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Post by lee on Feb 13, 2008 21:41:36 GMT -5
Now that's what I call a beautiful piece of amethyst from JXR. It is well colored and shaped and the crystals fit on the matrix well. Michelle's photography is looking good and she must be very proud of the picture of your amethysts crystals. Congratulations to both of you for finding and documenting a nice piece.
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Post by grandprix98 on Feb 14, 2008 8:42:12 GMT -5
She is getting good, that specimen is 20" across and in the Tellus Museum collection. Donated last year, just to nice to keep in my collection. If you want to see more of MIchelle's photos go to www.apex-minerals.com or www.kudzuminerals.comBILL
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Post by sapphiregirl on Feb 14, 2008 18:48:14 GMT -5
I agree with Lee on that amythest and I image others are green with envy.
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Post by Ezdiggin on Feb 22, 2008 14:05:31 GMT -5
My Favorite specimens are a result of the experience attached to them. I was very lucky to be a part of a tour and collecting trip to the Elmwood mine, TN in 2002. Some how our Geology professor was able to line up the trip of a lifetime. We began our tour with a safety briefing and then we were given head lamps, helmets, and respirators. We all signed our lives away and were given metal body identification tags. These were in case there was a fire in the mine. We then piled in the back of a pickup truck and entered the long steep grade at the entrance. The first thing I noticed was the 100% humidity and very strong smell of sulfur. The smell came from the sphalarite that was the main ore source for Zinc, Gallium, and Germanium. The mine tunnels were huge (guessing 25'x25') and surprisingly smooth. The precision of the blasting was amazing. The mine was in full operation at the time we entered, so we had to dodge ore trucks coming at us head on. Our truck couldn't fit past the ore trucks so the driver had to slam it in reverse and find a room to hide in. The ore trucks didn't slow down for any reason, not even 5-10 feet from our front bumper. The engines were so loud and powerful that you could feel the pounding in your chest. Finally we made it to a location where the miners were drilling blast holes. The drill machine put out about 160 db of that sound like fingernails on a chalkboard. The guide told us to try yelling at each other face to face to see if you could hear the other person. You couldn't hear anything coming from their mouth. The wall it was drilling was pouring out water from cracks and fissures. You could also see huge blocks of orange calcite and small vugs of dolomite crystals in the wall. We weren't allowed to collect at this location so we drove deeper in the mine. On the way to our collecting site I saw a few vugs large enough to crawl completely into, but we couldn't stop b/c of the ore trucks. We entered a large room to find that the ceiling had recently collapsed into the center. Obviously, we opted for another room which had its ceiling reinforced. The tour guide gave us a speech about safety again and then lets us loose to collect. For some reason I passed up a calcite on the ground to stake a claim on one of the many vugs in the room. Turns out that the calcite was a foot and half doubly terminated (floater too, I think) with a little damage (Oh well). I cleaned out my vug just in time to leave. It had Barite, Flourite, Galena, Sphalarite, and very sharp Dolomite. My fingers were bloody b/c I forgot my gloves at home. The mine trip was finally over so we ascended from about 1500-2000 ft back to the surface. The guide had planned for us to go to the Cumberland mine section which had seen some spectacular specimens recently, but they were blasting that day. Instead the guide took us to the Elmwood mine specimen vault!!! I really wish one of us had had a camera. The vault was filled with enormous Barite balls measuring in feet, purple Florite plates 4'x4', sphalarite masses 1'x1' on a matrix of dolomite crystals, and glassy orange Calcites that should have been in the Smithsonian. Finally, the trip was over and we headed home to clean our specimens. Overall I found about 25-30 specimens ranging in size of 1/2''-about 9''. If the mine does ever reopen and you get to go there to collect; it really is an opportunity of a lifetime. Hopefully I can figure out how to post some pictures of what I found.
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Post by sapphiregirl on Mar 7, 2008 19:20:26 GMT -5
I must say they all are impressive.
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Post by scott on Mar 20, 2008 18:30:29 GMT -5
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Post by lee on Apr 15, 2008 12:50:30 GMT -5
Scott It is amazing how beautiful the small quartz floaters can be. I hope we can find some nice floater amethyst and quartz at DH this weekend. Wait until you find your first skeletal floater, man are they great. Lee This is a very fancy Diamond Hill floater from the skeletal pit - it has crystals on all sides and top and bottom
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Post by crystal ocean on May 26, 2008 13:57:01 GMT -5
I found this in a embedded in a dirt road in Ouray. I was only passing through for one night. I'm going back in July. Any ideas for good places for crystals? ]
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Post by carnelianpete on Jul 27, 2008 17:00:39 GMT -5
I agree with Scott. Favorites change with time. Currently these two are my favorites. One purchased the other collected myself. The first is Prehnite pseudomorphs after Laumontite with Fluorapophyllite cubes. The pale green color of the prehnite is hard to see in the photo. This is just one cool piece to look at. In daylight it is beautiful. I purchased this about 5 years ago at the show in Franklin NJ it is from Poona India. The second is Druzy Stilbite xls with Pyrite xls. The pink color in the plate goes from fairly dark to very pale across the right side. I do not know of that much pink stilbite from here in the states. This one is special since I now where/when it was collected and by me.
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Post by magiccarp on Aug 18, 2008 22:42:14 GMT -5
Lepidocrocite? Is that what the white caps on a piece of Amethyst is called? My wife and I just came back from Thunder Bay with tons of amethyst,( Well...tens of pounds), and a bunch of it had the tips of the crystals having like milky quartz for the last 1/8" on the top. If anyone can let us know that would be great!
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nmonyx
Senior Member
Mine it, cut it, Carve it and Polish it...
Posts: 40
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Post by nmonyx on Aug 29, 2008 22:37:09 GMT -5
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Post by coloradojeff on Sept 14, 2008 14:24:59 GMT -5
This is one I found at JXR in 2006. I still re-live the day I pulled it from the mud! This is my first post, sorry if it doesn't work.
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Post by oregongoldhunters on Dec 8, 2008 19:42:45 GMT -5
Here is my favorite piece of my collection, can you guess what the inclusion vein is? side view to see the terminations
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Post by abuelito on Dec 8, 2008 21:28:02 GMT -5
i see flour gold there,,,really nice :-*ab
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Post by rockman1944 on Dec 16, 2008 23:24:56 GMT -5
Hey John D, A 6 1/2 pounder that came out of the wash draw I talked to you about at Railroad Buttes.
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Post by hydrogeologist on Dec 17, 2008 7:25:54 GMT -5
Nice Faiburn!
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Post by JohnD on Dec 17, 2008 16:37:51 GMT -5
Bob, I hope to get out there in 09, but only if you promise to leave something that I can find. Seeing your latest and remembering the great one the woman from WI or MN found a week after I left last time makes me wonder if any are left? JohnD
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Post by rockman1944 on Dec 18, 2008 23:28:32 GMT -5
John, Oh I think there are plenty left. It sure takes a lot more work now than it did several years ago. Today one has to turn over 5 times the specimens to find one that we used to do. The erosion is sure helping though and that should not change. It will always do some eroding. Here's wishing you a Merry Christmas and to all the people on this BB, Merry Christmas. Shirt sleeve rock huntin don't look so good this year at Christmas. Tonight we are at about 0 degrees, with another storm on the way for the weekend and high winds. They posted a -37 about 100 miles North of Rapid two days ago! Too too cold for me.
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Post by writerman2255 on Jan 14, 2009 11:49:56 GMT -5
Man, that amethyst with the inclusion in there is nice! I've never dug for it yet, I just hope I find something like that! Good going!
Love and Light, Tom.
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Post by lee on May 11, 2009 21:15:58 GMT -5
Here are "before" and "after" pictures of the big rock I found at Diamond Hill during our last MAGMA dig. It appears to be smoky crystals with drusy all around. I find it interesting to compare the before after pictures of the rock.
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Post by sapphiregirl on Jun 8, 2009 20:45:39 GMT -5
Interesting Lee. I found something today that fascinates me. I was on the backside of Nottoway that goes into Prince Edward and found a site that they are cutting out timber. The piece looks like druzy but with a loupe you can see the crystals. It is a light purple grey and just shines. I have to get a picture of it. But it sure shines and it is pretty. Soil is like that of Diamond Hill.
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Post by dwtdenver on Jun 11, 2009 22:35:01 GMT -5
My favorite specimen, for right now was given to me for my bday by my son's girlfriend. I really like her. Wulfenite has always been one of my favorites.
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Post by stephanie on Jun 12, 2009 15:59:01 GMT -5
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Post by oregongoldhunters on Jun 13, 2009 2:47:09 GMT -5
this be my favorite. front back left right
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Post by Triloman on Jun 21, 2009 23:24:43 GMT -5
My actual favorites are always the ones I found myself for obvious reasons, but this Elabaite (Tourmaline) from Minas Gerais, Brazil I only wish I had found.
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Post by Triloman on Jun 22, 2009 9:36:14 GMT -5
Sorry about the size of last pic, try this one.
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Post by sandalscout on Jun 22, 2009 9:41:17 GMT -5
Oooohhh, nice Elbaite! I'm going to Tuscany in 2 weeks, and the plan currently calls for a day or two on the Isle of Elba, I'm hoping to collect some, or at least find a nice piece for sale.
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Post by amythestguy on Jun 22, 2009 13:50:21 GMT -5
sorry sandalscout your chances of finding some on elba are slim to none. Most of the old locations are built over, lost to science, or on private property. Lap. mag did a report years and years ago about it. Your best chances of collecting are on the beach and it's for some totally different mineral(don't remember what) . Remember one end of the island is totally different from the other so you will need to figure out which side has the best collecting for mins.
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Post by arappaho on Jun 22, 2009 21:29:42 GMT -5
That is a Beautiful Tourmaline! That would qualify allright! And oregons Kyanite... I Like! This pretty little double-term found on my last visit to Diamond Hill is presently a favorite of mine. The thing's just perfect. And I think it came from a little vug like the one hiding in here. Joe
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Post by Triloman on Jun 22, 2009 22:07:56 GMT -5
Beautiful Kyanite, great color, nice blades! Joe, the double terminated smokey amethyst is fantastic, but I have to say the crystal in the vug is even cooler. Very nice. Sandalscout; I hope you find some good stuff but if not, but just being in Tuscany, and on the island of Elba is pretty darn good right? Have fun!
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