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tommytowne
Joined: 01 May 2012
Posts: 13
Location: California
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Posted: May 06, 2012 00:10 Post subject: The last one for now - Any idea what this stone is? |
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Thanks!!!
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tommytowne
Joined: 01 May 2012
Posts: 13
Location: California
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Posted: May 06, 2012 04:33 Post subject: Re: the last one for now |
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Any idea what this stone is?
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tommytowne
Joined: 01 May 2012
Posts: 13
Location: California
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Posted: May 06, 2012 05:03 Post subject: Re: the last one for now |
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2 - LOCALITY,? I got it from my rock club in southern California so it may be local
3 - MATRIX, soft like chalcedony
4 – COLOR, purple and off white
5 - LUSTER semi porous and a little flakey and soft like chalcedony and quite sandy. it soaked a little saw oil.
is this a decent description?
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Peter Megaw
Site Admin
Joined: 13 Jan 2007
Posts: 965
Location: Tucson, Arizona
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Posted: May 06, 2012 09:30 Post subject: Re: The last one for now - Any idea what this stone is? |
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Seeing uncut face might help but this looks like massive lepidolite...perhaps from the Stewart Mine?
_________________ Siempre Adelante! |
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tommytowne
Joined: 01 May 2012
Posts: 13
Location: California
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Posted: May 07, 2012 05:03 Post subject: Re: The last one for now - Any idea what this stone is? |
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Yep, thanks Peter
Gem Quality Lepidolite
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ellencmoe
Joined: 02 Aug 2010
Posts: 35
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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Posted: May 15, 2012 16:36 Post subject: Re: The last one for now - Any idea what this stone is? |
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I agree - definitely lepidolite. Possibly the Stewart Lithia Mine - if there are small pink tourmaline inclusions, it would definitely be the Stewart.
Two other mines which have produced large amounts of lepidolite in the last few years are the Thursday Mine, Rodriguez Canyon, Banner, CA and the Oceanview Mine, Cheif Mountain, Pala, CA.
The Thursday Mine has only been worked a few times a year by hand as an open quarry. They still have not gotten down undet the massive lepidolite cap. I have several 100 pound plus solide lepidolite boulders in my yard.
The Oceanview Mine is the only fully operating Tourmaline Mine in southern California and they have recently blasted into an area with large amounts of solid, massive lepidolite. They routinely post pictures from in the mine and of the most recent specimens on their facebook page and their website www(dot)digforgems(dot)com.
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Josele
Joined: 10 Apr 2012
Posts: 410
Location: Tarifa, Spain
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Posted: May 22, 2012 13:17 Post subject: Re: the last one for now |
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tommytowne wrote: | ... 3 - MATRIX, soft like chalcedony ... |
Hi tommytowne,
Why you say "soft like chalcedony"? Chalcedony is quartz and is so hard, almost 7 in Mohs scale. Perhaps you meant "soft as calcite"? Please clarifies this issue.
Did you chech with HCl? Just to reject calcite or calcareous rock.
To me, your stone don't looks as a single mineral but a rock, perhaps a high grade metamorphic gneiss with any component giving purple color (could be lepidolite or other silicate). If I'm right, the white layers on top and bottom should be quartz or feldspar.
Just a guess...
_________________ Josele |
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