This is Avila Brecciated Rhyolite. Also called “DeeDeeite” by the rock club nearest the deposit about three miles from California’s Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant.

Most of this type has larger rhyolite pieces floating in the agate…but these pieces have the smaller pieces making it better for smaller lapidary work.

This comes from a very SMALL area and your would think because it is on the beach that would make it easy to find & take home. WRONG. Because the sand is always moving….one time you might see 15 ft of rock exposed (most is just a jumble of rhyolite), the next time it is all covered by LOTS of sand & only 3 ft is exposed.

I was fortunate to receive both the brecciated and non brecciated examples of this. There are also areas of Marcasite. Really pretty !

A couple of brecciated examples…

Then an example of the non brecciated material with one blown up to show some of the beautiful Marcasite.

It was not long after recieving these slabs that was figuring out a couple of preforms ! Here is the first cab from the brecciated material.
Not sure just how many cabs of this material I am going to offer in store. Have not actually even decided if am going to part with any of it !
But.. If you are interested in a cab from a piece of jewelry from either the brecciated or non brecciated, just drop me a line.

There are a great many minerals
that can be heat treated as shown in
the forum post. Heat treating these
different minerals can result in some
outstanding color enhancements !

Here is a picture of some showing
a Brazilian Agate before, intermediate,
and a fully heat treated cabs.

Slow increments of raising the heat
and lowering the heat makes a
difference between highly fractured
results and fracture-free results.

There is a great reference on Gaonksin by George W. Fischer. He has conducted hundreds of experiments using chemical coloration of gemstone minerals. Using dozens of chemical compounds to induce their color.

This is a process I tried following using what appeared to be a fairly heavily iron concentrated Brazilian Agate. I did not have any luck with it, but believe it was because the slabs just did not have the iron I thought they did.

Heat Treatment

Some kinds of gemstone (e.g. Brazil carnelian) can be improved in color by heat treatment, without benefit of any chemical soaks. This is possible when the gemstone has some native “impurity” in it, particularly iron compounds that impart improved color changes when heated sufficiently.
Two of the chemical coloration processes described in this book involve the introduction of chemical compounds that result in marked desirable color changes when the soaked slabs are properly heated. This heat treatment must be accomplished so that the slabs (or other pieces) are heated very gradually, and then allowed to cool very gradually. A “sand bath” is ideal for this. This simply means that the slabs are embedded in sand during the heat treatment. This promotes gradual heating and gradual cooling.
Some kind of metal container is necessary such as a bread pan or refrigerator pan. It should be five to seven inches deep. The sand I use is common plaster sand, available where building materials are sold. Pour a layer of sand into the bottom of the pan to a depth of about an inch. Place a layer of the chemically treated slabs to be heat-treated on this layer of sand. Cover with another layer of sand about one-half inch deep. Follow this with alternate layers of sand and slabs until the pan is full. The top layer must be sand, of course, and approximately one inch deep. If the pan has a lid, so much the better.
When the sand bath has been packed, it is ready to be heated. The oven in an electric kitchen range serves nicely for this and is the only kind I have ever used. Probably a gas oven would be just as satisfactory or a kiln. The important thing is temperature control. The following heating schedule is recommended:

175°F Several hours (overnight is fine)
275°F Four hours
375°F Four hours
475°F – 500°F Four hours

Allow the pan and contents to cool in the oven overnight or longer, or at least until the pan feels only warm, not hot. If you can stand the suspense of waiting to see the results, allow the pan to cool until it does not even feel warm. If the sand bath is opened prematurely, fracturing of the suddenly cooled slabs is likely to result. Once you have experienced the dismay of having a beautifully colored slab thus fractured, you will become quite patient in waiting until the sand bath has entirely cooled. After the sand bath has properly cooled, remove the slabs, wash and dry them. The sand may be re-used indefinitely. You may notice that even the sand changes color, usually taking on a reddish tinge.

Rather than continue on and on within this blog entry. Would much rather viewers here check out one of the main “Heat Treating” discussion thread on the forum. That way each members posting will be properly credited.
There are a great many more images, and references available within that thread. Plus links to other archived threads on the subject.

Thanks for stopping in !

Opalite is very hard and can have a wet appearance upon breaking creating the illusion of an opal. I don’t really see this wet appearance in the darker, and not at all in the white.

Common opal fractures into tiny pieces/crumbs upon hitting, and opalite does not. This seems to better fit the description. When I break a slab with a hammer the white (softer) does not really break into very small pieces, where as the darker (harder) areas do.

Here is as best a couple of pics of the breaks on each. I am guessing the white areas to be about a 5 and the dark to be 6 or better.

It is not uncommon for common opal to be associated with moss and even plume agate. It can be found in white, tan, brown, green and peach.

A couple of cab pics.

The harder dark material took a great polish using tin oxide. The softer white colored material did not.  At the time of this writing have not yet tried another polish. Thinking some Holy Cow. Other than that, I am not familiar with a better polish. Prior to polishing these came off a worn 600 silicon carbide belt.

One thing I noticed while cutting preforms was that as I got towards the end of the cut, maybe an inch or sometimes even two, the slab would break. Not because of any fractures. It would consistently break in line with the direction of the remaining cut. I had to cut very slowly as I moved towards the end of the cuts. Can’t say I have ever experienced this with any other material before. Just sort of odd…

The material comes from Northwestern Missouri. I have read of an Ogallala Formation through that area. The Ogallala opal can be of these same colors as well as colorless, and cherty. Some of it is called moss opal because it contains a manganese oxide impurity that forms these dark, branching deposits that look like small mosses in the opal.

Comments ?

We have been sharing a whole lot of different Chrysocolla varieties on my forum.

I especially like a Chrysocolla with Hematite, Tenorite, Silver, Copper, and even Gold.. I love a beautiful metallic finish that these offer.

Then when we start talking about a druzy Chrysocolla…….. Well, ya gotta love a neat druzy cab !

I don’t really want to post pictures of all the different Chrysocolla that has been shared on the forum here. Would rather each member who shared have the same opportunity for you to see them as they were posted by each member. Plus if your as excited about Chrysocolla as we all are, you may well like to join in the conversation and share some of your own pics as well !

One of the members did send me a slab of some with Gold in it.. Can’t hardly add a blog entry without at least one image ! Never knew Chrysocolla even had Gold in it..

Thanks for stopping by !

I just received this pictorial guide to over 150 types of agates and jasper.

“There are many excellent books currently on the market describing banded agates, but there are few with an emphasis on the other structural varieties. There are virtually no current books with images and descriptions of the wide array of fine jaspers presently available. This book tries to fill that void with 240 pages and over 1000 photos and diagrams describing the structural features of both Agates and Jaspers.

It provides an introduction to their genesis, details of their structural characteristics, and a multitude of macro and micro photographs. It’s a stating-point for some of the current theories of their formation, and contains references to more in-depth studies.

No other variety of material offers so many combinations of patterns and spectral colors. Sit back and now an enjoy the complexity and beauty locked within these stones.” (Taken from the rear cover)

I am really enjoying this excellent book, and just wanted to share it here..

Can be ordered via www.theimage.com or www.theimagebooks.com

I did a Google search and they sure do look a lot alike. Come to find out that another member, ImageOne (Ron), cleared up the confusion. He shared a discussion between himself and Glen Archer who is the owner of the Noreena claim. It is within a hundred miles of the Munjina claim.

They are both found in the same geologic rock formation in Australia, and both are silicified mudstone with high iron content. That explained the similar characteristics. It was also shared that the Munjina sometimes has a black color and that Noreena usually has white or cream in the same type of location.

I experienced the same cracking while working with this as others have. I did experience a lot of difficulties with breaking where the red bandings are.

Here are some pics of what I received. It was the largest of the two pieces that I actually paid for. The seller sent a bonus piece for free. Turns out it is the smaller of the two that offers a lot nicer cabbing material. Since it is smaller the bandings and colors are tighter and can all be included on a standard sized cab. Where as the largest of the two. The one I actually paid for, only allows for portions of the pattern to appear on a cab. I was really pleased with the appearance of the smaller piece.

Here you can see how wonderful the pattern is on these slabs from the smaller piece with tighter banding and colors. Then finally, a finished cab. One thing that the smaller piece of rough with the tighter banding offered is the ability to place a neat red border around the perimeter of every cab. It’s just the way a lot of the patterns on the slabs work out. It’s a real bonus, and it had it’s way of compensating for the break points in the red banding.

This is really a neat mineral. Fun to cab and great appearance. I have heard some share that they had some difficulties with polishing. This took an excellent polish !

Feel free to contact me for details on having cabs made from this. As always, there are no additional shop costs for special requests.

Thanks for stopping by and reading through this blog entry. Hope you enjoyed !

After purchasing from Rare Rock and Gem’s site the other day, would like to share yet more of this great looking mineral. Have not yet decided for sure, but thinking back over all the various Jaspers I have cabbed for gemstone type jewelry, I am tempted to say this is my favorite to date. Right up there with some of the nicer Imperial Jaspers I have cabbed.

Yes, it is expensive. The rough / slabs are pricey, and as a result the gemstone cabochons can be a bit pricey as well. I have no intentions of selling my Morrisonite cabs for any where near the prices I have seen other gemstone cabochon sites selling theirs for. An eighty or one hundred dollar cabochon seen on other sites would likely be more reasonably priced at about thirty or forty dollars. I primarily calculate the cost of the piece and divide that up by the amount of cabs the piece yields.

Ok, so would like to share what I just received. From left to right and from top of the list down.

Outstanding Colored Morrisonite Slab
Good Sized Morrisonite Core
Morrisonite with Very Rare Pyrite Hair Crystals
Nicely Colored Morrisonite Collector Slab
Good Sized Morrisonite Collector Slab
Three Outstanding Colorful Slabs

I have only finished one Morrisonite cabochon from the first group I got last week.

Keep checking back as will be completing several more in the next few days. I will have them up for sale in my store, but am only planning on finishing a very few. These will be primarily for demonstration. Giving customers an idea of the idea of just how unique and beautiful this Morrisonite is as a finished cab. The rest will be made available to anyone interested in requesting specific shapes and designs.

As always, there are no additional shop rates just because a customer makes a special request. To ask for details about special requests, simply contact me. You will be pleasantly surprised.

Thanks for stopping by my blog and reading through this entry. Keep checking back ! You can also subscribe to the blog RSS feed and stay current on all blog activity via your News Reader, like Google or Yahoo.

I little history about the Morrisonite can be found in an article that was recently submitted to the forums Article and Documents pages.

I would like to share some pictures of the Willow Creek Jasper.

Then here are some pictures of the Moorisonite.

I probably should have waited to add this blog entry until I had cabbed a couple of gemstones to show along with them. Regardless…. if you would like information about having some cabochons cut from this Willow Creek and or Moorisonite, please feel free to contact me for pricing and delivery time.

There is no question that if you like picture type jaspers for your gemstone jewelry designs, then these two Jaspers are top of the line. Gemstone cabochons from this Jasper material will complement your jewelry designs like no other!

Thanks fro stopping by and keep checking back !!

After slabbing up the couple of small slabs thought might share one of my favorite cabs that finished.

I have a couple more on the bench that will post in a couple days on the forum under the finished cabochons board.

Since I seem to have the Pietersite bug going on, could not help myself and ordered up this absolutely stunning piece wit some beautiful coloring. Especially check out the blue at the one end.

It is on it’s way from China. Takes a couple weeks.

Can’t wait to get this beauty!

If your like me and find this mineral to be something you would like to have a special shaped cab cut from, feel free to contact me for details.

Here is an example of what I am most familiar with shaping cabochons from.

Here are just a few examples of what this material looks like in cabochon form. Both earring cab pairs and freeform.

Here is an example of a piece in a bezel setting with Silver Metal Clay as the medium for the jewelry backing.

A friend of mine gave me an interesting piece of Fossilized Coral. Different from what I am use to working with as it is a single tube form. I have this in the saw as I am typing this entry, so only have a few preforms to show. These will make some beautiful cabochons.

As always, if you like this Fossilized Coral your welcome to make a special request to have it cut and shaped to desired specs.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you enjoyed!

An example of some beautiful Rainbow Jasper in slab form. This particular example really has a great variety of jasper colors. I do have this available in stock and can be cut and shaped in any way that a jewelry designer would like. I have talked before about how important it can be for a gemstone jewelry designer to consider building a relationship with a lapidary.

This is an example of updates a designer can receive from their lapidary that may well be available to designers who the lapidary has established a working relationship with.

This particular mineral really makes beautiful gemstones for wire wrapping, bezel settings and silversmith design.

If your a designer who enjoys designing your jewelry around unique and unusual shaped gemstones then such a relationship is important.

I do have other types of jasper, but just wanted to share this special Rainforest Jasper. If you enjoy these awesome colors and would like to have pieces cut from it so as to be able to design a unique piece of jewelry, just ask.

Stones can be shaped with specifics in mind. Bezel type settings, pendants, and even matched pairs for beautiful earrings.

It takes two slabs from the same piece of rough to be able to accomplish a perfectly matched pair. It can not be done from a single slab. Stop by the Lapidary / Gemstone Community forum to learn more.

Then then the eye opening experience of slabbing begins to show the true condition. Once I stare at the pile of slabs just cut and realize that most of it is fractured to a point that it becomes apparent that it will be necessary to design the cabs around the layout of the fractures.

Not being sure if this was common place when purchasing rough, I began to wonder if it was going to be necessary to have things set up so as to be prepared to stabilize a great amount of rough in order to salvage it. Much of the material is really quite beautiful. Nice bright colors, or great looking dendritics, colorful flame mosses, and plumes. I began to be quite sure that others must be sharing in this experience and they have to be working on ways to salvage such beautiful material.

I threw my experiences and thoughts out to other more experienced Lapidaries for discussion. After learning from others their experiences and how they deal with fractured material resulting from a purchase of rough, I realized that it is part of the process. At least it is, as a rule, if we decide to purchase rough without having it in our hands first.

One thing that became apparent right away. A good Cabber will not sell cabs that have been treated to begin with.

I listened to comments like, “If any resin or glue is put on one of my stones I say so and that is VERY rare. I don’t know how many cutters cover up cracks and voids with glue and not say anything. If you are paying low prices for your rough and the deal seams to good to be true then it is.” From Seth who owns Griffin Custom Opal.

Comments like, “Working around the fractures is what i mainly do, i like to think i coin the term “natural freeform” when cutting this way. Becasue you have to let the pieces fall were they lie, and look for unqiue shapes, in combination of color/pattern that works.”, and “As you point out Toa ( TaoGem Gemstones ), online is a big componate as too were one can buy such material. But then you almost always fight a lossing battle with sellers who first dont really know lapidary, (they may know mining, or minerals), then simple market materials based on names for value and not grading the rough as it should be. Its very easy for sellers to do this and part of the hobby when one becomes invloved in selling rocks of any kind.” from Shain who owns Freeformcabs.

These are just a couple of comments that opened my eyes so that now it at least makes a lot more sense. Yes, buying rough online can more times than not result in experiencing poor quality and likely very fractured material.

Realizing too that most sellers of rough are in fact not even experienced cabbers any way. It is likely the extent of what they do may well be the blasting of the material from the earth. No wonder it is likely fractured!

For me, the learning experience has brought me to a point where I will likely not purchase gemstone material in rough form online. I will be patient and look around my surrounding area so that I can get my hands on it first. Maybe even buy from someone who also shares the desire to turn out nice cabs and understands the importance of dealing in quality material. Yes, it will likely be more expensive. I am way ok with that. Also it was a clear from the members on the forum that it is far better to purchase slabs if we are going to buy online. We have a much greater opportunity to really see what we are purchasing.

To read comments from these and other experienced lapidaries on this subject visit the thread on the subject within our lapidary forum.