Chrysocolla

[Seth]

Hey Cal, That is some nice looking material. That chrysocolla with silver is quite rare with that much in it. There are other minerals in it also. I have just not seen any better than what came from the UFO mine years ago. It is also quite heavy in weight. I may be interested in trading a bit for something strange. There is also chrysocolla with gold in it. A bunch of good chrysocolla is going in the crushers now days

[cal]

I do not believe I have ever seen chyrsocolla with gold in it. However small traces I would not notice.
I've included a few more pics.
The first pic is a slab from a piece that has a lot of silver in it but it is not in large visible deposits. The piece was very heavy.
Yours is fabulous. Easily the best I've seen.

I also like  Quantum Quattro silca.
Included is a couple of pics of that. The colors and combinations are very appealing to me.

To answer your statement, I am very open to trading. I think it is a great way to expand a collection.

[Taogem]

I need to learn more of the difference between a Shattuckite and Chrysocola... Thinking I may be confusing the Shattuckite.

Cal.. I sure like what is in the second pic in your last post.

Willy and I were talking a bit off forum about Chrysocolla. Someone had mentioned to us that true Chrysocolla is mostly green or green with hints of blue included, but primarily green. I have come to identify a variety of minerals as a Chrysocolla. Much like Cal mentioned in another thread. "shattuckite, ajoite, cuprite and whatever else wants to intrude here and there and then sprinkle a little silver and wow"...

What is a main identifying difference between Shattuckite and Chrysocolla?

[akansan]

Shattuckite is just another one of the secondary copper minerals - malachite, shattuckite, azurite, chrysocolla, cuprite, tenorite...

Shattuckite is more blue than Chrys, but beyond that, I wouldn't know how to tell them apart.  That first pick of Cal's (?) is a terrific example of Shattuckite.  I have some that has dark blue azurite, chrys, and a little cuprite mixed in.  It's not cut yet, but I'll see if I can grab a pic of mine.

[Mark]

I love Chrysocolla.  I would like to get in on the trading too.  I have some of the Chrys that supposedly has Gold in it.  It has a very distinctive iridescent patterning along with the Blue of the Chrys.  The stone is heavier than you would expect also.  I have had a couple of chunks that I slabbed.  One chunk showed Botyroidal Chrys on one side.  I was hoping it went all the way through as it would be worth a lot, but alas, it was only like 3/16 inch thick or so.  Still the Botyroidal blue when wet is really nice.  I usually have my memory stick with all my pics, but left it home today.  I will try to post some pics of the Chrys later.  I had always been intrigued by the iridescent stuff and when my expert friends had no idea, I thought that it was hopeless.  But one day on ebay I found a slab of my iridescent Chrys and the dealer said that it came from the so and so mine from CA and had some percentage of Gold content.  Cool, now I knew where the stuff came from and why it kinda looked strange.  While on Chrys, I do have a couple of cab pics here at work.  One is a light blue Chrys that has a lot of gold, brown, and orange colors in the matrix and in places is all blue and in others all kinds of colors mixed up.  The other pic is what I would believe is a Quartz and Chrys cab and is probably Gem Silica, another form of Chrys.  Some of the other strange forms that I have seen are green and blue bubbles of Chrys floating in Quartz or Agate.  And I found another cool pic of strange Chrys, this one is small Quartz crystals totally filled with mint Blue Chrys.  Before I leave, I worked this weekend on a Chrys cab for the contest.  I still need to polish it up, it is another of the many colors of Chrys and is a nice rich blue in Darker Matrix.  If i get it done, you can see it in the contest.  I'll have to get back to you guys with the other pics.  Mark

[cal]

I don't know what it is that is inside all of us that attracts each of us to a particular stone or mineral but the shattuckite/ajoite combination was it for me. I first saw this in a cab on ebay I was so drawn to it that I bought it.  I have no answer why, but something inside of me said buy it. Going to make it into a necklace one day. 
From that day on I search for that combination of minerals and colors more than any other.

I will say this that this site has opened my eyes to many other of earth's exquisite wonders.

This may seem odd and weird but I hope you guys of all people will understand this strange obsession. Might make a good thread topic. "Our Obsessions and Why!".

I guess that is why I also like QQS. It has a uniqueness and beauty to it that I have never seen before as well.

I have included a pic of that first shattuckite/ajoite cab and a 6lb rough of QQS (Quantum Quattro Silica)
Notice the dioptase crystals

[Taogem]

I don't know what it is that is inside all of us that attracts each of us to a particular stone or mineral but the shattuckite/ajoite combination was it for me.

Me either Cal..

I had a small chunk that these cabs came from, and have not found any like it since.. Not that it is probably not readily available, but can't tell by looking at a chunk of rough if it is the same..

For me, it is this look of Chrysocolla that I am drawn too.



I think your idea for the "Our Obsessions and Why" is a great idea..

Go ahead and start it up Cal ! We will follow 

I had never heard of the Quantum Quattro Silica before either.. Beautiful.....See now I would have pegged that as an Azurite by the beautiful deep blue. I suspect that it could easily become another favorite..

Mark,

That gold/brown is really something, and I do truly like a Chrysocolla with Quartz druzy like that too... Another favorite !

Man...... This is a great Chrysocolla thread.. Best to date!

[cal]

Tao, most unusual combination of chrysocolla.
Very nice!

Mark that is a good looking piece as well. Almost turquoise looking.

Quantum Quattro Silca is a relatively new find as it came to light in I think around 1998 or 99. I have heard it called the Millennium stone.
It is unusual as it contains chrysocolla, shattuckite, malachite and dioptase mixed in quartz. It was discovered in Tsumba, Namibia in Africa and is hard to get. Sometimes if you are lucky you get very small amounts of cuprite and ajoite mixed in. Such as the included piece. Once I get a polisher it will be interesting to see how it turns out.

I will start the Obsession thread and will get it going tomorrow unless someone else can't wait to bare their soul.

[cal]

I started the OBSESSION thread in Our Place as I thought is pertained to all sections of our hobby not just rocks, slabs and cabs.
SO go to Our Place and have some fun.
Sounds like a ad for a bar or something.

[rocknroll]

   ...i'm starting in on this piece which appears to have some silver in it 

[Mark]

Here's some more Chrys and Copper buddies pics.  Mark

[Taogem]

Great bunch of cabs Mark..

Do you use Zam on your Chrysocolla?

[Mark]

All the cabs were Genie wheel only with a final wheel grit of 3000.  A few of the cabs aren't totally polished and are awaiting my whim.  George, love your cabs, they are really rich looking, great color and great pattern, and of course, workmanship.  Cal and Jon, great rough and slabs.  Cal that QQS must have cost a bundle for 6 lbs.  That is some of the richest blue I have ever seen.  Is that chunk solid or do you have to stabilize it?  For the most part, my QQS has been cabbable without treatment.  Some of my Chrys, especially some of the really colorful slabs with Azurite, I had to at least coat with Hotstuff to keep them together while working.  Mark

[cal]

Mark
Really like the top pic in your second batch of pics. The one with the veins of blue running down like a spider web. Very nice.
You have some very nice cabs as well.

I was very fortunately to obtain a fair amount of QQS rough. Been hanging on to it as not sure what I am going to do with it. I have several pieces like that pictured on the other post and the blues are just as you say intense. The base is quartz so it is very stable. Some parts where the Dioptase crystals come through may end up being a little tough to polish with out them popping out. I have two different kinds of QQS. One in quartz base and the second is more in a black matrix with the quartz on the outside. This second kind is not as stable, though the slabs are very heavy they will most likely need stablizing.

I have thought of making jewelry exclusively out of QQS and having a website dedicated to it only. However, I need to learn silversmithing and I am signed up to take some lessons this fall. I do understand there are just a few people on this forum who are very good working with silver. LOL.  It may be that I will have to see if private lessons can be arranged some time in the future. I loved the threads on silver work.

The one thing that I really like about this forum is that it has given me like minded people to discuss this hobby with.
It's GREAT!

[Mark]

Cal, I know what you mean, its great to have like minded people to communicate with.  Sometimes my wife just rolls her eyes at me and other times i can read her mind and she is thinking, how did i hook up with this moron.  I am always really attentive and interested in her art quilts and fiber work, but she often wonders what i am thinking.  Oh well.  I would also love to learn to work with Silver and other metals and to make my own jewelry.  From an artistic and financial stand point, it makes great sense.  Maybe the next 100 years of my life I will dedicate to learning metal working.  My wife has done a little in art school and has already started beading and would also like to do metal.  I listen to metal music so it makes sense that i would like to do metal work.  That makes sense, right?  Now I am realy interested in QQS and dioptase crystals.  Do they look like specimen crystals of dioptase?  I had never heard that the dioptase crystalized in QQS.  I knew it was a component, but didn't know about the crystals.  That sounds cool.  Do you have any cabs where there are crystal faces in the surface of the cab?  I have some Red Jasper from Australia with pyrite crystals embedded in the slabs.  There are these little squares, rectangles, and triangles of gold, silver, or bronze pyrite in the surface of the cabs.  It is pretty cool stuff.  I am going to have to figure if i have anymore of it left.  Only had a slab or two at most.  Mark