FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[Screenname]

If I had a rock with a crystal in it and wanted the crystal out of it without damaging it and causing little damage to the host stone how do I go about doing this, I don't have one at the moment I am just curious so don't ask me what I'm trying to separate. This is just something I have always been curious about.

[Tobi]

Hi,

this always depends on the species of both the crystal and the matrix. Removing a robust crystal from a brittle matrix is much easier than removing a fragile crystal from a tough and hard rock. For example the pyrite cubes from Navajun (Spain) fall off of their matrix as a result of even the smallest hit - even if you don't want them to be removed. But i also remember me becoming desparate trying to remove the tenacious mica schist from a garnet specimen. So there's sometimes host rock which hands out the crystal voluntarily, while others will make you see red ... or even ruin the crystal :-/

But if you really want to separate the crystal from the matrix, you have one advantage: During preparing mineral specimens, one hit too much will let the crystal fall off of the matrix. Usually this is one of the worst nightmares to mineral collectors/dealers/preparators. You have the advantage that you WANT the crystal to be removed completely, so you can work a little bit more airily than others ;-)

Cheers!

[Peter Megaw]

Assuming this basically falls into the category of cleaning and trimming, i again recommend you get a copy of Sinkankas, "Gemstone and Mineral Databook", which provides extensive detailed information tailored to specific species and common combinations. There are also previous threads to visit on the subject