Help ID mineral/gem |
Colorado Prospector - Gem and mineral prospecting and mining forums > Prospecting, Mineral Collecting and Treasure Hunting Forums > Gem and Mineral Specimen Finds or Processes  |
Help ID mineral/gem |
 Mar 22 2016, 05:43 PM
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#1
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Shovel Buster!  Group: Members Posts: 248 Joined: 7-March 16 From: Fort Collins Member No.: 122,572  |
While classifying some material for the sluice, I found this river washed stone that is quite heavy. It's a little larger than a golf ball, elongated. I could see some reddish/pinkish translucent material in the black/yellow matrix. I decided to cut a cross section from it. The cross section is about 1/8 inch thick and my photo is blurry, but the translucent material color is accurate. Any ideas?
 Cross section. 
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Mar 22 2016, 06:05 PM
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#2
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 Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
My thoughts are.... huge Garnet!
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Mar 23 2016, 08:47 AM
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#3
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Shovel Buster! Group: Members Posts: 248 Joined: 7-March 16 From: Fort Collins Member No.: 122,572 |
QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 22 2016, 07:05 PM)  My thoughts are.... huge Garnet! That's the rock I showed you on CC a couple of weeks ago. |
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Mar 23 2016, 08:53 AM
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#4
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Yes, I recognized it.... you think it's Garnet? You should do a Simple Specific Gravity Test. That would help narrow things down.
 Pyrope Garnet has a specific gravity of 3.5 - 3.6 edit: when you go to that link scroll to the bottom and look at that giant smokey he is holding! 
-------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Mar 23 2016, 10:43 AM
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#5
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Shovel Buster! Group: Members Posts: 248 Joined: 7-March 16 From: Fort Collins Member No.: 122,572 |
QUOTE (swizz @ Mar 23 2016, 09:53 AM) Yes, I recognized it.... you think it's Garnet? You should do a Simple Specific Gravity Test. That would help narrow things down. Pyrope Garnet has a specific gravity of 3.5 - 3.6 edit: when you go to that link scroll to the bottom and look at that giant smokey he is holding! Wow!, that is a specimen. My Grandpa back in the 50's worked for the Montana Highway department, they were building a road somewhere in the Mountains, and he told me when they cut into the mountain side, there were 4 foot long individual quartz crystals, too heavy to even pick up. He did have one that was about a foot long. Wish I knew where it was exactly. |
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Mar 23 2016, 10:45 AM
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#6
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
He probably could have retired with a couple of those 4 footers!
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Mar 23 2016, 11:17 AM
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#7
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 Master Mucker! Group: Admin Posts: 7,206 Joined: 7-October 03 From: Colorado Member No.: 4 |
Not sure what it is but that's a pretty color when held up to the light!
Nice find!
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Apr 14 2016, 11:30 AM
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#8
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Diggin' In! Group: Members Posts: 16 Joined: 29-March 16 Member No.: 122,603 |
I know this is old but I came across something I was reading that had a pic that looked very similiar to this and is was a dinosaur bone that had been turned to agate or something....sorry for my lack of specifics, Im still a rockhounding idiot. Ill try to find it again.
EDIT: Jeez I am an idiot, it was on CP! http://www.coloradoprospector.com/forums/i...?showtopic=2227 |
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Apr 14 2016, 03:58 PM
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#9
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Diggin' In! Group: Members Posts: 43 Joined: 28-July 14 From: Evergreen Member No.: 117,968 |
Garnet. Nice size. Depending on where you found it, I'd be tracing back up stream to find a source.
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Apr 14 2016, 08:02 PM
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#10
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Yup, I saw it first hand the day he found it... pretty sure it's Garnet. For sure the largest natural I've seen. Very river worn and dinged up so it's had a rough journey. It's a dark one but may be facet-worhy? How would a stone faceter go about determining how pure the interior is?
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Apr 14 2016, 09:24 PM
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#11
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Rock Bar! Group: Members Posts: 563 Joined: 13-June 15 From: South of Gunnison in Gold Basin, Saguache County Member No.: 120,659 |
I found a garnet about pencil eraser size when I was at cc. They are around there for sure. I also was fooled for a second by the highway paint. I bet that gets everyone a time or two!
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