FMF - Friends of Minerals Forum, discussion and message board

[MysteryRock]

Okay, so I definitely know this isn't "real" but I'm posting here because I got this in a bag of "mineral" lucky dips.

I received a small piece of quartz, blue calcite and what looks like burnt amethyst? (I know close to nothing about minerals or rocks but I adore them, I'm going off the labels in the store that these rocks came from.

I also received... This...green thing. At first, it looks like a piece of the Green Goblin fell off and landed in my "minerals". The green is a warm and duochrome colour with a yellow shift. I don't really care what the "mineral" is for the most part, I just want to know if anyone knows how to remove the colour and paint without damaging whatever is underneath? It looks like a "glassy" rock, like a shiny face of quartz or amethyst or something.

I got these from a store in Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, but the minerals in that store come from all over the world.

Thanks in advance!!

[Peter Lemkin]

Judging from the others [please do not be offended] what is inside is likely not of great value mineralogically. Before I read any of the text, just looking at the photos, I thought 'this rock is painted'. I would suggest try 'rubbing' it off with sink-abrasive cleaner and a brush with hard bristles. If that doesn't work, soak it in alchohol. If not, try benzene and then separately toluene [OUTDOORS!] - both are carinogenic if inhaled or on the skin a lot...breathing a little will not hurt you, but avoid it. My question is what rock shop sells painted rocks? I'll bet more likely it was a 'healing stone' kind of shop....where anything goes except mineralogy.

[MysteryRock]

Thanks for your response!! I'm not offended at all, the lucky dip was $5

I'm not particularly after anything expensive or valuable, I just really enjoy beautiful looking minerals or rocks like these, and was disappointed when I got this ugly painted rock instead. I'd have been happier receiving a slab of a less exciting mineral like an amethyst or rose quartz.

It's a store called Collector's Corner. They sell these kinds of rocks, fossils, geodes, preserved bugs, etc! It's very fun visually!

I just want to clean this rock up and see what's underneath. Even if it's a shiny black rock I'd prefer that over this chunk of green foil :/

[Bob Morgan]

The 'painted' rock looks to be quartz by its crystal features. Sometimes such are coated commercially, though i've never seen that color coating,
I've even bought a couple of coated quartzes, not for the color but the shape and have'nt felt a need to remove the coating. It's your crystal to do whatever you want.
The 'burnt amethyst" probably isn't burned but simply stained with iron oxide which is very common naturally.

[Tracy]

[MysteryRock]

Thank you all for your responses!!

I'll definitely give those tips a try and keep you guys updated if you'd be interested! I'm just curious to see what the rock underneath looks like!!