Closeup Pictures, Rocks and Minerals Options

[Denise]

I love closeup pictures, so I thought a thread for some would be fun.

Here is a cool piece of Colorado Goethite.




Colorado Zeolite.




A nice Tube Agate from Del Norte Colorado.



I would love to see any closeup pictures you may have.

[Denise]

This is the one on the CP homepage right now.
We try to change that pic every month.
Colorado Amazonite, Smokey Quartz and Fluorite (plus more just not shown in pic) combonation.






Gunnison Crater Tektite, Colorado......Sure is beautiful stuff!

[Denise]

Amethyst from South America. Check out our 100 piece puzzle of this picture.
All our closeup pics have been taken with a Canon Power Shot A85.

Reason for edit: Adding link to 100 piece puzzle

[Denise]

Patterns in a very cool Oregon Thunderegg.

[Denise]

A great view (cross cut) of how Arizona fire agate forms.

[Denise]

Fantastic colors and patterns in this piece of Coprolite!

[Denise]

Maybe this was the "dino" that produced that piece of Coprolite?

[nm jack]

Cool pics!!

[Denise]

Thanks Jack! I really enjoy taking them.
They make really fun puzzles and great desktop backgrounds also.


Here is a closeup of one of those Mexican Thundereggs.
mmmmmm Thundereggs..........got to love them!

[Denise]

Here is some Moss Agate from an Oregon Thunderegg.








Another Moss Agate Thunderegg, but with thicker moss.
I love the colors and patterns in this one!

[Denise]

Here are a couple of cool examples of Petrified Wood.
Did you know we have petrified wood in all 50 states?
This piece if from Eden Valley, Wyoming. Beautiful stuff!







Here is a great example of Arizonas Petrified Wood.
I wonder what the petrified wood looks like from your state.

[Denise]

California Fire Agate








Australian Boulder Opal

[amethystguy]

Great pictures I am impressed with the quality of the shots. They are fun to look at. When you get a chance post somemore

[Denise]

Thanks amethystguy. They are fun to look at.

Here is the inside of a strange Colorado Thunderegg.







Im just crazy over Crazy Lace Agate.......hehe

[Denise]

Moss Agate

[Denise]

That last Moss Agate almost looked like Gold in Quartz I thought, but wait.....
Thats what this is. Gold in Quartz slice from California.

[jim]

WOW!!!

[Denise]

hehe...Pretty cool isnt it Jim.

Here are a few closeups of some Botswana agates. Very cool patterns!

[Denise]

Here is a sweet Colorado Agate
Hard to believe there are beautiful bands inside, helps seeing the lower right edge.

[jim]

VERY COOL INDEED!! I wish my camera would take close ups. I have some purty neat stuff too. The only problem is I have to put the thickest lens on my visor to see the detail. I'll even put two lenses on sometime. It's really incredibile to find unreal color and pattern that can't be see with the naked eye. I have one piece that looks like it has pink bands in it.But under closer inspection it is pure white bands with blood red spots all through th bands. The red spots are so tiny that it is almost impossible to see them. Oh! and for the gold include quartz.......I must reinterate WOW

[Denise]

They sound very cool Jim, we would love to see them!
Remember.....Like anything in life, the more you practice, the better you will get.

Here is a peek inside a Colorado Thunderegg we recently polished.

[faaus]

It looks like an island in the middle of a magical lake. Bee-yoo-tiful!

[Denise]

Good imagination Faaus!

This is one that gets my imagination going......Another amazing Thunderegg.

[faaus]

For that one Denise, I'll have to quote Janice Joplin and say: " Definitely COSMIC man!"

[CP]

Awesome thread Denise! Love the close ups. We'll have to get another close up pic of the gold in quartz when it's been through the paces at the CP lapidary shop.

Here is another close up pic of a specimen we recently finished cleaning.
Twined fluorites and twined smokeys together on microcline matrix.
Fluorites are about 1mm each or so and the smokeys are about 2mm tall or so. Tiny lil' buggars, but how sweet!



Keep em' comin' everyone, what neat mineral close up pics have you got stashed away?
Lets see them!

CP

[Denise]

Great pic Dan! Love Fluorites........

Fantastic colors and shadow bands in this Baker egg.

[jim]

WOW. Very pretty Denise.

[Bennie]

Thats a cool Baker Egg,
this is a Condor agate from argentina , gemmy

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[Denise]

Agates from argentina are fantastic! Nice one Bennie, even with its fractures.
It will polish out to be a great display specimen.

Here are a few more Colorado Fluorite pics.
Link also has more info on Fluorites.


Fluorites in these pictures range from 6mm to 3mm.

[Denise]

Here is a closeup of the Thunderegg that was washed out by the pressure washer.
Sure turned out interesting.

[CP]

Good pics honey! Boy those T-eggs are sure something special!

Can't wait to see some listed in the Miners Market too.

So, we just moved as many folks already know...............We set up one of the 3 rock saws at it's new location outdoors with beautiful sunshine and balmy warm temps. Of course the first cut has to be a local rock. But then we had come across some lovely blue and greens while moving all them dad' burn rocks! One of the only positives of moving.......you get to see all the rocks in the collection again. Forgot all about some of those they had been buried so long!
Well, we are very fond of blues in stones..........and green is just as nifty. Here is a pic of the blue stone.
From what I saw on the saw (pun intended) this one will make some killer guitar picks too.

Enjoy...........Chrysocolla/chalcedony from very old stock and most likely from Arizona by the research we have done on it.
CP

[Denise]

Fantastic stuff Dan, and great picture!!!
Thanks for sharing some of your rock with me, your too kind.

[Denise]

From beauty to the beast.....

This is the little Thunderegg color filling aliens caught in action.
It appears they were about to use red and yellow. Last seen in this Oregon Thunderegg.

[Denise]

This little thunderegg sure has some great patterns!

[Denise]

Here is a cool picture of Colorado Dendritic Agate. This is a close up of a Thunderegg piece we recently found.

[jim]

I got me a new toy yesterday. It's a hand held camera that takes super closeups. The first pic is tiny tubes in the edge of a botswana cab. These tubes can be see in the base of Denises little snowman. The second pic is of banding in a guitar pick. You can see the shadow effect in it. Also botswana. The third pic is of some really colorful lace agate. The last pic is of another banded agate cab that I have. The larger red spots in this pic are just barely visible with the naked eye.

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[CP]

Real nice pics Jim, looks like that close up cam works good.

[Denise]

Fantastic pics Jim! Love those close up pictures, they show alot more detail of the rock patterns.
Thanks for sharing them.

[jim]

Thanks! Yea it's tons of fun playing with my little toy. If anyone
is interested here is a pic of it.

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[Denise]

Very cool Jim. It seems to do pretty good! I figured since we show closeups of the inside of Thundereggs, why not show the outside of one.

Here is the outside of a Oregon Thunderegg showing its "busted cap" where it meets the inner agate inside.



Love it!!

[jim]

I've got a few more close-ups here. The first is mossy plume in a brazilian slab. The second is a crystal vug in the same slab.The third is of an unknown opal in sand matrix. Cool stuff!

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[jim]

I have a few more close ups here. The first is some cool plume agate. The second is banded agate. The last is dino bone. Enjoy!

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[Denise]

Here is a cool plume moss agate closeup from a stone guitar pick I recently made. It has a small druzy pocket as you can see.
GREAT COLORS!

2.7mm (medium) in depth through the druzy pocket.

[Denise]

Here is a close up of what looks like a patriotic fish.
Its a closeup of a beautiful Baker Thunderegg wet before it was polished. Love those Baker eggs!
Fantastic colors!!!

[Denise]

Ok...I admit it, Im a thunderegg nut!

Here is a closeup of both sides of a New Mexico thunderegg. Sure is a beauty!




I think the backsides (outter shell) are extremely interesting as well. Picture field of view is about 1" x 1".
Notice how even the little broken nodules on the shell contain agate.



Got to love em'!!

[Denise]

Dans been holding out on us! Check out this plume agate he found a few days ago.
This close up picture he took is of a few wet palm sized pieces he found. Love all the different colored plumes!
One piece not shown even has green plume.

[jim]

MAN! I wish that I could find stuff like that around here.

[jim]

I thought I'd add a few more pics that I took with my toy. The first is a tiny section of crazy lace agate. The second is brazilian agate. The third is the natural cleave lines in a piece of quartz. The fourth is rutilated quartz.Notice the rutilatation is hollow. I have had water sprayed in my face working it. The last is a spray formation in lace agate.

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[jim]

I decided to try to get a photo of the surface of this selenite crystal. I really had no hope in capturing it with it being water clear and very reflective too. But I got lucky!!!

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[Denise]

Here is a close up view of a piece of Turritella. Field of view is approx. 1 1/2" x 2".

[Denise]

What, you dont like that view?? How about if we cut it a different direction?

I left the image larger so you can click to see more detail.


Almost looks like little grains of sand inside the shells.
Like this view better?

[jim]

I think that it is sand in the little shells. I sometimes have problems with it coming out while working a piece. It really bums me out too. It leaves pits where it comes out. Otherwise turritella is one of my more favored stones to work. It almost always takes a great polish.

[swizz]

Those are incredible!
Me likes fossils.
Can't help but wonder what causes that sand grain effect, looks really cool enlarged.

[Denise]

Some have druzy centers in them like in the first picture. After doing a little more research though, Im not thinking its Turritella after all. Im thinking its probably Elimia Tenera that is commonly mistaken as Turritella.

Even better, this can be found in Colorado.

[Denise]

Those are incredible!
Me likes fossils.
Can't help but wonder what causes that sand grain effect, looks really cool enlarged.

I was wondering the same thing Swizz, so with a little more research I came up with this.......

"Digestive system of gastropods"

In most species, the stomach itself is a relatively simple sac, and is the main site of digestion. In many herbivores, however, the hind part of the oesophagus is enlarged to form a crop, which, in terrestrial pulmonates, may even replace the stomach entirely. In many aquatic herbivores, however, the stomach is adapted into a gizzard that helps to grind up the food. The gizzard may have a tough cuticle, or may be filled with abrasive sand grains.

Guess it is sand.

[swizz]

ohhhhh, that is really cool Denise. Very interesting info! From your pic the sand grains that they were stashing in their gizzards have a lot of reds and clears. I'll bet there's great diversity in gizzard contents with gastropods depending on their locale.
'Food' for thought.

[Denise]

Thats exactly what we were thinking also. With its location that could mean Garnets and Diamonds?!
Definately food for thought!

[Denise]

Here is a cool closeup of a piece of Microcline.

[Denise]

This one is a closeup of a druzy pocket inside an agate nodule.

[CP]

I like the last picture Denise, can I cut it now?
She's been hoardin' that piece since 06' and I'm not allowed to take any slices. She says I'll "ruin it"...but I keep tellin' her I'll just take a few off the back end. No worries honey.


Here's a pic close up of some local jasper recently found.

[Denise]

Here's a pic close up of some local jasper recently found.

Sweet Jasper picture Dan, I really like the patterns in it! Nice find!

[Denise]

Here is a closeup of a heart I made from a piece of Dinosaur bone.
Love the patterns and colors in this piece, and it has translucent spots when held up to the light.
Almost looks like stars in the night sky.

[Denise]

Since Dan took my pick, I took his pic. Great picture Dan!!
This is a zoom in of a Iris Agate guitar pick I made.
Kind of looks like an Easter egg doesnt it?




Happy Easter everyone!

[helen]

Very wonderful. How can you take photograph such beautiful pictures? Thank for your sharing!

[Denise]

Thanks Helen, and welcome to the CP forums! I guess I just use the one good eye I do have to the best of my ability.

Unless your refering to the pic I took from Dan.......That one was really easy to take!

[jim]

I recently went to an estate sale in Jackson. There was a lot of stuff from an old rockhound collection. Thats where I found the second slab of palmwood that I posted earlier. We were told that there was a pile of rock under a rubbish pile out back.We dug through it and found a good wheel barrow full of misc. rock. This was the first piece that I spotted. Lucky me. Tiger iron. I thought I'd take a closer look with my little camera. Wow was I surprised! enjoy!

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[Denise]

Here is a closeup of a really cool rock Woody gave us. Im thinking it's a big piece of Calcite. Thanks Woody!!
I love the patterns and sheen this specimen has!

[swizz]

I know exactly which piece that last pick came from, nice! That pic would make an excellent jigsaw puzzle... kinda like an MC Escher drawing.
Ironstone macros are also nice, those colors have always fascinated me, very vivid.

[Denise]

Thanks Chris, it is a very interesting piece I think. Im not sure what Im going to do with it yet though, maybe sculpt it or leave just as it is.
MC Escher is an amazing artist, I love his work!

[Denise]

Here is another really cool close up.

[Denise]

Here is a picture of a Del Norte agate polished. Great stuff!!

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[swizz]

Very nice!!!

[Denise]

Thanks Chris! The agate around here is fantastic stuff with great patterns. Love the close up mineral shots, one of my favorites to take.

[Denise]

Here is a close shot I took several years back of petrified palm wood.

[Denise]

Here is a closeup of a Crazylace slab we have.... Slab is about 9 1/2 in. x 6 in. and 1/2 thick. Will make some beautiful stuff!

[Denise]

A closeup of a large Fluorite.......

[Denise]

How about some agate bubbles?.......






Here are big inverted bubbles with tiny bubbles.

[Denise]

An ugly Agate we found at the Opal Hill mine in California. Love it!!
Layered bubble rings....
Can even see a fire agate bubble twinkle in one of the layers. Anyone else see it?

[swizz]

I see it! I also see a small heart to the right of that.
Those bubbly macros are very cool! Nice crispy shots and really good work with the lighting.

[Denise]

Thats the spot! Some really fun stuff to find. We had a great time prospecting there. Some of the specimens even had dog tooth crystals added to the mix. For lighting, I just brought it out into the bright sunlight.....best lighting I think for photo taking.

[Denise]

Here is a close shot of a piece of Eden Valley Wyoming petrified wood.....very pretty stuff!!

[Denise]

Here is a sweet piece of Sodalite with cool inclusions. You can see the blade marks from it being slabbed. It will polish out nicely though.

[Denise]

Here is a really cool moss Agate closeup. I really like the patterns in this one!

[swizz]

That's one of the best looking agate close-ups I've seen. It has a little bit of everything... alien landscape, some bubbly, druzy, and even a natural heart hiding in there.
Thanks for sharing that one, very nice!

[Denise]

Thanks Chris it is a really cool slab, just not sure what we are going to do with it yet. The slab is much larger, I just zoomed into the part I thought was the nicest......especially since It had a natural heart.

Here is another cool closeup........

[Denise]

Here is a sweet closeup of a rough piece of gem grade dinobone. When you zoom into the picture, you can see the different colors and little druzy pockets.




I love those fossils!!

[Denise]

Here is a close inside look at an Oregon plume Thunderegg.
You can see that it has a fracture but still a very nice stone!

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[Denise]

Who can tell what this one is?

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[Woody]

Moss Agate ??????? Ok, how about Marble?

[Denise]

It is not moss Agate or Marble, but sure has that look a bit. Any more ideas on what it may be just from the closeup picture?

[Caveman]

Looks like it might be a piece of granite counter top or tile.... just a wild guess. It seems to be honed flat and polished, but has some wear on it. A sample maybe?

[amorton]

This is my wife's wedding ring. The wood is ancient Kauri wood 20-50 thousand years old. the inlay is T-rex fossil that was chipped up and set into the wood. Her engagement ring is similar with rosewood and a jade inlay.

[Caveman]

That is a really cool ring!

[Denise]

Beautiful ring and great history behind it! I lost the Diamond out of my wedding ring washing specimens several years back. It crushed me, but that is exactly what we plan on doing....using a stone we find to replace it.

That closeup picture is not of a granite counter top Caveman. It is a larger cabachon CP's grandpa was working on but never finished it. I'm guessing he saw the fracture in it and just tossed it in a collection he had of fractured half worked stones. I also have on of those. I have been trying to take some of the stones and rework them. We give them to his mom, she loves the pieces especially after he wraps them.

We think it is Dendritic Opal from Wyoming. Very cool stuff! Took me forever to figure out what it was, but CP knew right away when he saw the piece. Most of the ones we're seeing online don't have this mustard color though.

[Denise]

Here is a cool piece of gem grade dino bone. This is a close up of me holding it up to the light.

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[Denise]

Not into fossils? Well here is a closeup of huge bytroidal bubbles on dark brown agate. What color do you see? If you zoom into the image you will see the bubbles are made of little bubbles.

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[Denise]

Here is a close look at the extras (Garnets) found in a gold prospectors concentrates. Great colors! You could have some in your pan, just have to look really close as they can get pretty small.

Keep digging in!

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[Denise]

I know, they are not all Garnets.... ....I tried.

[swizz]

About 90% Garnets though, cool shot.... the other minerals add contrast.
Inspirational. The posted size doesn't do it justice, looks much better and great clarity enlarged.
I've saved some Garnets, might have to try a version that shot sometime too.

[Caveman]

Chris - I need to get with you about those garnets - but I want to collect some myself. I'll call you about it sometime next week.....