J+knee's Rocks!

My Personal Rock Collection 

Stay tuned, there's always more coming!  

And remember, click the pic to 'bigify'  ;)

An awesome family member gave me this thick slab of petrified wood and I can't wait to polish this side - I think it looks like a butterfly!

I really like this side too!

These colorful pieces and the two below were given to me by a new friend in one of my new rock clubs - cool, yah? !

Can't wait to see these polished!  I need to look into getting my own tools, specifically cutting and polishing equipment because waiting to have it done is like, forever.

In August I attended a Picnic at a new rock club that I'm looking into joining and these are the awesome rocks I was given!

These too!  Oregon Thunder Eggs and Mexican Coconuts; Geodes and Agate.  Can't wait to open them - it's like waiting for Christmas!

The huge slab that looks like The Flintstone's television set is Wonderstone!  8"  x  11"

Oregon Thunder Egg half;  dry.  Do you see what I see?  

Hint:  meow.

AWESOME!  (wetted)

Porcelain Stone - love it!

Carnelian

(one of the two from the first group photo)

I don't know what makes up this rock, but there are several different colors of crystals all over it!

Lots of amber colored crystals and some green.

Clear, smoky, green, yellow, grape, amber, and burgundy crystals.

A dark grape colored vein/band runs through the rock, too.

Quite the COOL rock!

The two rocks on the bottom right are Black Lace or Midnight Lace Obsidian - hard to tell in a photo, but they are beautiful.  I think I'll have one polished.

Oregon Plume Agate 

(one of the two from the previous photo)

Several places on the rock are covered with tiny crystals.

"Chicken Scratch" - because of the dendrites.

The guy that gave this to me, I think he said it was Agate.

Vibrant!

Petrified Wood

Jasper slab

Petrified Wood slab - I LOVE this!

This side shows the bark of the petrified wood.

I attended a Steak Fry at a new rock club I'm thinking of joining this past July and I was given a bunch of cool rocks!

I forgot what this is - maybe Fluorite.  ?  It's pretty with it's blues and purples.  (cut sides shown)

 The rough sides - click the pic to view larger.

Looks like chicken.   ;)   The little dark specs are not pepper, they're crystals!  Possibly garnets; I'm not sure.

The three amber colored slabs are Tiger's Eye.  The dark coloring on each slab is blue Tiger's Eye, also called Falcon's Eye or Hawk's Eye.

I was told this slab/rock is from Australia and there it's called "Bambi."  Huh.  Isn't it WILD? !  Refer to the previous photo to see the other side of this slab.

Zoisite; the other side is shown in the photo above that has the Tiger's Eye.

Snowflake and Mahogany Obsidian (upper left), Honey Onyx (top right) and the psychedelic piece is Labradorite.

Other side of the Labradorite.

Bacon Agate

I forget what this is but it sure looks like dessert!  Doesn't it?  Chocolate Pudding Whip Cream Pie; am I right?

Lovely Geode my nephew found at the Dugway Geode Beds, Utah, many years ago.  Recently he has given it to me.  <3

I like the gold background in the previous photo but I thought maybe the Geode's colors could be seen better against a white background.  Hmm.....I don't know...oh well, it's done.   :(

My nephew cracked it open on site at the Geode Beds, but he didn't bring home the other piece.  He now knows better.

The underside.

A Geode collected from the Dugway Geode Beds, Utah, by my young nephew many years ago.  Recently he has given it to me - wah~HOO!  There's a funny story behind that, maybe I'll tell it someday.  

Same Geode, wetted.  Measures:  (measurement coming soon)  I tied it back together to show what it looked like before being cracked open and cut into.  Kinda looks like a tied pot roast!  haha

Same Geode shown from above

Opposite side shown, wetted.

My nephew made the first opening of the Geode on site at the Dugway Geode Beds, and this is what he found.  Beautiful!

oooOOooOOoo, sparkly !

Shortly after receiving the Geode I decided to have it cut to find out if there were more treasures inside.

And there IS! 

Wetted.  Gorgeous blue, periwinkle and lavender!

Awesome!

Wetted.  I plan to polish the cut ends at the new rock club I'm joining - they have equipment and many members that are happy and willing to teach newbies, like me.  Can't wait, I'm so excited!

Remember the big purple Banded Fluorite rock

that I showed you earlier?

Banded Fluorite, 7"  x  4.4"  x  3.75"  and over 7 lbs., China.  Gorgeous purple, plum-burgundy & lavendar.

That one rock is now THREE!

(click for large view)

Super cool stripes, yah? !!!

The two end pieces have been sprayed

with an acrylic clear coat.

This thin slab is untreated as I plan to test my lapidary skills on it and make some jewelry.

 Rough side of the smaller end piece, wetted.

Rough side of  the larger end piece, wetted.

"Tiffany Stone" - the only location in the world where it has been found is the Brush Wellman Beryllium Mine in Western Utah.  Way-to-go, Utah!

Aren't those colors gorgeous?

Tiffany Stone is composed of predominantly Opalized Fluorite (purples, blues, and whites) often mixed with many other minerals such as quartz, chalcedony, dolomite, rhodonite, manganese oxides, (blacks) bertrandite (white, yellows, or pink) that contains the mineral beryllium.

All different angles of the same rock; it's fascinating!

3.85"  x  3"  x  2.75"

Here is another rock of the same kind. There are all sorts of names for it, the most common being Opal Fluorite, Tiffany Stone, Bertrandite, and Beryllium ore.  I like to call it Tiffany Stone - because the patterns/colors look like the antique Tiffany glass lamp shades.

Although this rock doesn't have as strong of colors

as the other, it has a quiet beauty in the pastels. 

Side view.  Measuring  9"  x  6.5"  x  4.75"

Other side.  Can you see that face?  !!

Underneath side.  Received both rocks in exchange for photography work.

A lovely handful of Tiffany Stones, collected in Utah's west desert, June 2014, and given to me by my awesome friend, Lora!  I love them; so pretty.  Some closeups below:

Pinks are rare.

I don't know what that larger rock is other than some kind of breccia, but my friend gave it to me and I like it!   :)

Would you believe this is more Tiffany Stone?  Yep, it is - well, all but one and can you guess which one it is?  

I think the yellows of this stone are more Bertrandite (beryllium) than the Opalized Fluorite, but I could be wrong.  

Collected in Utah's west desert (June 2014) and all but one was given to me by that same wonderful friend.  Which one do you think that I found? 

Beautiful pieces that deserve a closeup.

The larger rock is the same as the one in the photo above, just the other side.

Simple elegance.

Could have been made by Pollock!

This is the little cutie that I found.

Ok, here we have the rock that is half agate - the dark rust-red, and half Tiffany Stone.  The agate half is really hard and sounds like glass when you tap it with your chisel/ hammer/pick - my friend taught me that.  :)

Here is a cut slab of Tiffany Stone.

 The slab is 5"  x  2.5"  x  .35

I bought this on eBay.

Lapis Lazuli with Pyrite

WOW ~ am I right?  !

Bought this at the first Gem Faire I had ever attended.  Tons and tons of beads there, but I found this - SO MUCH better than beads, wouldn't you say?

Every time I look at this I think, "Electric Blue" - and it just happens to be a song by Icehouse. 

Stunning, solid deep blue on the bottom.

I have a very thoughtful and generous neighbor whom when found out that I like collecting cool rocks has since been finding cute little collections at yard sales and such, and giving them to me.  He's a great guy and I appreciate his gentle kindness.  The following photos are of those rockin' gifts to me.

This darling little collection came in an old egg carton. (a dozen eggs for 55¢ !)  Kinda tugs at my heart; some little kid's treasures from long ago.....penmanship from a young hand and yellowing paper. 

I'll recount the contents as it may be hard to see the small notes.  
    Top half of the carton lid, left to right: 
a)  polished translucent rock with spots, "Agate from Boulder City"
b)  halved and polished dark green rock, "Rock from West Yellowstone
c)  two pieces, one large, the other a thin sliver, "Petrified wood from Ogden"
    Lower half of carton lid, left to right:
d)  odd shaped thin piece, no accompanying note, most likely Gypsum
e)  tiny red piece of slag glass, "Man made rock from Big Rock Candy Mountain"
f)  green and brown striped polished rock, "Rock from Big Rock Candy Mountain"
    Upper row of the carton compartments, left to right:
g)  rust red rock, "Red Flint from Kanab"
h)  yellow-gold rock, "Limestone from Ogden, Utah"
i)  small nugget, "Copper from Oregon"
j)  small black spotted rock, "Snowflake Obsidian from Fishing Bridge"
k)  small black rock, "Obsidian from Yellowstone Park"
    Lower row of carton compartments, left to right:
l)  bright green rock, no accompanying note, most likely Chrysocolla
m)  noduled cloudy white rock, no accompanying note, most likely Chalcedony
n)  three orange-rust rocks, "Sand Stone (sic) from Zion National Park"

Closeups of my favorites below:

Reminds me of Hershey's chocolate-mint candy canes, yah?

I like the 'decoration' on the Sandstone and Limestone.

Click pics for larger view.

This collection came in an old cut down shoe-box with a "Rocks and Minerals" handbook, printed in 1961.

Ok, here's the rundown:

  Labeled boxes, top row, left to right:

a)  Chalcopyrite, Mexico

b)  Rubellite/Lepidolite, California

c)  Rose Quartz, South Dakota

d)  Azurite, Arizona

e)  Calcite, Mexico

f)  Garnet, Mexico

  2nd row down, left to right:

g)  Aragonite, Mexico

h)  Calcite, Canada

i)  Orpiment, Nevada

j)  Halite, California

k)  Epidote, California

l)  Sulfur, Nevada

  3rd row, left to right:

m)  Calcite, Mexico

n)  Quartz, Mexico

o)  Chrysocolla, Arizona

p)  Amethyst, Brazil

q)  Fluorite, Illinois 

  Bottom row, left to right:

r)  Hematite, California

s)  Geode, Mexico

t)  unmarked box, teenie tiny Geode half

u)  unmarked box, Amethyst or purple Fluorite

v)  unmarked box, polished Agate?

w)  unmarked box on far right, some kind of coral

Closeups of my favorites of this collection:

GORGEOUS!

Can you believe this? !!  A Geode, tiny as can be and absolutely stunning!

Oh, how I wish I had the other half!

How in the world was this cut without ruining it?    O.O

Geode ~ another beauty!

To me, this is mesmerizing..... can you see what I see?  White capped waves rolling in... a dark silhouette of a large rock just off shore and set against a warm, beautiful sunset.  See it?  Click to bigify.

The other way 'round.

Again, I would love to have the whole Geode, both halves.

I like to think of this as Neapolitan Calcite; vanilla, caramel, butterscotch.  ;) 

Orpiment just looks so .... FUN!  :D

The following 3 sets of card and boxed mineral specimens came all together in an old type of traveling case - the whole ensemble is pretty old; I'm guessing from the 1950's and 1960's.  

Below, a plastic see-through lid covers the box with two removable specimen cards inside.

The smaller card, "Minerals of the San Juan's" has a copyright date of 1961.  Unfortunately the Pyrite sample is missing, but the words are easy to read - just click the pic below for a larger view.  

The large card is really tough to read and that's disappointing because it has interesting (at least to me) information underneath the name of each specimen.  However I'm willing to type it for you to see.  If that's boring, just skip to the next collection.  Thanks!  :)

Large mineral specimen card, top row, left to right:
* * Directly quoted from the card, including spelling differences.
1)  Petrified Wood - Trees transformed by powerful forces of nature now turned into beautiful stone.
2)  Copper -  Chrysocolla and azurite blue, malachite green occurs in shallow copper deposits.
3)  Agate - A little harder than steel, but more brittle.  Widely used for gemstones.
4)  Dolomite - Occurs in large-bedded deposits.  Compact varieties of dolomite are used in building.
5)  Limestone - Said to be the altered bodies of ancient sea creatures accumulated on the ocean floor.
2nd row, left to right:
6)  Serpentine - Named for it's snake-like patterns.  It is the mother rock of asbestos.  
7)  Fluorite - You may find fluorite in red, blue, purple, or green.  Freon gas and steel use fluorite.
8)  Quartz - Used in glass making and paint.  Crystals are man-made for new electric needs.
9)  Sulphur - Used in thousands of products, such as insecticides, matches, gun powder and rubber.
10)  Garnet - Ranges in color from red to black.  It is used in watch-making and abrasives.
3rd row, left to right:
11)  Sandstone - This is the compacted beaches and riverbeds of ancient times on our earth.
12)  Obsidian - Volcanoes formed this natural glass called Apache Tears when it is formed in perlite.
13)  Pyrite - Known as Fool's Gold, often actually hides valuable amounts of gold and silver.
14)  Opal - Long-sought precious opal is one of nature's most delicate and unpredictable gems.
15)  Satin Spar - This fibrous form of gypsum is another of the variety of useful gypsum minerals.
4th row, left to right:
16)  Calcite - Noted for its variety of crystal forms.  A clear crystal will make you see double. 
17)  Chalcedony - A large group of tiny crystal quartz rocks whose colors are a gem-cutter's favorite.
18)  Onyx - A fine-grained, banded form of calcite.  Carved objects and gems are made from onyx.
19)  Granite - Intergrown crystals make granite hard and tough for buildings and monuments.
20)  Jasper - People of Greece and Rome long ago thought it possessed medical powers to cure.
Bottom row, left to right:
21)  Selenite - Sometimes growing to great size, this gypsum crystal is used for plaster of paris.
22)  Magnetite - Used as a compass or lodestone in ancient worlds.  Today it is a valuable iron ore.
23)  Gypsum - The basic material of important wallboard, plaster, and other building materials.
24)  Feldspar - The earth's most abundant mineral, feldspar occurs in all the countries of the world.
25)  Chirt - Often carved for its color, chirt is used also as a durable building stone.

Well, I learned a few things, how about you?  I like the Rhodonite specimen on the small card, and the Copper and Onyx specimens the best.  What's your favorite?

A plastic see-through lid covers this boxed "Minerals of California ~ and the Old West" and the printing is clear so you shouldn't have a problem reading it, especially if you make the pic bigger.  In this collection my favorites are the Rubellite, Iceland Spar, Lepidolite, Realgar and Spodumene.

Twenty-five mineral samples inside "25 The Mountain" box.

Good information.

ooOOOooo, shiney!  I'm diggin' the Mica Schist.  ;)

This collection came in a raggedy old box with "Do not touch" written in orange crayon.  In pen, "Don not toatch" (sic) and "Dee."  Also, a price sticker is on the box, "SKAGGS  99¢".  There are a lot more rocks but I picked out the most interesting ones for the photo.

I will be giving most of these rocks away for rock show 'grab bags' for kids, but I'll keep a few favorites:

I'm guessing this is some kind of banded Calcite.  Maybe?

No idea what this is, but I love this rock - it's fascinating!

SUPER shiny silver glittery rock - I think it may be some kind of Schist.  The photo sets show one side of the rock (left) and the other (right).

Dry and wet.  The pattern and color of this cool rock reminds me of a sweater I had in high school (and I wish I still had it...the sweater, not high school).

I REALLY like striped rocks, so when I find that elusive plaid one, it's only then I can retire.   ;)

I've not a clue.....but it looks cool, though.

I believe this is a small San Rafael Geode.

Look at all those COLORS!  Too pretty to cut open.

Remind you of anything?  How about those colorful "Nerds" candies?  Yah?

Weird, Wild, Wonderful!

Ok, if you've made it this far that's the end of the collections from my neighbor - thanks for wading through that with me.   :)

Mahogany Obsidian ~ I think this piece is absolutely stunning.  Love it. 

Collected in the west desert of Utah, June 2014, and given to me by my awesome friend, Lora.  :)

Snowflake Obsidian - self collected in the west desert of Utah, June 2014.

A few unique pieces of Snowflake-Mahogany Obsidian combination I found in the west desert of Utah, June 2014

Mahogany Obsidian, self collected, west desert, Utah, June 2014.

A few of my favorites, bear with me .....   :)

  I love the interesting shapes .....

  - patterns .....

- and vivid colors.

Snowflake Obsidian (above, right), and Snowflake-Mahogany Obsidian combination, from the west desert in Utah.

Received both pieces in exchange for photography work.

Closeup of the smaller piece - Snowflake Obsidian mixed with Mahogany Obsidian which accounts for the peach-tan color of the snowflakes.

Hematite, collected in the west desert of Utah, June 2014.

Love the beautiful burgundy color.

The large rock measures 7.5"  x  5"  x  5.25"

Chalcopyrite on Granite

Self collected, July 2014,

Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Left: Granite.  Center & right: Chalcopyrite on Granite

Self collected, Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Closeup of the center rock in the previous photo.

Closeup of the rock on the right.

Closeup of the rock on the left (from photo above)

Garnets in Rhyolite

From the Ely, Nevada area, June 2014.

Underside

The rhyolite measures 5.5"  x  4.25"  x  2.25" 

Closeup of the larger garnet in a small vug.

Extreme closeup of the larger garnet with flash

to show the deep, rich burgundy color. 

Same garnet, different angle.  Pretty, yah?

I got this specimen in exchange for photography and graphics work.

Closeup of the smaller garnet.

This is one of my weird-n-wild looking rocks from Evanston, Wyoming.  I don't know what it is, but I'm thinking some kind of sandstone?

5"  x  7"  x  3.5"

Jaggedy and heavy.

This is the other side.

Here is my other weird-n-wild Wyoming rock.  

I think they are both fascinating to look at.  My aunt gave them both to me in the early 2000's.

7.5"  x  4"  x  7.5"

Every angle looks like a different rock (at least to me).

Hope you liked my 

weird-n-wildly wonderful Wyoming rocks.   :)

Soapstone carving - "Cat-in-a-Cat"

1.75"  x  3.5"  x  3.5"

I tried three different backgrounds to try and see if I could make the cat look ...... well, less perturbed. 

No dice.  I wish I could find someone that carves soapstone to see if they could try and make the kitty's face more pleasant.

 About the 'cat-in-a-cat' thing.... I can appreciate the aim and the effort, but it looks like an alien blob with big eyes.

When I first got the cat, it was awash in a cream-colored chalky paint..... it looked stOOpid so I washed and scrubbed off as much of it as I could.  I think it looks better and that alien thing inside wouldn't look so bad if it wasn't covered in chalk.  I don't know about you, but I like to SEE the actual carved rock and to cover it with paint defeats the purpose. That, and it's just dumb.  IMO

My newest acquisition!  Pretty sweet, yah? !!!

 Self collected!  07/22/14
Little Cottonwood Canyon, Utah

Bladed Aikinite, Epidote Crystals, Chrysocolla, and Chalcopyrite on/in Granite.

 Closeup of the area that has Epidote (green) crystals.

At first when I saw it I thought the rock had debris on it (pine needles, dirt) and I thought the green stuff may be moss - - thank goodness I was wrong!

Closeup of a second area of Epidote crystals. Sorry, I know this closeup isn't so great - I couldn't get a better shot.

Back view.  Measurements:  7"  x  8"  x  2.75"

Type Locality Specimen of Iceland Spar, old stock,  (Viking Sunstone) - Optical Calcite, Helgustadir Mine, Reyoarfjörour, Iceland

 Adamite (top side), Mina la Ojuela, Durango, Mexico

A lovely color of aquamarine.

 (underneath side)

Banded Fluorite, 7"  x  4.4"  x  3.75"  and over 7 lbs., China

Gorgeous purple, plum-burgundy & lavendar.

Pyrite Sun Dollar, Gateway Mine, Coulterville, Illinios, found on October 30, 2013, on the 1st shift.   

3.5"  x  3.5"  x  .25"

Angel Wing Plume Agate, Oregon 

Agatized Panama Coral

Rhyolite Slabs from Utah

These two pieces actually fit together - just need to flip one over vertically. Together they measure 4"  x  4"  x  .25"

Cauliflower Calcite, Santa Eulalia, Chihauhau, Mexico

Kyanite

Rubellite Tourmaline, Brazil

Carnelian Agate, Oregon

A few of my "fun" rocks/minerals.....

Carved & dyed:  Alabaster or Onyx, or Marble 

or Agate - I can't tell which.

Carved & dyed:  Alabaster or Onyx, or Marble 

or Agate - I can't tell which.

And yes, another rock watermelon (I collect all things watermelon, well, not all, but, you know)   :D

Natural, not dyed - Translucent Geode slice

Pewter cat playing with a Swarovski Crystal (toy) ball on dyed agate slice.  I love how it looks like the cat is playing on a ringed rug!

Coal Fire Engine carved from West Virginia coal by a West Virginian coal miner.

Achates-Agate  ~  dyed

Do you see what I see?

White Sapphire - white is the second rarest color of sapphires, and looks just like a diamond when cut. (But of course, everyone wants blue)

Fluorescence under long and short-wavelengths.  White sapphires have a purplish or orange fluorescence.

Red Topaz

Violet Zoned Fluorite

Watermelon Tourmaline  ~  Brazil

Ricolite Serpentine  ~  

New Mexico, 2 lbs.,  8.25" x  3.5" x  .75" 

Amethyst Geode  ~  'melon slice'

7.5"  x  4"  x  2"

Oregon Sunstones with medium schiller

Coral Geode half; Coral, as in coral reef.

Thank you