Treasure Hunting

I’m sure there must just be tons of people out there wondering what rough Labradorite from Madagascar looks like.  Well, maybe there aren’t.  Regardless, I’m posting a picture of it because I’ve been on a “blue” kick lately.

The labradorite in this photo may look pretty opaque, but there are a few pieces that should polish up to show a nice bit of iridescence.  Right now, it just sort of looks like … well, rock - rock in a pretty shade of blue.  I’ll have to compare it to this picture in a few months when it’s all nicely polished and stuff.

Speaking of polishing, the jasper that I’ve been talking about on and off has finally moved on to the polishing cycle.  I’m using a very fine grain aluminum oxide for this last cycle - nothing fancy at all, just the basic polish grit.  I’m glad that no one else was around today when I was getting all the gunk cleaned off of the rocks from the last cycle in the tumbler.  I had to yell out several times begging the cats not to drink the filthy “rock water”.  I wish someone would explain to me why dirty water is so much more attractive to them than nice, fresh water.  More taste?  Or is it the texture?  Maybe, they just think it’s fancy mineral water.  Oh well, I guess it sorta is.  That’s what I really should have taken a picture of and posted - Pipper with her head shoved in a bowl of gunky, dirty rock water and having the best time of her life.