrite - A Popular Choice

2011-02-21T10:00:00.000-07:00

Pyrite is one of the most collected minerals in the mineral kingdom. It's brassy yellow color combined with its striking luster is hard to resist. Pyrite epitomizes what collecting minerals is all about. Its appeal captures the novice as much as the most advanced collector. Pyrite is very abundant, even in good quality specimens. This tends to keep the prices relatively low even for quality specimens. Pyrite has something else going for it besides its high luster and affordability...

it comes in many forms. The purest form of pyrite is a cube. These cubes, as single crystals with no visible attachment, can reach up to 8 inches. But, pyrite comes in other shapes such as octahedrons, pyritohedrons, dodecahedrons, even wires and balls and about 200 other weird shapes. A person could collect nothing but pyrite and have a hard time showing them all off. Pyrite forms in many geologic environments. Most notable in the west is in association with copper, lead, silver, and gold mines. We just got in 10 killer pyrite specimens. They are cubes of pyrite in talc matrix from Navajun, Spain. These are a must see!

Drilling & Shaping Beads

2011-02-18T10:00:00.001-07:00

One common question we get is "how do they make all the holes in the beads?". When people make beads at home they usually use some sort of drill press and diamond drill bits and sit for a long time in front of the drill press meticulously drilling hole after hole. This method is costly, even in China. So they have developed a system that assembly lines the process.

Many of the shaped beads are cut, ground, and polished by hand and then ran through a machine that uses a sandblaster to blast a hole through the stone in a split second. Using this technique and scrap rock, chip strands can be made very inexpensively.

Some bead shapes and materials are not suitable for blasting and must be drilled by hand. This is usually reflected in the price of the beads. Many pearls are too fragile to drill any other way than by hand. It is because of the labor and difficulty in doing stone that stone beads are more expensive.

Plastic and glass are very easy to work with in comparison with stone. Hence, they are less expensive.

Recirculating Water Systems

2011-02-15T10:00:00.000-07:00

Many lapidary polishers use recirculating water systems. These are grinders and polishers that spray water from a pan onto the wheels. These systems save a lot of time and money when compared to the type you have to run water to or have buckets with tubes hanging over your head.

There is a drawback to the recirculating systems. When you are using the grinding wheels there are little bits and pieces of grit that come off and end up floating in the water. This would be ok but the grit that has settled then gets pumped back up and spit onto the next wheel leaving scratches in your stone. This is a serious problem with silicon carbide wheels, which is why most of these kinds of machines require a fresh water supply. Diamond machines tend to use recirculating water. This is because they do not suffer from this issue as much as silicon carbide machines.

The only real solution when using diamond machines that use recirculating water is to wash the tray out after using each grinding wheel or when you notice new scratches develop in your stone as you go through he process. It is more rare for diamond wheels to suffer from this but occasionally they do.If you are looking at getting a grinding unit, keep this in mind.

Agates Part #1

2011-02-12T10:00:00.000-07:00

Agate is micro- to crypto-crystalline quartz. The mineral name for agate is chalcedony (pronounced cal said kney). It can form through volcanic or sedimentary processes. Quartz is made up of silica and it tends to be hard and brittle so it tends to be glassy. It is also very abundant in nature and forms and endless variety of colors, patterns, and textures.

These properties make it a perfect lapidary material.

Jasper is a term used to distinguish the opaque agate and agate that's darker in colors such as browns, reds, mustard, black, and dark green. Jasper is also used to describe agate that is coarse grained.Terms like jasp-agate are used to describe agates that have both the properties of agate and jasper. This term is considered obsolete by most and is not used much anymore.

Utah has an abundance of agates and jaspers. Most of the Utah agate and jasper has it formations based in sedimentary rocks but there is also agate associated with volcanic activity such as Wendover agate. The formation of agate is extremely complex and not well understood by scientists. The variations and combinations are almost endless which makes it difficult to decipher how it forms. Notwithstanding, agate is common around the world and one of the most collected minerals there is. Because of the commonality it is often taken for granted and by many standards it is undervalued.The complexity of the bands and the other patterns and formations within the agate are dazzling and at the same time incomprehensible.

How To Dye Your Own Agates

2011-02-10T10:13:00.002-07:00

Agates are one of the most fascinating of all minerals. Many are prized for their wonderful patterns as much as their colors. Natural colored agates with the bright colors are not nearly as common as plain boring agate. Most agate is white and devoid of color so decades ago German lapidarists devised several methods for dying agates. Some of these chemicals are dangerous and should be handled with rubber gloves. Always wear safety goggles. Don't breath fumes. Stones should be less than a ¼ inch thick for best results. Larger stones may have to soak for months instead of weeks. Preparing your agate: Clean your agate with warm soap and water (or tumbling) and size it to about 3 to 4mm thick for best results.

To dye your agate...

Red, orange, or carnelian & sard start by soaking it in a solution of iron nitrate and then *burn it.

Apple green soak it in nickel nitrate and then burn it.

Blue-ish green soak it in ammonium bicarbonate and just heat it.

Brown is done by soaking in sugar and then burning. Soak longer and burn longer to get black.

Blue is accomplished by soaking in yellow prussiate of potassium and then in iron sulfate. Blue was the first color to be used in dying agate. This was done in 1854 in Idar Oberstein, Germany.

*Burning your agate is done by removing it from the dying solution and placing it in an oven on low to dry thoroughly. After it has completely dried for up to 10 days, then you put it in a crucible packed all around with asbestos fiber or some other non-flammable substance. Place it in a kiln and gradually raise the temperature to heat it to a dull red and then allow it to cool very slowly. This process can be repeated if the desired color is not found.

What Color Are Garnets?

2011-02-08T10:10:00.000-07:00

Most of the time when someone mentions garnets you think of a deep red-wine color. But this is just one of the many colors a garnet can be.

There are 7 different varieties of garnet and a range of colors that is most impressive.

Each variety of garnet has the same physical properties such as hardness, crystal shape (cubic), etc. The real difference is in the chemical makeup. All the different varieties of garnet are Aluminum Silicates. Mg, Fe,Mn, Ca, Cr, and water can all be attached to the front of the formula to change the type of garnet ( and the color ) it forms.

For example...

Pyrope is red-wine colored by Mg.

Almandine is brown caused by Fe.

Spessartine is brown to lime green caused by Mn.

Grossular is red-brown to raspberry pink caused by Ca.

Andradite is brownto brown-red caused by Ca-Fe mixed.

Uvaroviteis a bright green caused by Ca-Cr mix.

Hydrogrossular is unimpressive brown caused by Ca and water.

There are other types of garnets that are sub-species of the species listed above.

Demantoid ( brilliant green with the luster of adiamond ),

Melanite (black), and Topazolite(yellow to yellow-brown) are all forms of andradite.

Rhodolite is a very rose-red form of pyrope.

Hessonite(cinnamon colored), Tsavorite (emerald-green colored), andLeuco (clear) are all forms of grossular.

One other interesting habit garnets have is that sometimes the different types will mix together. So the outside of the crystal is almandine and the inside is spessartine. This is called "solid solution". It has to do with the chemistry of the environment when they are forming.

"What are garnets good for?" you ask. Well they don't have any special purpose. Most are used for abrasives as they are very hard and tough. They are also used for gemstones. Many of the clean stones are cut into gemstones that now sell for hundreds of dollars per carat. My favorite use is as crystals in my collection.

"Where can you go find a garnet?" you ask. Garnets are not rare on this planet. In fact, they are abundant. There are many places in Utah to collect garnets.

The Alta stock up big cottonwood canyon has a nice deposit of almandine that are not gem quality but show really nice structure. Gold Hill mine and the surrounding area has lots of garnets. The Thomas Range (Topaz Mountain area) has garnets pseudomorphed to hematite and often have bixbyites attached to them. There is a really nice deposit of pale green grossular garnets in Wah Wah pass just off the road. The mineral mountains near Milford has some beautiful red spessartine garnets that look like pyrope and are found with smokey quartz. One of my favorites is in Ely, Nevada. You can collect at Garnet Hill and find some very nice ones in the rhyolite. It is easy collecting and fun for the family.

You can learn more about garnets in "Gemstones of the World" by Walter Schumann. $24.95.

Corundum: A Mineral of Many Faces

2011-02-06T10:08:00.001-07:00

Corundum is composed of aluminum and oxygen. It is a very simple compound but has many different appearances. Pure corundum is colorless. More often than not other elements replace the aluminum or get trapped in the crystal lattice and cause different colors. When chrome replaces some of the aluminum it turns the crystal red. The more replacement the redder it gets to a certain extent, after that it becomes a different mineral. Deep red corundum is called a ruby. The richer the red and the clearer the crystal the more valuable it becomes. The name ruby comes from the Latin word "ruber" in reference to the red color. In biblical times it was called carbuncle. Which was a word used to describe any red gemstone since they didn't have the analytical skills to differentiate between minerals. Ruby and red spinel were often confused and many of the ancient stones that were called ruby or carbuncle were actually spinel as it was a more common mineral.

Iron & titanium can also replace aluminum in varying amounts in the structure, causing the crystals to turn shades of blue, yellows, pinks, golds, and a myriad of other colors. These are known as sapphires. Orange-pink (no trace of brown) sapphires are called padpadradscha, named after the lotus flower in Sanskrit.

Today it is a safe bet to assume all rubies and sapphires have been treated with at least one method to enhance the color and/or clarity.

Where corundum forms on earth is dictated by the geology. Corundum forms in iron and manganese rich siliceous environments that are low in silica and rich in alumina. This is why we don't find corundum in the west U.S.. We have mostly silica sand and granites rich in silica.

The name corundum is a Sanskrit word meaning "hard stone". Centuries ago they realized it was harder than anything but a diamond.

Grit Contamination

2011-02-03T10:00:00.001-07:00

Contamination is a major problem when it comes to getting that polished wet look on your rocks. It doesn’t matter if you are tumbling, faceting, cabbing, or cutting spheres. Here are a few tips on eliminating contamination.

*If you use sanding belts or discs you can store them in zip-lock type bags when you are not using them.

*If you are doing tumbling, keep the grits away from each other and never open more than one at a time. Even the dust from one floating in the air will contaminate a finer grit.

*Make sure you wash your hands between handing belts, discs, cups, wheels, barrels, lids, bags of grit, etc.

*When you are done washing your rocks, cups, barrels etc. re-rinse your tools, rocks and hands once last time.

It is paying attention to these small details that will help you get that final wet-look polish on all your rocks. It not only saves time it will save money.

New Collection of Dravite Tourmalines

2011-01-31T10:00:00.000-07:00

We just got in a collection of dravite tourmaline from Nepal of dozens of crystals from 0.5 inches to 2 inches + some tourmaline crystals from the Tourmaline Queen Mine & the Himalayan Mine in California.

Mineral Classes - Systematic Mineralogy

2011-01-28T10:51:00.001-07:00

Minerals are divided up into different classifications by their chemical formulas. These mineral classes are referred to as “systematic mineralogy”.

The numbers in the chemical formulas are all subscript.

Many mineral collectors base their collections of the mineral classes similarly to a library using the dewy-decimal system for cataloging books.

The classes are;

Native Elements: which are minerals made of only one element. Minerals like diamond, sulfur, gold, silver, copper & graphite.

Sulfides: Are minerals that have sulfur in their composition. This class of minerals is made up of many of the important metal ores like Chalcocite/Bornite/Covellite which are copper minerals. Cinnabar is mercury ore. Orpiment & realgar are arsenic ores. Molybdenite is molybdenum ore. There are many more.

Oxides: Are minerals that have oxygen in their composition. (not part of water). This class includes hematite as iron ore, corundum (rubies/sapphires), uraninite as uranium ore. Bauxite as aluminum ore.

Halides: are minerals that have Cl, Br, F, or I at the end of the formula. The word halide sounds like halite, which is salt. This is because halides are salt minerals and this class includes halite (table salt) & sylvite (alum) and fluorite.

Carbonates: Is a large group of minerals that contain (CO3)2 , also known as carbonate. Minerals in this class include calcite, aragonite, rhodochrosite, smithsonite, and azurite & malachite.

Nitrates: Are minerals that have (NO3) in their formula and include nitratite & niter.

Borates:Are minerals that contain “BO3” in their formula and include borax and ulexite.

Phosphates: Are minerals that contain (AsO4) at the end of the formula. Apatite, turquoise, variscite, wavellite, autunite, and vanadinite all belong to this class.

Sulfates: Are minerals that contain (SO4) in their formula. And include minerals like barite, gypsum, celestine, anglesite, and crocoite.

Tungstates: Are minerals that contain W (tungsten) at the end of the formula. It includes minerals like wolframite, scheelite, & wulfenite.

Silicates: This class is composed of 25% of the mineral kingdom and 80 of the most common 200 minerals are in this group. It is defined as having the (SiO2) molecule at the end of the formula. Some of the more common silicates include; garnets, quartz, topaz, kyanite, staurolite, the beryl family (aquamarine, emeralds, goshenite, heliodore, red beryl, morganite), tourmalines, jade, kunzite, mica, talc, the feldspar family (albite, labradorite, etc), sodalite, and the zeolite family (stilbite, heulandite, scolecite).

Maintaining Your Equipment

2011-01-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

Maintaining your equipment is a vital step to making it last a really long time. Quality lapidary equipment is designed to run for decades. This will only happen if you take care of your machines.

*Diamond cutting blades should be rotated every 20 to 25 hours of use. (Some blades are directional and should not be rotated- Look for an arrow to indicate direction. If there is no arrow rotate)
*Silicon carbide grinding wheels should be kept “true”. That means don’t let them dish in the center. Keep them flat all the way across the stone. Unless you are using it that way for a special project.
*Diamond wheels should be used all the way across the stone evenly. Don’t wear out the center of the wheel before the sides.
*Clean out the oil in saws as often as needed. This will prolong the life of the blade, bearings, and feed carriage.
*Some older machines have grease fittings—use them!
*Tumblers should be oiled at least once a month on each bearing.
*Some motors require a drop of oil.
*Any machine that uses water should be dried at the end of the day to eliminate rusting. Do NOT use anti-freeze to keep things from rusting. It is toxic
*Do not let water freeze in any machines.
*Larger saws often have an oil reservoir on the back to lubricate the differential. Check it every-once-in-a-while to make sure it still has oil and it hasn’t become contaminated with water or condensation.

Use these simple tips and some common sense to keep your machines running and they will serve you a lifetime to provide you with pleasure as you share your polished rocks with friends and family. A well maintained machine will not only out last you but your kids and sometimes your grandkids.

Tourmaline, it’s about the color!

2011-01-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

Tourmaline, it’s about the color!

The tourmaline family is one of the most fascinating minerals of the entire mineral kingdom and it is almost entirely due to their color. They have a wide appeal because of their vivid pink, blue, green, colorless, yellow, brown, & black. Each color has it’s own name but the name can indicate a range of colors. Pink is rubellite, elbaite is green & blue is indicolite. Brown or black can be either shorl or dravite. Dravite is rather rare and besides black it can also be dark olive green-brown. Dravite crystals tend to be a little more distinct in shape as well. They are usually double terminated with a trigonal shape. There are a number of other tourmaline names and varieties and the color rule is more like a guideline as not all tourmalines fit into the color boxes exactly.
The name tourmaline is from Cingalese for Tourmali. In the 1800’s, Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) used to send all their facet material to Europe’s gem centers for cutting. Most of it was actually zircons. Some of the cutters recognized that there was some other gems. Zircons kept their name zircon as recognized by the cutters and the new mineral got the Cingalese name tourmaline.

We just got in a large selection of dravite in from Nepal. The crystals range from 3/8th inch to 2 inches. They show the morphology very well. Prices are $5.00, $10.00, $15.00, $25 & $100 each depending on size and quality..
In the same collection we got one large shorl tourmaline from the famous Himalaya mine in California along with several bi-colored pink & green tourmalines.

An Introduction to Stone Beads

2010-11-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Stone beads are the holy grail of beads. They are the beads that hold the greatest value before and after being strung or made into jewelry. Gemstone beads are the most prized of all the stone beads. Stones like sapphire, emeralds, ruby, and diamonds, are all precious gems. That makes beads from them precious stone beads. Amethyst, citrine, peridot, rose quartz, jade, aquamarine, iolite, and garnet are some examples of semi-precious gemstones. Because they are still very appealing to the eye, and they tend to be much more affordable than precious stone beads, they are much more popular in fine beaded jewelry. Of course, affordable is a relative term, and we are relating to plastic or glass beads which are much less expensive.

Stone beads are more expensive because stone is more durable, which translate into "much harder to work". Stone is harder and stronger than glass or plastic. Another component to the value of stone beads is the natural beauty. Gemstones are prized for their beauty. It is amazing that a rock can be found as red as ruby, green as emerald, or as blue as sapphire and formed within the confines of the earth's dynamic environment. These two properties contribute to the intrinsic value of gemstone beads.

Less expensive rocks can be used for beads, too. Agates, jaspers, sodalite, and wonderstone are cut into beads. These beads often compare in price to glass.

One other factor plays into bead values--quality. Not all stones and gemstones are created equal. Just because a stone is called ruby or emerald doesn't mean that it is good quality. The higher the quality the higher the price. The workmanship of the bead forming (shaping and polishing) is also important in stone bead quality.

All About Variscite

2010-11-16T10:15:00.002-07:00

Variscite is one of the most sought after minerals in the entire mineral collecting world. Utah has produced collectable specimens from 4 different localities. The most sought after variscite in the world came in the form of nodules from the Little Green Monster Mine, Clay Canyon, Fairfield, Utah Co. Utah. Nodules to 3 feet in diameter were once mined, crushed, and processed for the phosphate ore. Today Clay Canyon variscite is the most valuable variscite in the world. High quality slabs a half inch thick and 8 inches in diameter sell for many thousands of dollars. Part of the appeal of Clay Canyon variscite is the other rare phosphate minerals that are associated with the variscite. Millisite, wardite, and crandallite are not only rare but add to the aesthetics.

Lucin variscite is probably the second most recognized variscite in the world. It comes from a hill near the railroad town of Lucin, Box Elder County, Utah. This deposit is owned by Union Pacific Railroad and is currently not being work. Many field collectors have high graded this mine for decades. Even though many old stashes are just waiting to come to light out there, it is still highly prized by mineral collectors, jewelers, carvers and sphere makers. With no such little material reaching the market the price has risen steeply recently.
Box Elder County also hosts another deposit of variscite, known as variquoise, because it so closely resembles turquoise. It comes from the Utah-Idaho border near Snowville. It is prized for it’s dark spider-web matrix and darker green to blue color.
The fourth location is in Tooele County at Ametrice Hill. Here the variscite is pale green, similar to Lucin variscite. It formed in a gray chert and unfortunately the gray color tends to carry into the variscite. Of the four locations in Utah this is the least known and least valuable. Unfortunately, all these locations are now closed and the prospect for new material coming from them any time soon is very unlikely.

See Our Online Selection of Variscite For Sale Here!

Iron Springs District, Utah

2010-11-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

Iron Springs District.

West of Cedar City is the Iron Springs District. This area includes Iron Mountain, Granite Mountain, Three Peaks, and many other iron deposits that have been mined over the decades. The district is flanked on three sides by desert and is at the eastern edge of the Basin & Range province.

The iron came to be by events recorded in the rock. The (watered-down) sequence of events would be as follows…Limestone was deposited (Carboniferous) and erosion later deposited minor layers of shale, conglomerate, and more limestone. Then came the laccolith intrusion. A laccolith is a small magma body that works its way toward the surface in an effort to erupt like a volcano but never erupts out the top. This laccolith was very rich in andesite (feldspar). This laccolith caused the rock layers to tilt as it pushed its way through. It also caused metamorphism in the rock around the laccolith.

Once the laccolith had pushed its way through the rock, then ore-depositing solutions could fill the cracks and fissures made by the laccolith. This was a secondary ore deposit which caused further metamorphism in the surrounding rocks.

Now comes the erosion. Surface weathering has removed, by some estimates, over 1,000 feet of sediment to expose the iron ore bodies we can see today.

As the ore body cooled, it shrank. This allowed even more hot ore-bearing solutions from inside the earth to creep up and mix with the laccolith and the host rock that was metamorphed from the intrusion. It is at this contact area that there was room for nice crystals to develop. The shrinking of the laccolith has been calculated to be 200 to 500 feet. That is a lot of room for collectable minerals.

In this area we find many quartz crystals including amethyst, martite crystals (magnetite pseuodomorphed to hematite) siderite, feldspars, biotite, pyrite, garnet, and apatite. This is the zone which mineral collectors like to be able to get to. Martite crystals can reach well over 2 inches. They are often associated with pale-apple-green apatites from fine needles to 2 inches tall and 0.5 inches in diameter. Siderite crystals are usually irredescent red/yellow/orange and can reach 0.5 inches. Any of these minerals, or a combination of them on one piece make for an attractive addition to any collection.

Most of the mines in the area are closed and posted. The may pit at Iron Mountain is used as the landfill for Cedar City and a couple of the mines have been worked off and on. If you are attempting to collect here, beware you are not trespassing first.

Harbor Freight vr. Lortone Tumblers

2010-11-08T22:12:00.003-07:00

May we use your comments and my response on our blog—with no identifying information, of course?

I hope that was helpful. Please let me know if I can answer anything else.
Sincerely,
Anita

RM replies:

Yes, you may use my comments in your blog. I will order later this week, after pay day.

I based my question about the capability of swapping parts on your web catalog. The entry for the cooling fan indicates it can be used in the Harbor Freight tumbler. I was wondering if you knew of anybody who had successfully interchanged the parts.

You didn't answer my question about the service life of the Lortone belts (i.e., how long do they last?). I want to find out if the belts break frequently and I have to accept that lot in life, or whether the Lortone belts are made of better material and will last for several tumbling phases or for several batches of rock. I think that the material in Harbor Freight belts doesn't hold up to the heat generated by the flexing and the transfer of energy (to turn the tumbler drum). When they fail, they are usually cracked in several places, as if the rubber became brittle. I've removed the top guard plate to facilitate air flow for cooling to see if that helps.

And we reply again:

Hi RM,
I asked our lapidary people and they said you could swap parts between Harbor Freight and Lortone. Also, Lortone belts are much better than the one you have. They last a year or more in our machines. The trick to keeping them running is to not over tighten. Also, don't get the oil on them.

Thank you for allowing us to use your comments. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!
Sincerely,
Anita

Apache Tears & How To Tumble Them

2010-08-28T12:00:00.000-06:00

Feature Article:
Apache Tears. There are many legends credited with how Apache tears got their name. Some involve the U.S. Army and volunteers hunting down a band of rouge Apache warriors and killing them. One legend says that the warriors jumped off a cliff to their death to keep from being killed by the “white man” and that their bones were imbedded in the cliffs. Another legend states that it was two feuding bands of Indians, one Apache, who fought and killed each other off.

It doesn’t matter which legend you start with. They all seem to end with the wife’s and loved ones grieving for their lost men. Their grieving was so horrible that their tears were petrified, solidified, or preserved as brown transparent drops of glass by the Earth Father.

These legends all form around the Apache from Pinal County, Arizona.

The legend of the Apache tears forming from tears has given way to a more practical genesis. They are obsidian that has formed in white or clear glassy rhyolite. They are abundant in many places, but the most prolific and famous is those from Superior, Arizona where they have been mined with large front-end loaders and hauled by dump trucks.

Good Apache tears look black but when hold up to the light they are really translucent smoky brown. The ones from Utah are almost solid black and opaque.

Because they are a type of glass they are very difficult to tumble. Many tumbling experts consider them the most difficult stone to tumble. But there are some tricks…
First step is to tumble them in step 1 (60/90 grit) for 5 days and then step 2 (120/220) for 5 days.
Then tumble them in pre polish for 3 to 5 days.
It’s the polishing step that is different. Load the barrel like you would with the stones, add CLEAN plastic pellets, Tin Oxide! and instead of water use corn syrup. Don’t add any water.
Run them this way for about 5 days and then start checking them every day until you have that wet-gloss look on them. It can take up to 10 days in the polish.

Lapis Artical

2010-08-09T14:22:00.001-06:00

Part of the large shipment of beads we just received included lapis beads. The correct name for lapis is lapis lazuli and it’s not a mineral but a rock composed of lazulite, calcite, and pyrite (and some other minor minerals). It has been used in jewelry for over 6,000 years making it one of the oldest gemstones known.

The main source for lapis is in the rugged mountains of the Hindu Kush of Afghanistan. This is not the only location for lapis around the world but it is by far the best. Chile, Russia, and Colorado have produced significant quantities good quality lapis but never of the grade as Afghanistan. California, Canada, Taiwan,

The Taliban and other similar groups have controlled the mountains where lapis comes from. They have used the sale of lapis (and other gemstones found from those mountains like emeralds and aquamarines) to fund their organizations for over 200 years. (They no longer control this region, and the money

It is difficult to get lapis to take a good polish by tumbling so it is hand polished. Large pieces have been obtained for carving including a 10.5 foot high vase on display in the Hermitage museum in Russia.

We don’t have anything like that in our store, but we do have some beads from the highest gem-grade lapis available from Afghanistan. Come in and check them out!

Tourmaline Artical

2010-08-06T14:20:00.000-06:00

Tourmaline, with all its beauty and splendor, is really just a trash mineral, mineralogically speaking, that is.

The name tourmaline has a Sinhalese origin and means “stone of mixed colors”. This is evident in many tourmaline crystals. Some are different colors when viewed along the length of the crystal, grading from pink at the bottom to blue at the top (there are many color combinatins). Some show a “watermelon” effect when a crystal is cut in cross section with the outer layer being green and the inner layers are pink. The “watermelon” effect is not limited to those colors. The can be transposed or even different colors such as blue, black, clear, green, or pink on the outer layer and pink, green, yellow or clear on the inside. And to make matters more confusing, the center can be multiple colors with triangular patterns, and even triangular patterns of alternating colors. One of the crystals we just got in shows this.

Turquoise Trip! Colorback Mine, NV

2010-08-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

Come Mine Turquoise With Us! August 7th! Limit of 25 People, So Reserve Your Spot Now!

Feature Article: Turquois
Terms to know when talking about turquoise (spelling ends with an “e” is the more excepted European modernization-without the “e” is the old west spelling).

Dyed: pigment is added to the rock to improve the color.

Reconstituted: When chips or fragments are cemented together to form.

Stabilized: When low grade or fractured pieces or chalk turquoise is reinforced so that it can withstand the cutting & polishing process and the stress of being worn. Often low grade material can be stabilized to appear high grade.

Enhanced: Patented process in which low grade material is improved.

Oiled or Waxed: When turquoise is soaked or heated in oil or paraffin wax, often with dye, to improve the color.

When purchasing turquoise make sure you get in writing what treatments have been preformed on your piece. Also keep in mind that most turquoise today has had some improvement preformed on it. The old hard turquoise is hard to come by and most of the modern material has to be treated.

Twitter & Facebook

2010-07-25T12:00:00.000-06:00

Join our Facebook and/or our Twitter Feed and Get the Latest Updates, and Exclusive Specials!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/manage/?act=23121076#!/pages/Salt-Lake-City-UT/Rockpick-Legend-Co/95995618853

Specials we sent out this week?

-Free Trilobite with Purchase!

-One Mineral Or Fossil at 50% off!

And More!

www.twitter.com/rockpick

Don't Miss These, Or You Might Miss Out Big!

New Expeditions

2010-07-22T12:00:00.000-06:00

Expeditions:
This Saturday is the Fish Fossil & Petrified Wood Expedition!
We are limited to 20 people (not groups) and the trip is filling up very fast. This is a “First Pay—First Serve”. The trip is $80 per person. There are limits on the fish. You can only keep fish under 24 inches. For example, if you catch a 23” diplomystus you get to keep it! You can also keep the insects and the leaves.
What you can’t keep is the non-fish vertebrae fossils like snakes, alligators, birds, etc. Others may be included. The policy is very generous, as other quarries are more expensive, and you cannot keep anything over 6 inches.

You are not going to find any fossils like this.

Zeke carrying his finds from ½ hours work.

Children's Geology Adventure Club

2010-07-21T13:06:00.002-06:00

Children's Geology Adventure Club!

Attention all geology enthusiasts between the ages 5 and 14 we have just arranged a children's geology adventure club just for you! Organized by the experts, designed for the kids! Come build collections, learn how to identify, learn what's valuable, what will polish, what you should keep rough. Learn how to keep a collection, organize your notes, and find the coolest minerals, and fossils! Bring your questions, rocks, and notebooks, and prepare for a whole new way of looking at rocks!

When: Every Wednesday from 4:30pm to 5:30pm (Time will vary with questions and participation).

The Details--How Much: $9.95 per child per week or $29.95 per month and includes activities, samples, take home activities, hand outs and lesson plans, taught by Rick Dalrymple and Adrienne McElwain.

Where: At the Rock Shop.

Limit: Yes there is a limit of 20 children per week. People who have paid for the entire month get priority, after that it is a first come first serve basis. The first meeting with be Aug 4th at 4:30pm. Throughout the month of August we will be learning about collecting minerals, identifying, minerals as well as how to put a collection together. This is a 4 week lesson plan and the children will earn their first **Rock Hounding Adventure Patch (Rock Collecting-see above picture)** if they participate all 4 weeks!

**If you are a school teacher and rocks and minerals are in your curriculum we now have entire packets for teaching students. It comes with a teacher's manual and student workbooks.**

Peridot

2010-07-03T14:18:00.001-06:00

Peridot
Olivine is a family of minerals that include 2 minerals that range in composition from iron silicate (foresterite) to manganese silicate (fayalite).
Olivine is common in most dark igneous rocks to some degree. When in liquid solution trapped in the gas bubbles of lava, the olivine can cool slowly allowing the gem variety to crystallize as peridot. This limy green gem material is much rarer than the abundant olivine.

Arizona is famous for the peridot that forms in the lavas. Most of it is in the form of compressed grains, that really don’t get big. However, sometimes, pieces large enough to cut and facet are found. Pea-size pieces are good for tumbling. Larger grainy pieces can be sealed and slabbed for displaying. Beads are common because of the color, though most are small.

I just spent a week in Arizona trying to collect peridot. It is ALL on Indian reservations and off limits to collecting, unless you belong to one of the few tribes that control the collecting beds.

Afghanistan has produced some single crystals to 1.5inches, but those are exceptionally rare and always expensive.

Come Collect Azurite & Malachite With Us!

2010-06-02T16:08:00.007-06:00

Come Collect Azurite and Malachite Specimens!

June 5th and June 26th!

Don't Miss This Experiance Of A Life Time,

At the World Famous Blue Crystal Mine!

Space is Limited to 35 People Per Trip.

$100.00 Per Person, with a Limit of 5lbs of Material

Per Paying Adult.

Children 7 and Under are Free

(Children's Collecting Goes Towards Adults Collecting Limit)

Call To For Reservations

801-355-7952

Azurite Mine, La Sal Mountain Range

2010-06-02T16:00:00.003-06:00

Geology of the Site:
The minerals of this area occur in a block that was down-thrust on the crest of an anticline. The fault runs for 16 miles along the crest of the anticline. The anticline was formed by swelling of gypsum and salt of the Paradox formation. The swelling deformed the rock into a anticline because the sediment acted like plastic when it was being pushed out of shape by the swelling of the salt and gypsum. The fault is off set by 3800 feet in many places.

The azurite and other copper minerals were deposited by copper rich fluids that came from the intrusive deep below. These fluids would mix with the saline/brine water closer to the surface. The mixing of these fluids caused the copper mineralization to precipitate out in the form or azurite and malachite filling seams, cracks, voids, and as replacement of other minerals like calcite. In a few really rare cases, the copper minerals also replaced human and rodent bones.

Besides azurite and malachite there are many other minerals found in the area. Including aurichalcite, barite, calcite, chalcocite, chalcopyrite, chrysocolla, clinoclase, conichalcite, copper, cornwallite, covellite, cuprite, digenite, djurleite, enargite, goethite, kaolinite, olivenite, psilomelane, pyrite, sphalerite, tennantite, tenorite, tyrolite, wulfenite, and more, some of which are very rare.

Azurite blue berries are very common in this area. They are nodules, usually of solid azurite. Commonly the larger nodules will be mixed with malachite making beautiful specimens. These nodules from from <¼ inch to over 3 inches.
Smaller sizes tend to be solid and have no crystal structure on the outside. Larger ones, over 1 inch, may form hollow cavities with micro azurite crystals on the inside. Nicer specimens will have crystals on the outside.

Many over look the beauty of the malachite which is very abundant. A good cleaning with an ultra sonic cleaner of a mini-pressure washer will do wonders for the malachite and azurite.

Rock & Mineral Magazine; Utah Issue; vol. 68, No. 6, Nov/Dec 1993

We have arranged to take a couple of trips down to this mine!

June 5th, and June 26th.

We are limited to 35 people per a trip.

Call or go online to reserve your spot today, before these trips are full

and this opertunity passes by.

Rockpick Legend Co.

1017 South Main Street

Salt Lake City, UT 84111

801-355-7952

The Just for Fun List of "Ology"s

2010-01-04T15:00:00.002-07:00

With all the “ology”s floating around in everyday vocabulary, I thought it would be interesting to provide some definitions so that someone could impress their friends with a few big words. Not all of these are “ology”s but you’ll get the idea.

Geology: The study of the earth, its rocks, minerals, fossils, and all earth building processes.

Mineralogy: The study of minerals. What they are used for, how they are formed and what they can be used for.

Crystallography: The study of crystals, natural or man-made, for the purpose of gaining knowledge on the creation of new materials and how to use them.

Lithology: The study of rocks in hand-size samples. This is useful for studying how geologic features are formed, including ore bodies.

Petrology: The study of rocks and how they are related.

Stratigraphy: The study of layers in sedimentary rocks.

Sedimentology: The study of how sedimentary rocks form.

Structural Geology: The study of forces on earth systems including earthquakes, volcanos, and building large structures on the ground.

Volcanism: The study of volcanoes.

Psycho-Geodeology*: The attempt to predict what is inside a geode before it is cut or broken open.

Leaverite: A rock, when found while collecting in the field, which is best left right where it was found. Leave ‘er right there!

Lapidary: The art of taking any rock, or rock type material, and polishing it to make it more desirable.

Tele-identification*: What people expect us to do at the rockshop when they call and ask us to identify their rocks over the phone using terms like rounded, redish, and large.

Crystal-Ball Apprasialogy*: Method of appraising rocks which you can not see. We are often asked to do this when people call or come in without their rocks, and want to know how much they are worth.

Myth-Crystollography*: When someone wants legendary crystals or stones such as Merlin’s stone and the Arkenstone, which don’t really exist (or do they)?

Hyper-identology* - When somebody brings in a very common and cheap rock (leaverite – see above) or mineral and wants us to tell them its incredibly rare and valuable. Often arguing for extended periods of time over it value.

* indicates terms that may only be used in our rock shop.

(To Shop Our Site Click Here)

A Short History of Lapis

2010-01-04T13:10:00.006-07:00

Lapis

The Taliban and other similar groups have controlled the mountains where lapis comes from. They have used the sale of lapis (and other gemstones found from those mountains like emeralds and aquamarines) to fund their organizations for over 200 years. (Please note we do not fund the Taliban with modern purchases of Lapis, the mines were seized by the United States Government and given back to the people in Afghanistan as part of a project to increase the economy and well-fare of the people.)

It is difficult to get lapis to take a good polish by tumbling so it is hand polished. Large pieces have been obtained for carving including a 10.5 foot high vase on display in the Hermitage museum in Russia.

We don’t have anything like that in our store, but we do have some beads from the highest gem-grade lapis available from Afghanistan. Come in and check them out!

How to Clean Quartz

2010-01-04T13:04:00.006-07:00

Cleaning Quartz

We are often asked about how to clean different minerals. The simple rule to cleaning minerals is that there is no simple rule!

Because minerals are made of different compositions they need to be cleaned in different ways. For example, I recently looked at a collection that had some really neat halite (salt) crystals and formation. Unfortunately, they were cleaned with soap and water making them not so neat.

Quartz is made of silicon dioxide, the same thing as glass. So anything you can clean glass with will clean quartz.

Often when quartz is found in the ground it has a white crust. This is usually, but not always, calcium carbonate. This will clean off easily with hydrochloric acid (sold as muriatic acid in the hardware stores). Just soak it until the acid stops fizzing. If there is still white crud, start over and do this until the white crud is gone.

If there is a rust-colored staining on the quartz, it will not come off with hydrochloric acid. But it will come off with oxalic acid. Oxalic acid can be used to remove rust from many minerals that are not acid sensitive (which are mostly carbonates).

Just soaking rusty quartz in oxalic acid may not remove

heavily stained quartz. The easy solution to this is to purchase a “crock pot” from Deseret Industries. Mix your oxalic acid solution and let the quartz boil in the solution, OUTSIDE, for a day or so, checking it often. Oxalic acid is very corrosive and if left open indoors, it will make all metal rust.

Even stainless steel will rust upon contact with oxalic acid vapors. Use it outside, in a well ventilated area-away from pets and children.

This method of cleaning doesn’t work on a lot of other minerals. If you want to clean other minerals you can contact us for information.

When mixing the oxalic powder with water, make sure you use distilled water only. Any other water will have impurities that will precipitate out on the quartz as a white crud. Keep in mind that oxalic acid is poisonous. Its oxalic acid that makes rhubarb leaves poisonous. Wear acid gloves and safety goggles! It is always a good idea to have some baking soda close at hand incase of spills.

Opal

2009-09-16T15:55:00.003-06:00

When someone mentions opal most of us think of the white material from Australia that is colored with sparkles of rainbow that change as the stone is rotated. It’s almost magical. But the science behind this phenomenon is simple.
As light passes through the surface of an opal, it goes between the larger silicate spheres (atom sized) within the opal. The larger silica spheres act as a prism breaking up the light into its rainbow of colors. The spheres of silica must be between 0.15 and 0.30 microns (a micron is one ten thousandth of a millimeter). These spheres of silica must also be arranged in a chaotic order (amorphous), meaning they can not be arranged in neat little rows.

Terms to know when talking about opals…
Reflection: this describes the light that bounces off the surface of an opal.
Refraction: this describes what happens to light as it hits the surface of an object and goes through it. It can happen every time the light reaches a new surface.
Dispersion: this is when light is broken up into its colors as a result of reflection or refraction.
Diffraction: when light is split up into its colors by passing trough a thin slit or slot like the silica spheres of opal.
Potch: common opal with no play of colors.
Jelly Opal: usually has no play of color buy the opal is a vivid color such as orange, red, yellow, or green.
Fire Opal: jelly opal from Mexico with a play of colors. A term erroneously used to describe any opal with fire.
Precious Opal or Common Opal: another name for potch opal without color.
Hyalite Opal: a type of opal that is water-clear with no play of color, usually fluorescent.
Opel: the name of an old car that didn’t last long on the market.
Triplet: the layering of a thin sheet of opal between a clear top and a black backing.

(Knowing these terms can also help you choose a quality opal over one that is "mismarketed")

U.S. Opal Locations…
Utah has an opal location near Milford. It is often called Bacon Opal, Bubble Opal, Lee’s Opal, Candy Stripe Opal, and Milford Opal. It has no play of colors as it is hyalite opal. Even though it is opal, this type has very little commercial value. Some pieces when cut just right will show “bb” size bubbles with a little refraction of color but this doesn’t compare to even poor opals.

There are a number of locations for good opal in the US. Louisiana has a fine sand where each grain is a single is a colorful opal and rarely some solid pieces are found that can be cut and polished. In northern Idaho is Spencer Opal. This opal forms in paper thin layers of puddles of opal that are deposited in lava. Virgin Valley in Nevada is famous for the opal replacing wood. This is arguable the best opal in the world for color. Unfortunately, it is unstable making it useless for jewelry you expect to last.

Of coarse, when there is money involved, there is also fraud. There is much synthetic and imitation opal and some of it is so good it is very difficult to detect.

Museum Display of the Month:
We have changed the geode display to highlight “Opals from Around the World”. Some are for sale and some are just to oogle at. Come in and check them out.

2009-08-04T15:07:00.001-06:00

Now on Twitter!

Join us on Twitter for specials, the fastest way to know about used equipment, new bead shipments, etc. Also join our twitter for special double entry days, in our Summer Sweepstakes! For more information about the Summer Sweepstakes click here. To join us on twitter click here.

Topaz, Thomas Range, Topaz Mountain, Utah

2009-07-16T14:32:00.001-06:00

Utah Topaz

Although the Thomas Range, Utah contains red beryl, bixbyite, and wonderstone, it is most famous for topaz. Beautiful topaz mineral specimens come from this location.

The Thomas Range erupted as rhyolite 32 to 33 million years ago. The topaz formed from steam moving through lithofacies (bubbles and cracks) within the rhyolite long after the rhyolite had cooled. The largest crystal reported from the Thomas Range came from the Maynard Bixby claim and was a whopping five inches long and over two inches wide. However, most topaz crystals from the Thomas Range are less than 1 inch.

Generally, topaz doesn’t form in the same cavities or vugs as beryl even though they are often with in close proximity to each other. In the Thomas Range, it is not uncommon to find topaz and red beryl attached to each other, making this deposit even more remarkable. These small specimens are highly sought by mineral collectors.

Utah topaz has another famous distinction: It fades when exposed to UV light. This explains why all the crystals on the ground (that are found in abundance) are clear. Once exposed to sunlight, they are rapidly bleached of their color. The color can be restored through irradiation. Because the color fades in light, Utah topaz is only rarely made into jewelry.

Faceted stones are sought by collectors. Quality bulk pieces can be tumbled if they lack any matrix.

Topaz is one of the most popular gemstones in the world because of its color, luster, hardness, and abundance. Topaz is Utah's State Gemstone.

Utah is famous for the light brown topaz crystals from the Thomas Range and more specifically from Topaz Mountain at the southern-most tip of the range. With some work, just about anyone can find a great treasure here. It takes is patience, patience, and more patience, plus good hammers and chisels, and stamina.

Amazing "Old Time Rock Shop" Bulk Rock Just In!

2009-06-11T21:34:00.001-06:00

Labradorite: Madagascar. Top Grade. Each piece shows colors including green, blue, yellow, and orange. $35 per pound

Polychromatic Jasper: India. Also sold as bloodstone, green moss agate, plasma jasper, and fancy jasper. $20 per pound

Sodalite: Madagascar. Mostly dark blue with some white spots. $20 per pound

Star Rose Quartz: Madagascar. This is the stuff that has a star in it when it is polished. Great for spheres, tumbled stones, and cabs. $8 per pound

Tiger’s Eye: Africa. High quality and hard to come by. Some larger pieces available. $25 per pound

Trilobite Hunting Trip

2009-06-10T12:11:00.001-06:00

The Father's Day Trilobite Expedition

June 20^th we will be enjoying a Father’s Day Trilobite Dig.

You will want to bring your 2 5-gallon buckets (We have some for sale.), hammers, chisels, newspaper to wrap your goods, sun screen, a hat and gloves, and lots of water to drink.

We are limited to 50 lbs of rock or 2 full 5-gallon buckets. This can constitute hundreds of trilobites—maybe thousands if you are really lucky.

I will be your personal guide through the trip and will help make sure you are a successful hunter.

As always, when you go with our group we get the “fun layer” of rocks brought out just for us. No one has filtered through the material before us. This dig, not with our group, is $200 per person, per day.

Come with our group and get the same deal for $100 per person for an all day dig (8 hours and maybe longer).

A New Dig, inc. is offering us a half day dig (4 hours from when you get to the dig) for $60.

Kids 5 and under are free.

New Bulk Rock & Lapidary Material Just In!

2009-06-10T12:07:00.002-06:00

Tumbling & Lapidary Rock Shipment Just in From Overseas!

We just received a large rock shipment from overseas. It includes super-high-grade gem Tiger’s Eye, spectacularly colorful Labradorite, Sodalite, Amethyst, Unakite, Aventurine, Fucshite, two-toned striped Red Jasper, rare blue/yellow dichroic Cordierite, and Polychromatic Jasper--polychomatic means multi-colored!This material is so good people were stopping in off the street and buying it as we were trying to unpack it from the shipping crate yesterday.

We're Helping Rock Related and Other Small Businesses Through These Tough Economic Times

2009-06-01T09:40:00.006-06:00

We're grateful we've made it through 45 years of some good and some bad years. In an effort to repay the goodwill sent our way over the years, we're passing on what we've learned to other small businesses. Visit www.rocks4u.com/links.htm for info on where to get goods and services that have worked for us.

We've expanded our services to include really inexpensive domain name registration at www.websitedomainsavvy.com. We've received domain renewal offers for as much as $75 / year. At www.websitedomainsavvy.com, businesses can renew for $9.90 per year!

Best wishes, Rockpick Legend Co. Staff

The Copper Mine of Falun, Sweden

2009-05-11T21:00:00.000-06:00

Many of us are interested in the unusual. And when it comes to fossils weird is better. Large dinosaurs to small trilobites draw our attention. Petrified people will always get attention.

It is not recorded when mining started in Falun, Sweden but by 1000 AD the copper mine was in full production. By the 1600’s it was the largest producer of copper in the world, supplying 70% of the world's copper demand.

Mining accidents plagued this mine as well as any other. In 1677 a miner was trapped from a cave-in. It took 40 years to recover his body, and when it was found it looked as though he had not aged a day. The dry mine air and vitriol in the water (vitriol means blue death in Latin) kills all germs and bacteria as well as anything else living. These conditions preserved him and he became known as the “petrified miner."

Today this historic town is painted red as it has been for hundreds of years because the mine also has a lot of ocher, and the people of the town used it to tint the paint dating clear back to 1764. Many thought the Swedish flag should have been red and green--the red from this town and green for the lush forests in Sweden.

The underground workings at the mine are so extensive that no one really knows how big the mine is. With 1,000 years of mining it must be amazing. Many of the old areas have collapsed, so there is no way of mapping the mine. Records are insufficient or non-existent, leaving us to our imagination.

The mine closed on 8 December 1992, ending a thousand years of mining! This is the longest worked mine in history.

Earth Day

2009-04-29T14:20:00.000-06:00

I celebrate Earth Day every day of the year. According to Wikipedia, Earth Day was created to inspire awareness and appreciation for the Earth's environment. I love living in Utah because I get to see evidence of the Earth's geologic history in every direction I look. We get mountains, mineral deposits, rock formations and so much more that. It is a history in the hundreds of millions of years in the making.

When the trilobites were living in Utah about 550 million years ago, what is now the House Range west of Delta, Utah sat on the equator with most of the eastern half of the state under warm tropical water. This is where the trilobites lived and flourished. They weren’t alone. They lived with worms, algae, sponges, and some primitive plants. There were some other creatures but they are rare in the fossil record. Undoubtedly, there were many other creatures that are not seen in the fossil record.

Moving ahead 250 million years, Utah was a little farther north on the equator and was covered in lush tropical plants like cycads and palms trees along with many other types of vegetation. Moving around and living among the lush greens were dinosaurs. There were many types and sizes living in what we could equate to an “African” type jungle.

The earth is a dynamic system and all good things must come to an end. The dinosaurs only lived for 200 million years, then they moved on. The earth continued to change its appearance, making way for us to live further north on the planet and giving us wonderful seasonal cycles. During the transition from the dinosaurs to our time, the record of the dinosaurs and forests were preserved in the rocks. Weathering has re-exposed them in our time for our enjoyment and understanding of our planet.

Many have equated Earth Day as a day to promote different agendas like recycling, global warming, and preserving the planet. While these issues are important, there are other important “earth environments.” Many minerals and rocks used today come from specific geologic environments. Ore bodies must be mined for metals such as silver, gold, copper, lead, zinc, iron, aluminum, molybdenum, and beryllium--to name a few from Utah. If you ever wonder how important these metals are to you, just try to live without any one of them for any length of time.

Other geologic environments worthy of mention include the Utah sand and gravel deposits that began as shore lines. This is where we get our cement. There are also the oil and natural gas deposits in eastern and southern Utah. For recreation and personal enjoyment we have environments that created Topaz, Red Beryl, Petrified Wood, Dinosaur Bone, Marble, Onyx, and Agate.

Then there are the mineral, fossil, and geologic specimens—the samples that come from the different environments that represent the diversity of Utah’s geology. We display a small portion of what is available from Utah in our Museum Cabinets. Many people around the world collect mineral, fossil, and geologic samples from Utah for personal enjoyment as well as research. I hope you enjoy Earth Day as much as I do!

Rick

Petrified Neapolitan Ice Cream?

2009-04-22T10:56:00.002-06:00

These rocks are not really petrified Neapolitan ice cream. They just look a lot like it. Many of us have seen them and not known they are really coal clinkers. They are another interesting Utah geological product.

Clinkers form from burning coal. Anyone who has had one of those old coal burning furnaces will remember the hard black glassy clinkers that have to be removed periodically. Unlike the furnace type, these clinkers form naturally when a coal seam underground catches fire and burns. The interesting colors that often resemble Neapolitan ice cream come from the surrounding rock and its mineral content, mostly iron. The colors will include yellow, red, black and limey green.

These clinkers get their name from the sound they make when struck against another rock or a hammer. The “clink” sound when it is struck resembles the clink sound from striking metal or glass and is caused by the overlaying rock being burned and then collapsing into the slag.

There are places around the world where you can walk up and see into cracks in the ground where the coal is glowing as it burns. Although dangerous, it is an interesting phenomenon to witness.

These coal seams will burn until the coal is gone. In some cases they have been burning for decades and maybe centuries. Many attempts have been made to extinguish these fires but they are to vast. In Alberta, Canada a coal mining company diverted a small river into the mountain to extinguish a burning coal seam. After months of the water running into the mine, the mountain blew up like a volcano spewing ash and steam into the air and sending a mudflow down the mountain.

The problem with a burning coal seam is that once the fire is started cracks in the ground form from the void created as the coal is reduced to ash. These cracks allow air to flow to the fire keeping it fed with a constant flow of oxygen.

Utah has several of these burning coal seams such as the Burning Hills and Smoky Mountains in Kane County. Here the coal seam is about 84 million years old (Late Cretaceous).

There is an exposed clinker seam in Castle Gate that can be seen in a road cut. March 8th, 1824, an explosion in the Number Two Mine at Castle Gate killed 172 miners making this the 3rd worst mining disaster of its time in the U.S. Some of these miners are buried right across the road from the clinker outcrop in the Castle Gate cemetery.

A by-product of burning coal is carbon dioxide. It is estimated that the burning coal seams in China alone produce more carbon dioxide (from fossil fuels) in a year than all the cars and trucks in the United States.

Turquoise

2009-03-25T14:09:00.000-06:00

One of the most recognizable gemstones to anyone in the world is the blue stone, turquoise. There is not another like it. It has become the symbolic color and gemstone of the West. Its history starts in ancient Egypt where it was mined on the Sinai Peninsula. Later Prussian turquoise was mined as a solid sky blue. Tibet turquoise is wondrous blue-green and is considered a national treasure. More recently, Native Americans of the Southwest have mined its many shades of blues and greens.

From the 1950s to the 1970s turquoise was highly prized and sought after by consumers. At one point a poor prospector could find a new deposit and be wealthy beyond dreams within months. By the mid-1970s turquoise was loosing favor with consumers and the demand dwindled to the small trickle we see today. There is still some demand for high quality gem material with jewelers and mineral collectors but not enough to cause the huge price spike from the 1970s.

Utah has one good location for gem turquoise--the Bingham Copper Mine in Salt Lake County. The Bingham Copper Mine holds the unique designation as the largest man-made hole and the largest copper mine in the world. The mine is also famous for many spectacular mineral specimens. Most specimens mined at Bingham Copper Mine are discarded or crushed without any care for their intrinsic value.

One of the minerals that are general destroyed is a beautiful turquoise. It exhibits a dark robin-egg blue to a light powdery blue and often has inclusions of galena and pyrite crystals. When a face is polished, these crystals add to the distinctness of the specimens from this location. Unfortunately, the mine operators will not allow any of this material on the market. The mine will not even discuss it or their reasoning behind the policy. Excuses for this behavior range from rumors of contracts with other turquoise mines (non-compete), to a former president of the company that didn’t like the color. Regardless of the reasoning it is a shame that this world class turquoise is rarely seen by anyone. The turquoise from here that is available only comes from miners who, at some time in the past, smuggled it out in their lunch boxes.

Class Schedule, March 2009

2009-03-17T18:23:00.001-06:00

Current Class Schedule
Fossil Prep Emphasizing Trilobites, Wednesday, March 25th@5pm

Classes especially to help teachers with State Core Requirements
Elementary School Teacher Classes, Saturday, March 28th
9 am, Teacher Series: Volcanoes and Earthquakes
10 am, Teacher Series: How to Teach Rocks & Minerals
11 am, Teacher Series: Forces of Erosion
12 pm, Teacher Series: Geologic Features

Rock Tumbling for the Novice & Expert, Saturday, March 28th@2pm

Cost: FREE, but you must pre-register, 801-355-7952. Classes are limited to 15 people each. You may register for one or all classes, however, out of respect for our teachers and other students, no-shows will be restricted from future registration.

Economic Stress Sale Today!

2009-03-13T14:45:00.004-06:00

Our Economic Stress Means Super Deals Today (3/13/09) on Dichroic Glass Cabs, Eggs & Spheres, Finished Jewelry, Mineral Specimens, and More! Specials are marked throughout the store. Specials are subject to stock on hand.

Agate--What is it?

2009-03-11T11:35:00.000-06:00

Feature Article: What is Agate?

Agate is micro- to crypto-crystalline quartz. The term micro refers to the crystals being seen only with a microscope and crypto means hidden in reference to how small the crystal structure is. It can form through volcanic or sedimentary processes. Quartz is made up of silica so it tends to be hard and glassy. It is very abundant in nature and forms an endless variety of colors, patterns, and textures. These properties make it a perfect lapidary material. Agate is a common term for the mineral chalcedony.

Jasper is a term used to distinguish the darker colors of agate such as browns, reds, mustard, and dark green. Jasper is also used to describe agate that is coarse grained.

Terms like jasp-agate are used to describe agates that have both the properties of agate and jasper. While this term has endured, it is becoming archaic.

Utah has an abundance of agate and jasper. Most of the Utah material was formed as sedimentary rock but there are also volcanic agate in Utah, such as Wendover agate.

The formation of agate is extremely complex and not well understood by scientists. The variations and combinations are almost endless which makes it difficult to decipher how it forms. Notwithstanding, agate is common around the world and one of the most collected minerals. Because of its commonality, it is often taken for granted. The complexity of the bands and patterns mixed with the structures within the agate are dazzling to many. Utah agates are included in our Free Mineral Museum Display. Come in and take a look!

March Trilobite Expedition

2009-03-07T15:08:00.001-07:00

Trilobite Expedition:
There is still plenty of room in the Trilobite Expedition on March 21st. Cost is $60 per person eight years and older.
We convoy down so you can come home when you are ready or when it gets dark.
Bring lots of food, water, a spare tire, a great rock hammer, and newspaper to wrap your specimens.
Remember if you purchase a rock hammer from us you get the leather sheath and safety goggles FREE.

Dinosaur Foot Prints You've Got To See

2008-11-02T11:27:00.007-07:00

Just In! Dinosaur Foot Prints--Four prints from Price, Utah. One is a hadrosaur, a duck-billed dinosaur that was extremely large. All three toes are well preserved. One is an albertosaur, a good size predator. It was smaller than a T-rex but still weighed 2 tons. This print is well preserved and defined. The other two prints are some unidentified theropod (believed to be a triceratops). One is the front print and one is the back print.

Utah Trilobite Fossils

2008-08-23T16:27:00.000-06:00

There are over 15,000 species of trilobites. Many collectors and experts believe Utah is home to as many as 600 of those species. An individual species can be described from a single trilobite or even a part of a trilobite.

The fun of trilobites is that everyone recognizes them. We like to say that they are 350,000,000 year old roaches, but they are actually ancestors of the Horseshoe Crab.

Utah trilobites range in size from less than 1/8 inch to a whopping 12+ inches. In recent years some very rare trilobites (olinoides sp.) were discovered in the Little Drum Mountains that exceed 12 inches.

At our favorite collecting site (A New Dig) there are several species including: Elrathia kingi, Modocia typicallus, Altiocculus, Peronopsis, Alokistocare, Agnostus, Asaphiscus wheeleri, and more.

Other fossils found in the Utah trilobite beds include corals, sponges, Gogia sp. (Sea lily flower head), Chancelloria (Jelly Fish), several different brachiopods, worm tracks, trilobite tracks, star fish, jelly fish, and more.

Utah Rock Collecting Article, Guest Author

2008-07-25T10:52:00.005-06:00

Collecting in Utah, 2008

On May 10th , Steve Smith and I left Arkansas, just ahead of a tornado, for Utah for a few days of rockhounding. After visiting the interactive dinosaur museum in Fruita, Colorado, we headed for Marysvale, Piute County in east Utah, just south of rte.70 to our first collecting site. A small pasture on BLM land, 2.8 miles north of Marysvale is strewn with boulders of banded grey-white rhyolite containing vugs of small amethyst crystals associated with micro rutile crystal sprays and complex crystal forms of bixbyite. Alas, the weather turned nasty with sleet, snow, rain, and wind, making for miserable and not-so-productive collecting.
Onward to our reservations at Best Western in Delta, Utah, where the weather improved. We stopped in at the West Desert Rock Art rock shop and were told that blasting was done a month earlier at the White Knoll spot in the Topaz mountain “cove”, 40 miles NW of Delta. The next 2 ½ days were spent collecting at Topaz mtn. On day one we were at the Knoll with hammers and chisels, which opened up small vugs, seams, and lithophysal cavities in the hard rhyolite
that yielded sherry topaz singles to 1 inch and some small clusters. The next day we explored another part of the cove, the White Canyon, where we found rare micro pseudobrookite sprays to 6 mm., and even rarer red beryl 5-7 mm. wide. Some beryls were in rhyolite maitrix in boulder float, below which we sifted for a few more loose crystals. One shovelful that Steve dumped into the sifter contained a very angry scorpion that I nearly grabbed with my bare hand! The morning of day three was spent collecting more topaz at the White Knoll area. Even though it was only Thursday, more people were beginning to show up. Best time to visit there is mid-May during the week, as weekends can be very crowded.

pseudobrookite, red beryl, topaz (photo captions)

That afternoon we made the 4 hour trip to Wendover, on the Utah/ Nevada border, to our motel. The next day we headed south on paved, then gravel roads for close to 60 miles, to the ghost town of Gold Hill, Tooele County. This mining district has a complex geology and mineralogy and was mined off and on for gold, silver, lead, copper, arsenic, and minor amounts of other minerals. Today the mine shafts have been sealed, but the BLM told us that unclaimed tailings were okay to explore. After navigating the 4WD mine road we parked on a flat area of tailings about half way up to the Gold Hill mine. Then we hiked up a fairly steep trail to the top at the South Pit and Glory hole. Here, clear and green crystals of adamite, plus austinites conichalcite, olivenite, mixite, chrysocolla ( including pseudophorphs ), and several other copper, zinc, lead, and iron arsenates, as well as some carbonates were collected. Most of these were micros, with some TN’s and miniatures. At one tailings area, a very angry rattler warned us off. This is a very isolated region, with no cell service. Plan accordingly!

conichalcite, adamite, austinite (photo captions)

The next leg of the journey took us back to Delta, then west to the private trilobite claim at Antelope Springs. $38.00( ouch! ) for 4 hours of shale-splitting yielded several complete Cambrian trilobites. This is a very popular and productive area.

trilobite- Asaphiscus wheeleri (photo captions)

Finally we headed back east, and decided to revisit the Marysvale rhyolite locale again, this time on a beautiful day. Here I found my best bixbyites. We decided to pass on the Yellow Cat petrified wood area of Utah and the Book Cliffs in Colorado due to time and lack of knowledge of access. If the road accessing these areas are at all wet, they can be impassable for even 4WD; so, homeward bound.

bixbyite (photo caption)

Utah is still a great destination for field collecting, thanks to the BLM designated areas, some of the Chambers of Commerce, and local Rock shops and private claims. Contact the BLM for current status at abandoned mines and open prospecting areas, the internet for Rockhoundingutah, the MinRec Jan-Feb 1993. and Holfert,etal. Field Guide to Topaz and associated minerals in the Thomas Range,Utah, for more info.

Ed Hakesley

Semi-Precious Stone Beads, Dichroic Glass Cabochons & Findings for Jewelers

2008-07-14T12:14:00.009-06:00

We have expanded to include a full selection of semi-precious and other stone beads. Here is just of taste of what is in the shop. Hurry in for the best selection since we received small quantities of lots of different sizes, styles & stones!

We are also carrying a line of handmade, unique dichroic glass cabochons and a jewelry findings collection to go with them.

Come and see all the goodies Mon - Sat 9:30 - 6:00.

Forensic Geology

2008-05-15T11:24:00.002-06:00

Today's forensic geology has a futuristic quality to it. Forensic geology is just what it sounds like, solving crimes with geology.

Its roots are with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes." Even though Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was only writing fictional stories, several criminologists of his day used the same thought process to solve important crimes.

With only a microscope and deductive reasoning, they were able to show guilt (or innocence) by examining soil samples on clothes and shoes.

The first real case involving minerals was in 1904 when Gerog Popp, a German criminologist was asked to help with a murder case. Eva Disch, seamstress, was found strangled in a bean field. A handkerchief found at the scene with snot on it was examined, and the snot was found to contain coal dust, snuff, and mineral particles, particularly, hornblende and mica. Popp was able to examine the layers of dirt on one suspect's clothes and determine that the suspect had been at work at a coal mine, then home, then through dirt to Eva's bean field, and back home. The route to and from Eva's bean field contained fine particles of hornblende and mica. The mud splashed on the suspect's pants with the evidences in the handkerchief left little room for doubt. When the suspect was confronted with the evidence, he confessed everything.

Today this evidence would have been secondary to DNA testing but it would have still been used. (And as a side note, DNA is being extracted from "fossil" records. This is where paleontology meets biology!)

There are hundreds of examples of this kind of evidence being used in criminology. There are dozens of special labs, both with crime enforcement and with specialized consulting firms, set up in many different countries that specialize in this.

If you'd like to read more about it, check out Evidence from the Earth: Forensic Geology and Criminal Investigation by Raymond C. Murray. We are taking orders for those of you who would like your own copy. They are $20.

Rick

Rock Shop Recycles Glass--Lapidary & Glass Art Have a Lot in Common

2008-02-19T09:57:00.012-07:00

We recycle glass! We are now accepting sheet glass (windows, shelves), clean food jars & bottles, glass chunks, stained glass scraps or other glass. We're sorry, we cannot accept tempered, safety, or auto glass.

What are we doing with used glass? We're providing it to local glass artists! To see recycled glass art, hurry to Red Butte Gardens for The Nature of Sustainable Art show. It runs through February 24th from 10 AM to 5 PM.

Visit: Mcrushoglass.com for some great recycled glass art.

Here are some snapshots of the show:

Cash & Treasures Update

2008-02-05T18:12:00.000-07:00

We just received this nice note from Carl, the producer of the show:

"...By the way, the first edit went to the Travel Channel and they LOVED the show. Thank you and thanks to your wonderful family for all your help!!"

Carl

We're looking forward to seeing the episode for ourselves. We'll let you know when as soon as we hear when it will air!

Rick

Lortone vs. Harbor Freight Rock Tumblers

2007-11-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

Here are real customer comments sent to us at rockshop@rocks4u.com.

About the middle of August, I purchased a 3-lb rock tumbler from Harbor Freight Tools and have broken four belts in the process of tumbling and polishing one batch of agates. The particular model I purchased would be equivalent to a Lortone having only one 3-lb barrel. I did read one web site that warned about the poor quality of the Harbor Freight tumblers, but I wondered how I could go wrong for $22. I had my answer when I spent $16 on two replacement fans (the first two belts broke a blade off the plastic fan when they failed), four replacement belts, and shipping (close to half of the cost). The belts are difficult to replace and don't seem to last very long. I even tried a rubber band while waiting for the new belts to arrive. The rubber band did last for most of the pre-polish step, but was sticky and gummy at the end of that cycle. I'd have to be really desperate to try that again.

Near the end of September, my wife and I visited your shop in Salt Lake City (while visiting friends in Salt Lake), and I saw that you run multiple tumblers seemingly on a continuous basis. How long do the belts typically last on the Lortone tumblers? What is the diameter of the Lortone tumbler belts? Would I get more service life out of the Harbor Freight tumbler if I replaced the fan with a Lortone fan and used a Lortone belt?

I live in (city), WA so I don't visit Salt Lake City very often. I was impressed with your shop when we visited because of the assortment of tumblers, tumbler parts, grit, and rough rocks. Thank you in advance for your help.

RK

Our reply:

Hi RM,
Thank you for your compliments to the shop. I’m glad you stopped in. We have a number of customers that use Lortone replacement parts for their Harbor Freight Tumblers. Specifically, we send out a lot of belts. I believe the Harbor Freight sizes correspond to the Lortone sizes, so you can base belts on your tumbler size. I’m not sure about the fan. That may be a gamble.

We send out shipments via FedEx and USPS everyday, so it is no problem to send you parts if you want to give that a try. Either order on-line at https://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=86 or give us a call at 1-888-762-5746.

May we use your comments and my response on our blog—with no identifying information, of course?

I hope that was helpful. Please let me know if I can answer anything else.
Sincerely,
Anita

RM replies:

Yes, you may use my comments in your blog. I will order later this week, after pay day.

I based my question about the capability of swapping parts on your web catalog. The entry for the cooling fan indicates it can be used in the Harbor Freight tumbler. I was wondering if you knew of anybody who had successfully interchanged the parts.

You didn't answer my question about the service life of the Lortone belts (i.e., how long do they last?). I want to find out if the belts break frequently and I have to accept that lot in life, or whether the Lortone belts are made of better material and will last for several tumbling phases or for several batches of rock. I think that the material in Harbor Freight belts doesn't hold up to the heat generated by the flexing and the transfer of energy (to turn the tumbler drum). When they fail, they are usually cracked in several places, as if the rubber became brittle. I've removed the top guard plate to facilitate air flow for cooling to see if that helps.

And we reply again:

Hi RM,
I asked our lapidary people and they said you could swap parts between Harbor Freight and Lortone. Also, Lortone belts are much better than the one you have. They last a year or more in our machines. The trick to keeping them running is to not over tighten. Also, don't get the oil on them.

Thank you for allowing us to use your comments. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with!
Sincerely,
Anita

Cash & Treasures visits Rockpick Legend Co.

2007-11-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, November 10, the host and crew of Travel Channel's Cash & Treasures filmed an episode about Utah topaz at our store! It was a lot of fun, but a lot of hard work, too. They started around 10 in the morning and worked until 5 at night. We answered a lot of questions, took direction on camera, stood around while they filmed segments, arranged displays, re-arranged displays, made new displays, oh, and gathered props.

We were pleasantly surprised by how friendly the group from Cash & Treasures were, not only to us, but to our friends and customers. Kirsten Gum was just as nice off camera as she is on camera. The camera men, Luke Saver and Brian Cardello, showed the kids their equipment and posed for pictures. Some of us got closely acquainted with audio man Aron Prigg as he wired us with microphones--he was very nice about it. And last, but not least, Carl Schick, the producer, was patient with our screw-ups, open to our non-experienced TV producing suggestions, and just plain fun to work with. By the time they were done we felt like they were old friends.

They started by shooting opening segments outside the store. When they came inside, they had Rick sort and appraise the topaz they found while collecting the day before with Mike Unruh, well-known topaz expert. Later in the day we had the pleasure of visiting with Mike.

After Rick appraised the topaz, he helped Kirsten wash the topaz in an ultrasonic cleaner. My favorite line of the day was when Kirsten asked Rick if she could use his toothbrush. Of course she wanted the one he was using to wash topaz, but it was a great line, anyway.

After the topaz was clean, Alston showed Kirsten (and crew) how to cut topaz on a lapidary saw. Kirsten seemed especially impressed that Alston was not afraid of putting his fingers right up to the blade. Alston showed her he could touch the blade while it was spinning without getting cut. With a little coaxing, Kirsten tried it and sighed a sigh of relief when all her fingers were still intact. This works because a rock saw blade cuts by grinding--it's not really "cutting" at all.

Next Constance helped Kirsten make jewelry with her topaz and our findings kit (modified to suit Kirsten and crew). There was a little problem getting the bell cap around the topaz for the pendant, so Alston trimmed the topaz--twice. Once that was taken care of, Kirsten got her topaz pendant and earrings.

Kirsten had several nice display pieces, so Zeke and Frederick showed her how to display them with acrylic stands and mineral tack. They all seemed to enjoy a lengthy conversation about displaying topaz, their favorite gems, and where they like to go rock hounding. While I'm sure this conversation will be cut out of the final show, I wish you could hear it. It was very cute all the way around.

The filming wrapped up with a final appraisal from Rick. Cleaning, mounting and making jewelry didn't really change the value of the topaz, but it definitely made it nicer to look at!

Thank you Kirsten, Carl, Luke, Brian, and Aron for an education in making a TV show, a fun (but hard) day, and being so great to work with! We're looking forward to seeing the episode sometime next spring, and we hope you'll visit us again!

Anita Dalrymple

Feldspar Gemstones

2007-11-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

By far the most abundant mineral group on earth is the feldspars. Yet, when you think of gemstones you don’t associate them with feldspars. However, the feldspar family produces some pretty amazing gems.

The feldspar family is composed silicates (Si2O4) of potassium (K), sodium (Na), and calcium (Ca) where the sodium replaces the potassium and the calcium replaces the sodium in various amounts to create some very common rocks and occasionally, gemstones.

Imagine a triangle ▲ where at the top of point you have pure potassium silicate which is the mineral orthoclase. Most orthoclase is white to fleshy in color and boring. Under special conditions it can form a very rare gemstone from citrine to honey in color and be as transparent as glass.

Now moving down the left side of the triangle toward the bottom left corner we add a little sodium to get sanidine, one of the rarest of the feldspars. Most of the time sanidine is just white and opaque like the crystals from Tooele. Given the right conditions it can form a smoky quartz look-a-like.

Add enough sodium now to make it a 50:50 mix and you get moonstone. Moonstone is one of the gems that have many faces. It can be orange, yellow, green, red, gray, brown, and black. But the most sought after is the blue. When you get a blue flash across a semi-transparent stone it is just amazing. Even more beautiful is when the blue is mixed with orange, yellow, or red. Then you see a rainbow dancing within the stone. This is one of the most popular gemstones in the world. It is said to bring young maidens great luck.

Once you have replaced all the potassium with sodium you have microcline, a.k.a. amazonite. This forms opaque stones that are robin-egg blue to deep emerald green.

Now we move across the bottom of the triangle from left to right replacing the sodium with calcium.

Oligoclase is a rare and visually stimulating gemstone. It forms various shades of greens from mint green to pastel green like tourmalines. It can also form shades of yellow, tan, and brown.

With a little more calcium you get sunstone, a very popular gemstone. Our Utah sunstone is fun to collect but it doesn’t really turn out a good gemstone. The material from Oregon however, is the finest in the world. It forms blood red to pastel reds and green, tan, yellow, brown, and black. The highest quality is the red with inclusions of copper flakes that make the stone shimmer or glitter as it moves in the light. I particularly like the ones with red and green together, they remind me of Christmas. This sunstone is probably the most valuable feldspar on the market.

With a 50:50 mix of calcium and sodium you get labradorite. Calcium and sodium molecules are round and large so when they mix there is there is a lot of space between them. This space, called interstices, fills with water and creates a prism as the light refracts off of it. This phenomenon is called labradorescents. We see the colors of a rainbow--yellows, blues, greens, oranges, reds, and violets. They are often very vivid and striking, making this mineral a favorite among mineral collectors, gemstone collectors, jewelry wearers, and just about anybody who sees it. Though named for Labrador, Canada where it was first discovered, the best material comes from Madagascar. Labradorite is often called spectralite or galaxite.

Moving to almost pure calcium you get bytownite. It is among the most rare of gemstones and a favorite with collectors. It has a warm glowing yellow to amber color.

We have a few of these feldspars in stock. We have some moonstone cabs of different colors, sunstone, labradorite, amazonite, etc.

Adrienne is updating the minerals on the website about once a week. This week she should have about 50 more specimens on including guitar picks custom made by Alston and gemstones.

See them at: https://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=106

Rick
Rockpick Legend Co.
1017 S Main Street
Salt Lake City, Utah 84111
801-355-7952

Planning Christmas Gifts?

2007-10-24T16:46:00.000-06:00

If you'd like to purchase a rock tumbler for Christmas we recommend placing your order early--the sooner the better. The last few years the major manufacturers, such as Thumler's Tumblers and Lortone were unable to deliver tumblers by our requested dates. They appear to be following that pattern this year.

Also, keep in mind that most large equipment such as a saws and combo units are made to order. Please allow up to a month for these items.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

Rockpick Legend Co.
1-888-Rock-Shop
(1-888-762-5746)

How Do I Polish My Petrified Wood Rounds?

2007-09-08T16:09:00.000-06:00

We have about 12 pieces of petrified wood that are 3" thick and up to 11" around that we want to polish. What type of equipment would we need to do this job? We don't want to spend too much for a one time project. We just want to polish the pieces we have to give as gifts.

Thanks for any advice or help.

Bobbie

Hi Bobbie,

Lapidary work (cutting and polishing rock) requires some specialized equipment. Petrified wood is essentially agate. Agate is a hard material that requires silicon carbide or diamond abrasives to cut and polish. I’ve listed some options for you below. Another approach may be to take your pieces to your local rock shop and have them cut and polish for you. That would save the investment in the equipment. I hope this helps!

There are three ways to polish your petrified wood:

Cut a face, and then flat-lap. For an 11” diameter you’d probably need a 24” saw. That would be a tight fit, since you have to subtract the arbor diameter from the blade size and then divide in two for the size of rock you can actually cut with the saw. Peculiarities of the rock can also affect how well it will fit in the vice (bumps, jags, etc.).

Here is a link to saws: http://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=29

Here is a link to flat or vibra-laps: http://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=41

Break up the wood and then tumble it, although that seems like a shame for such nice size pieces.

Here is a link to rock hammers: http://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=6

Here is a link to rock tumblers: http://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=81

Hand polish using a grinding/polishing combination unit. The belt sander might be the best tool for this size stone.

Here is a link to grinders & polishers: http://shop.rocks4u.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=52

Sincerely,
Anita
Rockpick Legend Co.
www.rocks4u.com

How Do I Get Small Fossils for a School Project?

2007-09-08T12:56:00.000-06:00

My son is taking a class in earth science and geology this year. We are trying to obtain specimens of different samples to put together for his class. We have a very limited budget. I have no idea what a small fossil might be worth. I realize there are different types of fossils. My question, if possible, is if it is possible to get a small fossil that might be of little or no value for this project.

If you can help or lead me in the right direction I would very much appreciate it.

Thank You

George

Hi George,
Thank you for your inquiry. We have small fossil samples for just this purpose. Our small sample fossils include shells and crinoids. Brachiopods are small clam shells fossilized 300 million years ago. Crinoids were a plant that looked like today’s sea-lilies. These are the fossilized stems from about 30 million years ago.

So that school children can afford to own and experience fossils, we offer these fossil specimens at $1 each.

Since they are not currently on our website, you can call to place an order. The number is 1-888-Rock-Shop. We ship Fed-Ex ground.

I hope that helps!

Anita
Rockpick Legend Co.
www.rocks4u.com

How to Recycle The Cutting Oil in Your Rock Saw

2007-09-01T20:49:00.000-06:00

Cutting oil, regardless of which kind you use can be recycled to save money and the environment. We recommend using either Lortone’s Premium Cutting Oil or Covington’s Rockhound Oil in any saw.

To recycle the oil this is what we do:

1. Use a clean, dry 5 gallon bucket. Place a block of wood or brick in the bottom of the bucket. If you use a block of wood it needs to be the size of a brick. The less porous the material you put in the bottom, the more oil you will recover.

2. Now take a plant container like the ones bushes or trees come in and place that in the bucket so it sits on the block. We drill extra holes in it so the oil drains through faster. Small holes don’t work as well. I like 1” holes.

3. Place a paper grocery bag in the plant container.

4. You are ready to pour in the used oil, mud and all. We drain our saw right into the paper bag.

5. Let it stand for 24 to 48 hours. We often let it stand for a week in the heat of summer to recover even more. After a week you get virtually nothing else from the mud. You can reclaim as much as 50% of your oil this way.

Happy Cutting--Rockpick Legend Co.

How Do I Polish Lake Stones in My Rock Tumbler?

2007-08-25T14:33:00.000-06:00

Attached are pictures of rocks I attempted to polish in a tumbler, I am not getting the results I would like. I would like a glossy polish to the rocks. Also is there a way to remove the so called polish that is on there now? Thanks in advance for any help.

Judith

Hi Judith,
I think your problem is contamination. The photo shows a rock with "caves" in the surface. This rock and others like it (including some with less extreme "caves") will carry grit from one stage to the next, even with careful cleaning. Set aside all rocks like this one, and start again in step 3. That should solve your problem. Also, make sure you're cleaning your barrel very carefully.

Some people get stones like these to polish by running them through a soap stage in between the regular stages. You could try that as well. For a soap stage, we recommend Ivory bar soap shredded with a cheese grater, and water.

If all else fails, take comfort in knowing that some stones just won't take a polish.

Anita
Rockpick Legend Co.

Can I Polish Petosky Stones in my Rock Tumbler?

2007-08-25T13:15:00.000-06:00

We recently received this question from a customer. Here is our answer:

Petosky stones are really hard to polish.

In the polish step, replace the water with corn syrup. Use Tin oxide polish only with clean plastic pellets.

You should also add a couple of tablespoons of vinegar.

If this doesn’t work, nothing will in a tumbler.

Most petosky stones are polished by hand and not in a tumbler.

I Can't Find "Soap Flakes"--What do I use as the final step in my rock tumbler?

2007-08-23T17:15:00.000-06:00

Here's a rock tumbling tip:

Use a bar of Ivory soap as your final burnish, but shred it with a cheese grater first.

Many name brand laundry detergents are harsh enough to remove the polish. Some generic brand detergents have been used successfully, but on a trial and error basis.

Happy Rock Tumbling!