theImage's Book has arrived

[Mark]

I got my copy in the mail today.  Ordered with expedited shipping.  Just thumbed through it for a moment before going out to cut the grass.  It is gorgeous.  I will let you know more later, when i get more time to check it out.  Great job ron.  Mark

[Mark]

The book is great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Love the pics.  Boy you did a great job Ron.  Very informative.  It makes complicated things much easier to understand.  I would have to guess, that it will answer a heck of a lot of questions, that people have.  The rocks that it covers, are very relevant to today's lapidary world, though it also has some surprises, like Stefoinite.  I will get back with some more praise, in a bit.  Mark

[Taogem]

Hopefully mine will show up tomorrow.. !  :D

[theimage1]

Glad you are enjoying it. Stefoinite is not all that unusual although it is fairly rare. It's a good example of a brecciated jasper. That and the fluted jasper are probably the most rare of the brecciated ones.

The media mail takes about 7 days according to a few who have received it. I don't know if that counts weekends or not. T was mailed out on the 29th.  It will be interesting to see when you get it George. You are about the furthest away from here via media mail. Several people from Oregon and Washington ordered it send that way. In fact about 85% of the orders have been media mail and that's about what I expected. Due to it combined size and weight, it's almost prohibitive to send it out of the country. The best rates I have found to Europe so far is a $39 shipping charge. If I cut it up into pieces  ;D ;D  I can send it in a flat rate small box for $23 to Europe.

There is no longer the equivalent of "Ground Shipping" to Europe, it's all air mail now. UPS, FEDEX, DHL, something called GIL, and USPS are all very expensive but they offer fast service. No more low cost slow service. It's also funny I can send a group of them for a semi-reasonable charge, but not just one.

[Willy]

Ron, congradulations.  I am assuming the Ron that Colored Stone Magazine released the information and pictures about today concerning the New Agates and Jaspers is your book.  It looks great.  I thought I had asked you earlier to save me a copy, but I can't find any e-mail doing so, but if you wouldn't mind sending a PalPal invoice, would love to get a copy.  I'll send info in a direct e-mail to you.

Disregard any e-mail or invoice, I just found your sales page and you shold have my order already.

Willy

[jennjenn]

Not sure if this has already been posted so please disregard if it has, but there is a nice write up on Ron's book in Colored Stone's Gem Mail newsletter.


•   BANDING TOGETHER: Ron Gibbs’ book, “Agates and Jaspers,” is a must-see quartz photo bonanza.

Expert Agate Guidance: Just as agates and jaspers begin to appear in jewelry stores everywhere comes a photo gallery of these quartzes that will help retailers select from among the myriad varieties and wow their customers with new gem diversity.
Millions of years before Ansell Adams and Jackson Pollack, Mother Nature tried her hand at natural scenes and abstract paintings. The incredible fruits of her labors can be seen in the hundreds of varieties of jaspers and agates found mostly in America but also in far-flung places like Northern Africa and outer-limit China. Quartz enthusiast Ron Gibbs has prepared a much-needed photo-identification guide to jasper as well as non-banded agate, “Agates and Jaspers,” that will help jewelers become knowledgeable about the many localities for these gems as well as their unique patterns and other visual characteristics. Priced at $40, this color photo-crammed 230-page paperback provides the detailed jasper and agate panorama jewelers and consumers new to (and even acquainted with) these wonders need.

Well done Ron!

Jenn

[Taogem]

No, it has not been posted Jenn.. Thanks......

I had not subscribed to the newsletter until just now. Guess there is no way to see the present newsletter until it hits the archives?

[jennjenn]

See if you can get to it via this link:

http://whatcounts.com/dm?id=BC367C7FECD3C2D67E6CEADD7F0A2D75A8A08A1C4125C7AD

[Taogem]

See if you can get to it via this link:

http://whatcounts.com/dm?id=BC367C7FECD3C2D67E6CEADD7F0A2D75A8A08A1C4125C7AD

Yep, thank you  :)

[bobby1]

I keep a close watch on the mailman (lady) hoping that today's the day......well it wasn't.
Maybe tomorrow.
Bob

[Mark]

I've been through the book several times now.  Love it.  Never had a book that did much more than note that there were agates and jaspers.  Finally, we have a book with lots of identification.  Kinda interesting, that I have a majority of the Jaspers in my collection and stock.  I also have a reasonable amount of the Agates.  I had recently cabbed a piece of agate which I thought that I remembered was a Black Skin Agate from India and sure enough, my cab and Ron's pic were like twins, except my cab was a teardrop.  The pic was so detailed that I could pick out each feature in my cab and match it to the pic, now that is useful for identification.  I was surprised by the Stefoinite as I know they are rare and you hardly ever see them (lucky me got a small slab or two).  I was also pleasantly surprised to see the Autumn Leaf Jasper from Africa.  I have only ever seen one dealer with it and they had like 100 lbs and that was it.  You must have tried cabbing it, because you said that it did not seem as silicified as the other Jaspers.  I would agree, my cab of it didn't polish up all that well and had a more soft finish.  Ron, you really know your stuff.  Fantastic book!!!  When is the next one in the series coming out, there are thousands or millions of more Jaspers and Agates that are waiting to be identified.  You could have an online addendum with new pics and info on additional stones.  I can send you pics of all kinds of weird and unusual ones.  Mark