Identification of Stones

Jewelry Discussion
1

Hello…I have been lurking for years…reading the list every day
and have learned so much about all phases of jewelry making, for
which I am very grateful…Today I have a request for help in
identifying some stones I just cut. They were cut from slabs found
in two different estates of rockhounds/lapidaries…They have not
gone through the final polish, but enough to see them. They can be
seen at this link

http://www.angelfire.com/super2/veragh/stones/

Can anyone tell me what they are? Particularly the chatoyant deep
blue one…it has strange geometric patterns inside. The pale blue
pear-shaped one has a small deep brown inclusion in the center, and
also has horizontal, white disk-like layers visible in the
translucent stone. The two pale green ones are nearly the same
shade, one is opaque, the other is translucent…I plan to set them
in silver, and would really like to be able to say what they are.

Thank you very much,
Vera H.

2

If the green ones have a “waxy soft” feel to the touch and they are
fairly hard like 6 + I would guess prenite. I know it is usually
green but I did find some once (sent it away to be tested) that would
have passed for an auqa…

3

Hi Vera,

The deep blue stone looks like it could be Victoria stone and the
other, I have no clue.

Hope that helps some,
Carol

4

Hi Vera

The dark blue chatoyant stone looks like Victoria Stone, a type of
man made glass. There is a way to orient it to better show off the
pattern, though I personally don’t know how to do that. The others
look like a kind of Agate with inclusions.

Karen Bahr
Karen’s Artworx
Calgary, Alberta, Canada

5

hey Vera, just a guess/ thought ( obviously can’t identify from
pictures) the blue stone may be the form of tigereye known sometimes
as " hawkseye" - I’ve not seen it quite as intense a colour as yours
but it does have that chatoyancy. Yours is more like some sapphire
colours, but i am definitely not suggesting you have a sapphire
there. The smaller green one possibly chrysophase? this is fun can’t
wait to see what others suggest-

cheers, Christine

6

My guess on the deep blue one is that it is Victoria stone, a
man-made lapidary material. Comes in various colors. You can search
"victoria stone" on Ebay and see numerous examples.

Lee

7

Hi, Vera,

First is nice to meet another Vera. There are not many of us :slight_smile:

The 2 green stones are Chrysoprase in my opinion. I love the stuff
and have many shades and quality grades here, some of which look just
like the ones you have. The blue one looks very much like top quality
Peruvian Opal (Chrysopal), not the dyed stuff they sell as top
quality today, but the natural real Peruvian Opal. I wonder also if
it is Larimar or Hemimorphite. Maybe if you search the web for these
3 stones you will be able to tell. Opal will be lighter in weight,
sometimes surprisingly so for the size of the stone.

As to the dark blue chantoyant one check to see if it is top quality
Pietersite. Look with a loupe (at least 5x) to see if you can find
any bubbles. Bubbles would be an indication of glass material. Even
if you don’t find bubbles do research Pietersite to see if you can
rule it out. If it is Pietersite you have a real gem as such a large
piece would be hard to find. If it is glass, then it’s pretty anyway.

Please note I have no formal gem training but many years of reading,
looking, browsing, buying and asking tons of questions. Also, if I
am correct these stones are pricey so you want to make sure to charge
properly for them.

Best wishes,

Vera B.

Vera Battemarco
Couture Artisan Jewelry ™
http://www.verabattemarco.com

8

The green ones could be Chrysoprase, or one of the milkier varieties
of Mtorolite, in which case they would be a good find right now.

9 
If the green ones have a "waxy soft" feel to the touch and they
are fairly hard like 6 + I would guess prenite. I know it is
usually green but I did find some once (sent it away to be tested)
that would have passed for an auqa...

There is another possibility here.

I have one stone this color with a brown moss spot in the center and
the same color for the main stone. I came across an article in an old
rockhound magazine on how to “create” moss in an agate. The
coloration of the body of the stone around the brown spot was
identical to yours.

Rose Alene

10 
I have one stone this color with a brown moss spot in the center
and the same color for the main stone. I came across an article in
an old rockhound magazine on how to "create" moss in an agate. The
coloration of the body of the stone around the brown spot was
identical to yours.

That sounds like Fischerstone. A dendritic inclusion was created in
snakeskin chalcedony by introducing a type of copper (can’t recall
the exact chemical compound Dr. Fischer used) and electrical current
to the stone. Maybe you saw the article in Rock & Gem magazine? I’d
sure be interested in where you found it if you can locate it again.

Still digesting yesterday’s feast and thinking of things I’m
thankful for,

Carol in New Orleans

11

Someone mention Mtorolite in this thread and being lucky. I was
wondering why.

Derek Levin
www.gemmaker.com

12

Can’t lay hands on the info on the article at this point, but poking
fischerstone into the web search engine brings up a lot of
interesting info. One fellow is explaining that he is having trouble
with getting plaster of paris to settle out of saw oil. He said it
was his job to put snakeskin agate into blocks of the stuff and saw
it into slabs to make fischerstone out of.

Rose Alene

13 
Someone mention Mtorolite in this thread and being lucky. I was
wondering why.

I haven’t seen rough Mtorolite for sale for a while (except for the
Metaphysical shops). But since Vera was asking about her cabs I
should have worded that more carefully. Like your carvings, man.

14

Thanks so much for all the clues and Some of them were
as follows:

The deep blue stone looks like it could be Victoria stone 

The dark blue chatoyant stone looks like Victoria Stone, a type of
man made glass 

 My guess on the deep blue one is that it is Victoria stone, a
man-made lapidary material. Comes in various colors. You can search
"victoria stone" on Ebay and see numerous examples.

After considering these tips, I looked for Victoria stone, and from
the pictures on e-Bay, I’m convinced that it IS Victoria stone. I
was astonished to see the prices!

The green ones could be Chrysoprase

Once again, the tips seem to be right on…looks like Chrysoprase
pictures.

That sounds like Fischerstone. A dendritic inclusion was created in
snakeskin chalcedony by introducing a type of copper (can't recall
the exact chemical compound Dr. Fischer used) and electrical
current to the stone.

This too, I believe is an accurate identification…it does look
like the “dendrites” were added to the exact center of the stone.

In each case, there was very little of these materials, perhaps they
had been acquired as novelties by the men from whose estates I
purchased them.

Cutting various stones has an endless fascination for me. I’m a
retired graphic designer/cartoonist, who has dabbled in many forms of
crafts…pottery…sewing…stained glass…throughout my life. A few
years ago after retirement, my husband and I began “snow-birding”
between WA and AZ. While wintering in AZ, I was able to take silver
working classes at the local community college, where, not content to
be limited to stones cut by others, I took lapidary classes so that I
could "do it all myself"this was a return to a love I first knew when
as a college student in CA in the late 50’s I took one jewelry-making
class. Now, nearing 70, disabled, and a great-grandma, I’m having SO
much fun making jewelry, and am eternally grateful for my daily “fix”
of Orchid.

Vera H.