Monthly Archives: November 2014

Searching Your Own Blog

What do you do when you have a stone you know nothing about?

Mexican Crazy Lane Agate along side an Aspenite Cabochon the day they were purchased.

Mexican Crazy Lane Agate along side an Aspenite Cabochon the day they were purchased.

I found a gemstone cabochon the other day recalling that I had purchased it in Tucson at one of the shows. I really forgot what is was, so I searched my own blog from this year’s Tucson Shows hoping to find out (again) what it is, and found a picture of the cab captioned “Aspenite“.

I searched “Aspenite” on line, and guess what? My own blog was pretty much the only information I could find on the stuff. So I answered my own question with my own answer. I guess I’m just amazing!

I was standing next to a woman at the Walgreen the other day that was talking to herself. She realized she was talking to herself, and apologized for it. I told her that talking to yourself is often OK. I , myself, do it at times when I seek someone intelligent to converse with. I mention this because, searching for my own answer, on line, was sort of like that.

When I wrap a gemstone, it speaks to me (most of the time telepathically), and whispers (hints) how it wants to look as jewelry. I just do what these little voices in my head tell me to do. Every so often I pick a gemstone that may be (how do I say this with sensitivity?) like three fries short of a Happy Meal. This Gemstone will force me to do a dumb thing, like cut or scratch a wire, ruining a pendant. After so many years I have learned to recognize these trouble making stones and I let them languish in their own misery in a seedy bucket with more of their kind. I got a little off track there for a while..have coffee and focus Don.

My blog indicated Aspenite is, according to a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) analysis, a Silicated Limonite with Chrysocolla, from Oro De Conception, in North Central Mexico. I must practice saying this, so it virtually “flows” off my tongue, with perhaps a spanish accent ala Ricardo Montalban. The GIA advised that the material had no name, so the finder named it after his home town. I am fortunate I took notes on this stuff; this made it possible to answer my own questions about it. I was not so stressed after coffee and by reading my own answer.

The claim made to me, by the seller, was that Aspenite is quite scarce (Yeah right; I’ve heard this before, so I take it with a grain of salt). From what I can determine it is indeed scarce. I recall the cost matched the scarcity claim.

snob-appeal-jewelryasppend

A simple two-tone gold and silver did wonders for this stuff. This piece was hand-picked by me for it’s wonderful combination of colors. Orange and green together is a remarkable combination I’d never seen before. Orange is not my favorite color, but I must like it. My Chevy Colorado is “Camaro Orange” for example. I like it not only for the color, but that we can see it in any parking lot we are in. I again got off track..sorry..

My point here is the best answers to your questions may dwell within you. At my age the only problem is finding or remembering them.

Shadow Agates, Greenstone, and Thomsonite Jewelry

As winter blasts keep us close to the fireplace, I have been busy creating new pendants with favorite gemstones and wire. Enjoy these two new Great Lakes Jewelry Treasures and two new Shadow Agates.

A beautiful and rare North Shore Thomsonite.

A beautiful and rare North Shore Thomsonite.

Unique to the Lake Superior region, I acquired a quantity of old stock North Shore Thomsonites over the summer and have started cutting and wrapping them into jewelry. These dark-eyed beauties are very rare and highly coveted. Since these Great Lakes gemstones came out of a site near Thomsonite Beach near Grand Marais, Minnesota that is now buried under a park, no others are found at that location.

Greenstone Lily Pads in Natrolite

Greenstone Lily Pads in Natrolite

The second Great Lakes Jewelry Treasure I recently made was a remarkable stone with Greenstone Lily Pads floating in a pink sea of Natrolite instead of floating in a sea of green Chlorastrolite. I made a pendant from the opposite side of this stone and it sold immediately. Never have I seen another Greenstone like this.

Laguna Agate with Shadow

Shadow Wave Laguna Agate

I also made a pair of agates with shadow effect. In certain agates with opaque bands, the bands cast shadows on the adjacent bands as the agate is rotated back and forth. This crates what is referred to as “Shadow effect”. The bands casting shadows also have to be spaced correctly in order to “shadow”. the easiest was to explain shadow effect is if you lined up dominos and shined a light on the top of them. When you move the light back and forth over the dominos you see the shadow that are cast on the adjoining domino change. It’s the same with the lines in the Shadow Agate. This purpley-pink and white Laguna has a great Shadow effect. Laguna Agates from Mexico are famous for “Shadow”, but most banded agates, including my favorite, the Lake Superior Agate, can sport Shadow at times.

Blue Lace with shadow

Blue Lace with shadow

In this old stock Blue Lace Agate I found wonderful shadow. Two Mercury Mist Topaz added at the top give elegance and sparkle to the glorious pale blue/white agate. What a great piece for a special holiday occasion or wedding!

All these are available at www.snobappealjewelry,com, Click on “View all our products”. With over 375 pendants, chains, and earrings on our site, we hope you will start your Christmas shopping with us now!

Lake Superior Agate Jewelry, My Favorite!

A wonderful Lake Superior Tube Agate before and after making into a pendant.

A wonderful Lake Superior Tube Agate before and after making into a pendant.

Everyone claims that certain types of agates are the most colorful, interesting, and rare, but few agates come close to Lake Superior Agates for variety and coloration. As far as rarity; yes some LSA’s are very rare. Lake Superior Agates are also my favorite stone.

Lake Superior Agate floating in a sea of Quartz.

Lake Superior Agate floating in a sea of Quartz.

A Laker in a sea of Citrine.

A Laker in a sea of Citrine.

A Laker floating in Amethyst

A Laker floating in Amethyst

A nice group of Lakers. 4 pair of these cabochons are opposite sides of the same Lakers.

A nice group of Lakers. 4 pair of these cabochons are opposite sides of the same Lakers.

Here's the smiley guy in the group.

Here's the smiley guy in the group.

This blog highlights some of the best Lake Superior Agates I’ve made into jewelry over the last 10 years. If the agate is still for sale, we have hooked a link from the picture to out website. Many are long gone, but maybe you’ll get lucky.

An amazing Laker

An amazing Laker

Painted Agates are like someone took a wind paint brush and threw on paint.

Painted Agates are like someone took a wide paint brush and threw on paint.

Floating eyes are usually at or near the agate's surface.  Careful cutting develops them.

Floating eyes are usually at or near the agate's surface. Careful cutting preserves them.

A Fortification/semi Water Level Laker.  I call it a fort in a fort.

A Fortification/semi Water Level Laker. I call it a fort in a fort.

Proof that Lakers can resemble other Agates.  This one apes a Montana Moss Agate, but found buried in a Minnesota gravel pit.

Proof that Lakers can resemble other Agates. This one apes a Montana Moss Agate, but was found buried in a Minnesota gravel pit.

I purchase most of my Lakers rough. Most good stuff comes from gravel pits in Minnesota, and I have no access to these sites. I also use flawless or nearly flawless Lake Superior Agates in my jewelry, and believe me, with the beating Lakers took, the good majority are cracked. The agates in the Minnesota Gravel Pits were carried as glacial till from the Lake Superior area via many glaciers that pushed into this area, than receded, leaving glacial till in their wake. We now call this glacial till gravel. These glaciers pushed Lake Superior Agates as far south as Kansas. You see glacial evidence today as large rounded boulders left scattered randomly about.

Lake Superior Agates were formed in Amygdaloidal Basalt. This was bubbly basalt and the gas bubbles floated to the surface, and those that did not escape before the basalt cooled remained vacant. The bubbles are called vesicles and as the bubbles rose they became smaller and more numerous. The basalt, as it cooled, shrunk and cracked allowing silica and other minerals to enter through these cracks and fill the bubbles (vesicles). There are many theories as to how agates form in vesicles, sometimes totally opposite of other theories. I’ll let the researchers discuss these theories, my interest is in the colors and patterns that make wonderful agate jewelry! The Lake Superior area was ripe with iron, and it was common for iron to mix with the silica producing the red colors as iron oxide formed. The classic red and white Laker is referred to as a “Candy Striper”, and cannot be mistaken for any other type of agate. Sometimes Lakers can be white or clear and show a ghost banding, or the core of the agate can be just Quartz. One theory says that minerals that colored the agates ran out and whatever space was left was filled with plain Silica.

A classic Paint Agate

A classic Paint Agate

Sagenite Lakers contain metallic inclusions, usually Rutile.  This makes them look like plant material is present.

Sagenite Lakers contain metallic inclusions, usually Rutile. This makes them look like plant material is present.

A fine Water Level agate

A fine Water Level agate

I could talk Lake

strange agate

An unusual Sagenite Agate.

I was very stumped on this Laker. After consulting agate expert John Marshall it was determined that this is basically and unclassifiable Laker.

I was very stumped on this Laker. After consulting agate expert John Marshall it was determined that this is basically and unclassifiable Laker.

Superior Agates all day, but in this blog I want to just show you some different LSA types. You can scratch your heads as to how exactly these formed. I don’t fret about how agates are formed; I just cut, polish, and make jewelry from them. If you follow links to my jewelry pages you will see that I have over 50 pendants online and many more in my art show collection. It is fascinating to see how different each stone can be. The more I work with them, the more I enjoy Lake Superior Agates and the variations we find in them. The variety of types, and combinations of colors and patterns make Lakers the most remarkable of members of the Quartz Family.

Come visit us at the 2016 Agate Expo, July 7-9, 2016 in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. www.AgateExpos.com

The best Laker I ever personally found on the Shores of the Keweenaw

The best Laker I ever personally found on the Shores of the Keweenaw. Loaned from Bonnie Reed's collection.