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My other interest...


William

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I made mention a couple times in posts that I also enjoy agate hunting, or being a rockhound as they call us. Well, in recent months I have gathered the necessary tools and equipment too start working on some of the specimens I have gathered the past few years. Here are some pics of some of them in raw from-the-earth form and the last 3 pics will be the finished product. The one you see as a finished product is a Sardonyx Banded River Agate from Madagascar. Mine won't have near as many bands but still should come out nice! Pretty excited! Plan too start on these this late spring or early summer in my garage. Thought I would share 😊

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Did you get a rock saw or just a tumbler ?? By the way "love them Madagascar" my buddy has been buying large quantities of it from China along with some lace & moss agate and a bit of quartz, he makes artifacts, I'll get some pics if I can & post em here for ya to take a peek at.

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I've got two saws, belts, various hand held tools and a nice little tumbler. Plan on shaping them somewhat, removing some of the rough, then tumbling. I've got trays of uncut pieces that I know are going to be beautiful when I open them up. Thinking about making some jewelry from some also. Would be fantastic to see some pics of what others have! My fiance actually wants to go up too Lake Superior for her 50th birthday this year. I'm sure the beaches are picked frequently but wading out about waist/chest deep, might be a different story 😊

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I've had some mega rockhounds in my family.  I don't even dabble.  But I do love a pretty rock. 

 

The biggest rockhound in my family gave my husband a pretty sizeable amethyst geode with another crystal nested inside ... but I put all our cool rocks into some kitty litter buckets in preparation for a move.  And the move didn't happen in a timely manner and the rocks stayed in the buckets.  And then the buckets got used to hold down the back of a pick-up in the snow.  And then someone stole the buckets from the back of the pick-up.

 

We were very sad to lose that geode.


This past year I decided I needed some more pretty rocks and so I bid on some online and  now I have them in a candy dish.  (with some goldstone and some stoneware marbles)  

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The first 3 pics are about the size of my fist. The big purple one probably about softball size. The turtle is 5 inches long. The burro, elephant, scottie dog and dove fit in the palm of my hand and the horse and two birds are a little over an inch.

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Are those geodes you found?  That would be so exciting to find a geode ... exciting to  able to recognize a rock that you thought could be a geode!   

I live half a mile from Lake Michigan ... I'm  can find some nice smooth rocks at the shore but nothing exciting so far.   

Are the animals Mexican Onyx?  I've seen things like that in border towns.  ds Baja California onyx has a chapter in marble history -- the California Onyx company used it for marbles, gear shift knobs, radiator knobs, and more.

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Here's the pics of the spheres, artifacts and marbles my friend collects. The marbles & artifacts he made by hand from polymer.

MOSS AGATE

image.png.fc3ae92efa2c0afef75ea1e66bd40b37.png

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MEXICAN CRAZY LACE

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MADAGASCAR SILK AGATES

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COYOMITO AGATES

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LAGUNA AGATE

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SOME OF THE ARTIFACTS HE MAKES FROM POLYMER & THE AGATES IN THE BACKGROUND

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HE CALLS THESE SUNDANCE AGATES ALSO FROM POLYMER

SMOTHERED IN AV.

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ONE OF HIS BOX COVERS & LOGO NAME

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ANOTHER BOX COVER HE DESIGNED 

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A BOX OF THE FLAME MARBLES HE MAKES, ALL HAVE SPARKLING AV. IN THEM

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THIS IS ONE FROM A BOX OF 3 DIFFERENT KINDS OF POLYMERS HE MADE FOR ME

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A PIC OF ONE OF THE BOXES I GOT FROM HIM, I LOVE EM

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"You're welcome William" he's just starting to get really interested in gemstone, been collecting marbles for years & you the opposite but both hobby's led to each other. I just has to post some of his work, I consider him one of te top polymer artists I know of, no machines or resins all hand done. I myself am just starting to get interested in crystals, geodes, etc...... as known one thing truly does lead to another, I collect antique toys, marbles, knives, marble related objects, books, guns,  etc........  I only have a few thunder eggs & geodes some stray crystals, fire opal & a few others I got from my cousin in Idaho, he used to string off & search the desert out near Boise where he grew up for gemstones & artifacts, especially arrowheads. By the way your crystals, broken or not are "Great" I may get a rock saw, my Grandfather lived in Arizona & had one he was going to give me years ago but then I had no interest in stones or minerals, if given the same opportunity now I would have jumped at the chance. "Thanks for sharing" Looking forward to more !!

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Wow ... some stunning stone there.

 

The plain off-white lake Michigan fossil is what I find a lot of on beach walks. :)  I've saved a few.   

One day I'd like a big crystal --  say six inches tall -- for display in the living room.  

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53 minutes ago, Da Roberto said:

Hi Steph,
To your knowledge, is this a shell fossil?

You know, I know a Paleontologist by profession, also a collector of marbles who says it may be this....then I will show photos

 

 

I think this is it.  Limestone.  It sounds like it's a complicated mix of broken up shells and bones of animals, but can also contain more complete looking fossils imbedded in all the crushed up remains.  

irvmat.com - Portland - What is Limestone
 

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