Pretty rocks!

[R.R.]

This wood didn't compost: it petrified

 

[thomas pendrake]

I have had a few fine pieces of "petrified" wood, and remember making jewelry out of some.What is cool is when a piece of wood happens to become opalized, but I have seen seen agatized wood that is also iridescant. Got to get my lapidary equipment back out!!!

 

[R.R.]

 

[thomas pendrake]

I don't remember what I was looking for, I've been up all night and am long past needing to get some sleep, but looking at this made me remember some black opal a friend gave me that came from Honduras. It was in the tailings from a mine and the miner had missed it. It was from some volcanic stuff, and the stone is as black as coal, with intense fire. Apparently i have been able to cut stuff others have trouble with. I also have some faceting grade opal, one piece I have been putting off cutting about 30 years.

 

[R.R.]

I don't remember what I was looking for, I've been up all night and am long past needing to get some sleep, but looking at this made me remember some black opal a friend gave me that came from Honduras. It was in the tailings from a mine and the miner had missed it. It was from some volcanic stuff, and the stone is as black as coal, with intense fire. Apparently i have been able to cut stuff others have trouble with. I also have some faceting grade opal, one piece I have been putting off cutting about 30 years.

Lots of people say Honduran opal is very hard to cut, but I love it. I sold many pounds a couple of years ago. I still have some pieces somewhere. In this bowl of opals, you'll see I have a piece. It's not really good, because it only has blue and green play of color, but somewhere I have some with red in it.

 

[thomas pendrake]

Wow, I could have fun with that bowl of rocks! I don't know what's hard about cutting the Honduran Opal, I've found it to be easy. But I may just have a touch for cutting Opal. I learned the skill when in the Army at the hobby shop, then took up the hobby when I got home. Opal was what I learned lapidary work on.

 

[R.R.]

@thomas pendrake, I found another bowl of opals yesterday. Look at this beauty from Lightning Ridge!

 

[grouie]

Those are great rocks although I would have liked them unpolished
. India is a treasure trove too. The soft marble rock is used to make statues and jewelry too and so are the other rocks. Here is an image of the Jabalpur rocks. They skirt the Narmada River. I have toured this place and have seen some other rock formations elsewhere.

 

[R.R.]

Those are really pretty, grouie.

none of the rocks I posted are polished, grouie. The closest are the thundereggs, which are almost polished, but not quite

 

[grouie]

Those are really pretty, grouie.

none of the rocks I posted are polished, grouie. The closest are the thundereggs, which are almost polished, but not quite

But you did say that in your post

" I'm shaping it and polishing it with a dremel tool,"

I am confused

 

[R.R.]

I have not finished it yet. Polishing it is the final stage. First you cut, then you grind with a dremel tool to give it the shape you want it to have (that's the stage I am right now), and then you polish it

 

[grouie]

I have not finished it yet. Polishing it is the final stage. First you cut, then you grind with a dremel tool to give it the shape you want it to have (that's the stage I am right now), and then you polish it