OK, I got all five barrels of the rock tumblers cleaned out. That's 15 lbs of rocks for those playing the home version of this game. I got everything rinsed off, got the barrels reloaded, and spinning again for another 7- to 10-day cycle.
I had been polishing a couple of amethyst crystals. They got pretty beat up in the rough stage tumbler.
They have some nice color and would look great as jewelry. So I used my Dremel tool with a diamond cutting wheel and smoothed some of the rough stuff. Then dropped them back in the abrasive grit to tumbler for the past 10 days. They still have some rough spots, so they will get another 10 days of smoothing before they are ready for polish.
Today's final polish batch is done. I snapped some pics before dumping them into the ultrasonic cleaner.
Some of the highlights:
This is a large Bubblegum Agate. It is too large for jewelry or a key chain. I didn't want to tumble too much so I don't wear away the exterior colors. So this will go in my candy dish as another paperweight.
Another Tiger Eye. The flash is caused by mineral fibers of amphibole that reflect light perpendicular to them. The amphibole fibers are chemically altered by limonite, which is a very common form of iron ore. There is a blue version of Tiger Eye called Hawk's Eye and the blue is from fibers of Crocidolite, which is a blue asbestos.
A piece of Bubblegum Agate. These can be so interesting inside, while some pieces just stay ugly inside and out.
This is a piece of Jasper I found out at Teepee Canyon. The hole is a pocket of quartz crystals that was hidden beneath the surface. As the abrasive wore away the surface it exposed the pocket. I'll have to do some work on it before I use it for jewelry.
This is a piece of Bubblegum Agate that I have nicknamed "Calico". It reminds me of a Calico cat I had. I called her my confused kitty and often told her to make up her mind and pick a color. She preferred to wear "all of the above". She was such a sweet cat.
Another piece of agate from Teepee Canyon. The agates and jaspers from that area are known for their reds, oranges, and yellows. The more spectacular pieces sell for a good price. So everyone and their brother hunts in that area. Fortunately, I have a secret spot where most people don't go.
This is a piece that broke off a larger rock that I call the "Hot Fudge Sundae".
This is a piece of quartz that has impurities lined up in bands. I would love to make a fishing lure out of it, but I'm afraid I would break it by drilling holes. So it will go to the jewelry pile.
Another piece of Teepee Canyon Jasper. I was surprised at how intricate the patterns are.
And the biggest surprise was this one. In the Group Photo above, you see two green stones. The lighter green one is Aventurine, a form of green quartz. I suspected the dark green one to be Bloodstone, which is dark like some jade but has red spots. I put it under the light (after putting on my reading glasses) to look for the spots. It is not Bloodstone, it is Moss Agate!
I don't know how well I can image it, but I will try to get a shot of it under the stereoscope. Many years ago, there was a photographer who would photograph Moss Agates with a macro lens. The shot was so close up that it looked like an alien landscape. Some look like a forest. I think they are so cool. I will check my local source to see if they have imported any. I might have to burn up my credit card to get more of these.
