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Post by mickey on Dec 4, 2011 14:44:46 GMT -5
People in our club are always asking me if there is any lapidary material near Jacksonville, FL. All the rockhounds that live along the southeast coast know that this is always a problem. I've attached a photo of some fossil clam shells that often get dumped on the beach during re-nourishment programs. I found these on Fernandina Beach after a storm while I was looking for shark teeth. They're often to ugly to collect by most people but with some grinding, they take a wonderful polish. The one in the middle is how they look while on the beach.  |
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Post by leonardo on Dec 4, 2011 23:26:44 GMT -5
I have heard that the fumes from grinding sea shell's is toxic...please check on this...
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Post by mickey on Dec 5, 2011 0:17:58 GMT -5
I heard of this before especially about abalone shells but have not been able to actual find any documentation to the fact. As with any stone work, dust should not be breathed and kept to a minimum. Clam shells new or fossilized would be composed mostly of aragonite or calcite. While new shells may consist of some proteins(nacre), there would not be any proteins left in these fossilized shells. If anyone can find any scientific information to the contrary, then I would definitely be interested in reading it.
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Post by arappaho on Dec 5, 2011 7:58:24 GMT -5
Heck, Everything's hazardous to your health!  Nice job and thanks for posting, Mickey. Beautiful material and no shortage of it! Joe |
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