Treasure Hunting

I’m still not getting a lot of time to post with my current schedule, but I had to sit down today and write a little bit about one of my latest obsessions - soapstone.  I’m not quite sure why I’ve developed such an interest in it since it’s not exactly the prettiest mineral around.  Also, as it is mostly talc, it’s way too soft to polish unless it’s been altered in some way.  Still, I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at soapstone carvings and simply marveling at the craftsmanship involved.

Now that I think about it, it’s probably the art that goes into soapstone carving that really draws me.  Well, the art and the smell of the stone.  It really does have a nice, clean scent that’s reminiscent of soap!  I recently purchased a soapstone carving of a cat and the detail is amazing.  I haven’t taken a picture of it yet, but as soon as I do, I’ll get it posted.  In the meantime, if you want to take a look at some Inuit soapstone carvings, check out this link.

It’s been a busy week for me, and I haven’t had hardly any time to work on any of my “rock projects”.  I should have switched out the crystals that I’ve been tumbling, but I haven’t even had time for that.  I’m going to have to make sure to allot some time for that today or I’ll end up grinding them to bits.

I don’t have any new pictures, but I still wanted to post a picture today!  So I decided that I would show off this piece of desert jasper that I photographed awhile back.  It’s a specimen from Madagascar that has some very beautiful color combinations.  I have quite a few more of this type that I plan to photograph when I get a little bit of extra time.

I found this interesting video where an opal prospector talks about how to track down a major opal source by following the opal trail.  Some parts of the video aren’t that great, but it gets better a couple of minutes in.

I thought the sound was a bit bad in the beginning, too, but then I realized that the narrator was just out of breath.  It must have been some hike to get up to that location.  If you have the time to watch the whole video, you’ll also get the chance to see several nice specimens that the prospector picks up along the way.

The photo to the left may look like an amethyst crystal, but it’s really soap - credits for the photo go to Arlena Thane at the TeachSoap site.  That link also gives very detailed instructions on how to make this amethyst gem soap using the melt-and-pour technique.

Several years ago, I was really into soap-making, and I was recalling today all the pictures I had seen in the past from people who had created soaps that resembled gems and minerals.  In particular, I remember a great photo that someone had taken of malachite soap along with instructions on how to make it.  I wasn’t able to find that, but I did find this other post at Urban Design with a fantastic photo and a link to Amethyst Soaps on Etsy.  I love stuff like this - the only problem is I think it’s too pretty to use.  I’m still hoping to find some time this winter to try making that malachite soap, though.  If I can’t find the instructions, I’ll just have to experiment with it until I get it right.  

When I was a kid, one of my favorite television shows was Name That Tune.  I wasn’t very good at then because I had no idea what half the songs were, but I bet if there were to do a new version of the show I would be awesome at it.  Actually, I probably wouldn’t.  I’m one of those people who recognize almost any tune, can hum it, maybe even sing the words to it, but I’ll have no idea of what the name of the song is.  Still, I loved to watch those contestants bid down on how many notes it would take them to guess the song.

For some reason, this neat website on mineral identification I found reminded me of that old game show.  It basically takes you on a step-by-step process of the different things to take into account when trying to identify a mineral.  Along the way it gives basic explanations of luster, hardness, streak test, and cleavage.  The only limitations is that it assumes you are working with rocks from a kit so not every mineral is included.  It’s pretty fun to play around with, though, and it can be adapted to help identify your own minerals despite not having the kit that goes along with the exercise.  There’s a game show contest for you.  How many things do you have to check before you can name this mineral?

For those who haven’t had the opportunity to ever go digging for quartz, I thought I would post a picture to give an idea of what a piece can look like when you first find it.  This isn’t a particularly great specimen, but it is similar to a lot that are easily found when digging around in an area that’s known to have quartz.  

No matter how hot it is, always make sure to wear gloves when digging.  Preferably the gloves will be a little sturdier than the cheap blue ones I was wearing that day.  These blue ones were lightweight gardening gloves and they ripped within an hour.  Crystals can be very sharp!  At least it was only the glove that got ripped apart and not my hand - though the latter has happened, too.  I even manage to get cuts when I’m sorting through them and cleaning them at home.  

I had to add this other photo of the jasper before I leave that subject behind for awhile.  This was taken while I was cleaning the last of the residue from the stones after polishing.  

I’ve added a new item to my wish list - a Swap Top All-In Wonder.  It’s a combination trim saw/flat lap that can be used to trim stones and then polish them.  It’s actually supposed to be a complete cabbing system, but I’m not sure how many cabs I’d want to make.  Mostly, I would just like something that could polish stones (like crystals) with multiple flat sides or trim small slabs.  I’ve seen these combo units run anywhere from $300-400, and that’s not really a bad price for all that you’re getting.  Still, it’s a bit more than I want to invest right now.  Maybe I’ll mark it down as a Christmas possible.