[wasurfer]

I believe one of these might be jasper?

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[Goldfinger]

Yes- those both look like jaspers. That piece on the right resembles Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper. Really nice find and I bet someone could make some spectacular cabochons out of that piece. But both of those are good finds.

Steve

[wasurfer]

Goldfinger, on 11 October 2009 - 12:15 PM, said:

Yes- those both look like jaspers. That piece on the right resembles Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper. Really nice find and I bet someone could make some spectacular cabochons out of that piece. But both of those are good finds.

Steve

Thanks, I find allot of pieces like that, I'll have to find some more!

[Goldfinger]

I found some links for Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper and listed them below. If you can afford it, you might want to find someone that can slab that one nodule on the right and make some cabochons out of it for a piece of jewelry your wife or girlfriend. Some of those cabochons are spectacular. I've been told that Morgan Hill Poppy jasper is located in a rather seismically active area and that's why the majority of the jasper from that area is badly fractured. The pieces you found seem to be rather fracture free and stable and should produce some nice cabochons. Of course there are no guarantees.

http://www.bernardin...oppy-jasper.htm

http://www.samsilver...abs/morgan.html

http://discussions.t...58/m/2821996359

Steve

[wasurfer]

Goldfinger, on 12 October 2009 - 07:25 AM, said:

I found some links for Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper and listed them below. If you can afford it, you might want to find someone that can slab that one nodule on the right and make some cabochons out of it for a piece of jewelry your wife or girlfriend. Some of those cabochons are spectacular. I've been told that Morgan Hill Poppy jasper is located in a rather seismically active area and that's why the majority of the jasper from that area is badly fractured. The pieces you found seem to be rather fracture free and stable and should produce some nice cabochons. Of course there are no guarantees.

http://www.bernardin...oppy-jasper.htm

http://www.samsilver...abs/morgan.html

http://discussions.t...58/m/2821996359

Steve

I can find buckets of that stuff, it's all over the place! Thanks for your time!!! Is it possible for an amateur to learn how to cut cabochons?

[feifan]

For any given task in Britain there are more men than are needed. Strong unions keep them there in Fleet Street, home of some London’s biggest dailies, it is understood that when two unions quarrel over three jobs, the argument is settled by giving each union two. Thru means 33 per cent over manning, wow power leveling,,33 per cent less productivity than could be obtained.
A reporter who has visited plants throughout Europe has an impression that the pace of work is much slower here. Nobody tries tm hard. Tea breaks do matter and are frequent. It is hard to measure intensity of work, but Britons give a distinct impression of going at their tasks in a more leisurely way.wow gold,
But is all this so terrible? It certainly does not improve the gross national product or output per worker. Those observant visitors, however, have noticed something else about Britain. It is a pleasant place.rolex,
Street crowds in Stockholm. Paris and New York move quickly and silently heads down, all in a hurry. London crowds tend to walk at an easy pace (except in the profitable, efficient City, the financial district).

Every stranger is struck by the patient and orderly way in which Britons queue for a bus; if the saleswoman is slow and out of stock she will likely say,‘oh dear, what a pity’; the rubbish collectors stop to chat and call the housewives“Luv”. Crime rises here as in every city but there still remains a gentle tone and temper that is unmatched in Berlin, Milan or Detroit.It short, what is wrong with Britain may also be what is right. Having reached a tolerable standard, Britons appear to be choosing leisure over goods.56. What happens when disputes over job opportunities arise among British unions?A) Thirty-three per cent of the workers will be out of workB) More people will be employed than necessaryC) More jobs will be created by the governmentD) The unions will try to increase productivity.57. rolex,

What does the reporter who has visited plants throughout Europe think about Britain?A) Tea breaks do not affect the intensity of work in BritainB) Britons do their work in an unhurried sort of wayC) The pace of work in Continental Europe is much slower than in BritainD) Britons give the impression of working intensively58.“The breaks do matter” ( Para.2 Line 2) indicates tha they are an important aspect of the British way of lifeB) they are greatly enjoyed by British workersC) they can be used by the workers as excuse to take time off from workD) they help the workers to be on good terms with each other59. rolex,,The word“this” (Para.3 Line.1) refers
to the fact tha there are more men on any given job than are neededB) 33 per cent over manning leads to 33 per cent less productivityC) it is difficult to measure the intensity of workD) Britons generally do not want to work too hard60. By“what is wrong with Britain may also be what is right” (Para.6, Line.1) the author means to say tha quarrels between unions will help create jobsB) a
rolex,
leisurely way of life helps Britons increase productivityC) the gentle tone and temper of the people in Britain makes it a pleasant placeD) Britons will not sacrifice their leisure to further in crease productivityPassage,
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Street crowds in Stockholm.

[Goldfinger]

wasurfer, on 12 October 2009 - 01:32 PM, said:

I can find buckets of that stuff, it's all over the place! Thanks for your time!!! Is it possible for an amateur to learn how to cut cabochons?

Washington- like many western states, is a rockhounds paradise. Most of what you've found are varieties of quartz with the jasper showing the most promise as a lapidary material.

Of course you can learn to cut your own cabs. I see 12-13 year kids at the rock shows either taking or giving lessons all the time. The best way for you to get started is to join a gem and mineral club in your area and find someone that gives lessons. I've enclosed a link below for the clubs in Washington.

http://www.rockhound...ashington.shtml

Steve

[wasurfer]

Goldfinger, on 13 October 2009 - 04:21 AM, said:

Washington- like many western states, is a rockhounds paradise. Most of what you've found are varieties of quartz with the jasper showing the most promise as a lapidary material.

Of course you can learn to cut your own cabs. I see 12-13 year kids at the rock shows either taking or giving lessons all the time. The best way for you to get started is to join a gem and mineral club in your area and find someone that gives lessons. I've enclosed a link below for the clubs in Washington.

http://www.rockhound...ashington.shtml

Steve

Thanks Steve, there's a club near by and they have a workshop to teach cutting!

[Goldfinger]

Good luck with your classes. I think you'll find it very interesting. Try and post pictures of some of your finished cabochons. I'd like to see how the jasper turned out...

Steve

[Haderly]

wasurfer, on 13 October 2009 - 10:18 AM, said:

Thanks Steve, there's a club near by and they have a workshop to teach cutting!

You will really enjoy cutting your own cabs. I just joined a group on Tuesday and made my first cab. It is not very hard to do the basic cabs. Start out with some of your less desirable rocks to practice on. Once you have some practice move on to your jasper. I would also be interested in seeing how the cabs of your jasper turnout.

My first attempt

[Goldfinger]

Haderly, on 15 October 2009 - 11:05 AM, said:

You will really enjoy cutting your own cabs. I just joined a group on Tuesday and made my first cab. It is not very hard to do the basic cabs. Start out with some of your less desirable rocks to practice on. Once you have some practice move on to your jasper. I would also be interested in seeing how the cabs of your jasper turnout.

My first attempt
DSC02177.jpg

Nice job on your first cabochon!!! But I'm curious what you used to make it with. I get a really lousy closeup and can't tell what it is.

Steve

[Haderly]

If I remember correctly it is green quartz that I collected west of Mobile, Arizona. Most of it is a solid green and it is hard to find good pieces without cracks. I happen to find this one that was a pale green with a darker green stripe. My camera at work is poor at macro pictures so I will see if my personal camera will take a better picture later.

I am working now on a piece of petrified wood to see how it will turnout and to get some more practice. I collected some turquoise that I was told is hard enough that it will not need stabilized. It is very pretty with dark and lighter turquoise color and yellow running through it. My wife decided once she saw it that she need a ring so I got a new hobby. Once I get my practice in I am going to start on it and then move on to learning silversmithing so I can make the entire ring myself.

[Haderly]

Here is a better picture of the cab along with one of the pieces of the turquoise.

[Haderly]

Here is a better picture of the cab along with one of the pieces of the turquoise.

Apparently the computer does not like me today...hopefully I can post below.

[Haderly]

[wasurfer]

Thanks for your reply's and for sharing your photo's, that's awesome! I don't know if I'll make it to a workshop anytime soon but I sure will eventually! I started panning for gold this past year, found a few grams of beautiful flakes and flower and I've also found garnet while panning black sand on beaches, it's really small but I've thought about using it for art and wonder if it has any practical uses? Thanks again and may we all find what we're looking for!

[Goldfinger]

Haderly, on 16 October 2009 - 07:18 PM, said:

DSC03045.JPG DSC03047.JPG

May I ask you where you found that turquoise??? Just the general area. Nice looking piece.

Steve

[Haderly]

It came from the Wickenburg area. What you don't see is that the back side is almost all Malachite. When I made the cab I had to grind down a ways and most of the Turquoise disappeared. It did turnout very pretty but now it is mostly Malachite with some Turquoise.

I also made a newbie mistake and used the largest template that would work but after I was done I found out that it was not a standard size. Now I am debating making it smaller or having a custom ring made. The club is eventually going to have the equipment for silversmithing but they are still in the process of getting their permitting in order.

I don't mean to hijack this thread but the best way to learn is by others mistakes.