Fire Opal

[Sandman]

Anyone else know anything about this stone in the raw? I traded for some from mexico at a pow wow. It looks like a nice colorful stone mixed in a harder matrix.

[roc2rol]

Hey Sandman

I won’t be of much assistance
being that I never worked any opal
but it is certainly fantastic material !

Semi precious and can be quite valuable
depending on fire in the stone.
Mexico is famous a location as is
Australia for opal

Off the stop of my head-- which means I’m no expert---
opalizing is something that occurs to a certain material.
That material could be a mineral, like your matrix,
or even fossils have been known to opalize.

Anyway you got a got a colorful unique rock
any plans for it?
post a pix if possible

thanks for posting
Ed

[Sandman]

All I know about fossils is vertabrates are a no no when it comes to pickin up rocks, except on your own place. There is a cool ACEC near Barstow that is internationaly known for what has been found laying on the ground. Recovering from that nasty truck wreck, I spent a few hours of rehab at a museum that features a fantastac display. It's located on the grounds of a private high school dedicated to paleontology in Claremont.

[roc2rol]

Hi Sandman

Sorry about that accident
I joined DUSA right around the time that occurred.
So don’t think I ever had much interaction with you
I had read about it &
sure hope your mending as well as can be hoped for.


I’m in the same boat as you on fossils. Don’t know too much.
Maybe, opal also. This is small piece I own

Just tried to capture some of its fire
Succeeded somewhat
Some day I’ll polish it for some jewelry piece

Interesting that your is in matrix
is the matrix pretty dark colored?
mine is that all milky white
Ed

[Sandman]

The matrix is much harder and its light tannish brown. This rock is from mexico and now unavailable due to mucho problemes en los minas. All of the samples are somewhat small but workable. I've got some other stuff from my travels that i'd like to start working. Malachite, azurite, crysicola, and a little tourquoise mostly. Also, I have a few chunks of obsidion from fishing trips in the eastern sierra. The blue rocks are from nevada mostly, a little from eastern califoria

[roc2rol]

I've got some other stuff from my travels that i'd like to start working. Malachite, azurite, crysicola, and a little tourquoise mostly. Also, I have a few chunks of obsidion from fishing trips in the eastern sierra. The blue rocks are from nevada mostly, a little from eastern califoria

what type of lapidary work do you do?

do you know what type the blue rocks are?

thanks
ed

[Sandman]

I'm a novice when it comes to lapidary work. Dont get me wrong though, I love to kick rocks when I'm hiking around the desert. The White montains on the California/Nevada border are amazing! I visited an intact mining town up there a couple of years ago. Hike on in and pick a cabin to spend the night in. It's up north of Bishop before you hit the Nevada line. My memory of names is pretty shot since the wreck. I did buy a rock polisher at harbor freight though. I see an affordable rock saw in my future.

[roc2rol]

A wet saw is fantastic tool! !
were you thinking 7” blade or 10” blade?

Tumbling rocks is also fun !!
something I haven’t done enough of

Does your harbor freight tumbler look this?


Anyway there really nice barrels
but they have a major flaw in the design
that will drive a person nuts!

The belt breaks after every 24 hour of tumbling
That starts getting expensive and frustrating
being that rocks need to tumble for about 6 weeks.

I got (I think) a fix on mine and its inexpensive.
I rebuilt the motor pulley to accommodate a different style belt.
Its little involved to explain
but when you get started
its something to keep in mind

keep on rocking,
anytime

Ed

what is ACEC ?