Applying to join this forum, you HAVE to activate your membership in YOUR email in the notice you recieve after completing application process. No activation on your part, no membership.

Lapidaryforum.net

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome new members & old from the Lapidary/Gemstone Community Forum. Please join up. You will be approved after spam check & you must manually activate your acct with the link in your email

Congratulations to Bobby1 and his Brazilian Agate Cab!

 www.lapidaryforum.net

Another cabochon contest coming soon!

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Lapis?  (Read 1347 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Stonemon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 591
Lapis?
« on: March 09, 2019, 03:50:14 PM »

This is an unknown from the stock of a closed rock shop.
Hard, 6-7 no color in the water when I cut it. Any thoughts?
Logged


Bill

ileney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 639
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2019, 06:21:50 PM »

No color in the water = NOT lapis. Plus it looks more dull, waxy  and purple than lapis. But I’m not too sure what it is. Maybe check the hardness? Color looks like a cross between some lepidolite I’ve seen and some Turkish agate or jade but ... are the inclusions pyrite?
Logged

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2019, 06:38:07 PM »

Looks similar to Burro Creek Jasper.  The material there has the purple hue with gold flecks.  A piece of Burro from the canyon North of the mine.  Obviously you can get more or less of the gold inclusions depending on the piece.  The material can range from intense Purple to very pastel Lavender.  The rough has a Whitish crust on it.  The last pic is fresh from water, it will have this translucency if kept moist and loses the translucency as it dries.  Still trying different methods to stabilize the color to hold it.  I have had success with keeping the darker colors and my latest attempt was to leave it in Sodium Silicate for a year and it is now drying to see if it retains the clarity.
Logged

hummingbirdstones

  • Opalholic and General Rock Nut
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3055
    • Hummingbird Stones Lapidary Services
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2019, 07:10:45 PM »

I think Steve just solved your mystery.  Sure looks like Burro Creek to me, too.   :occasion14:
Logged
Robin

Stonemon

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 591
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2019, 07:27:02 PM »

I agree Robin, looks like a match. This stock came from the Plush Oregon shop and the gentleman I got it from was not able to identify all of the pieces.
Thanks Steve, I believe you nailed it.
Logged


Bill

lapidaryrough

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 229
    • www.lapidaryrough.com
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2019, 08:03:57 PM »

   My vote  Sugilite 

 Looking for spelling found this.  https://www.gemselect.com/sugilite/sugilite.php

   Jack
Logged
Silicate life form

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2019, 10:56:53 PM »

Ps if you want to try you can put it in water I have "re-hydrated" some of my Burro creek and almost all of it will darken and some with go back to translucent.  Probably take a week or so in water to see a change and some the longer you leave it the better it gets.  If you have time give it a shot as an experiment.
Logged

Enchantra

  • Head Bead Nut
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2802
  • Insane Bead Woman
    • Enchanted Regalia
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2019, 02:16:47 PM »

I concur on the Burro Creek material.
Might be a purple Ledpidolite too, but that I have my doubts on.

Redrummd

  • Global Moderator
  • Sr. Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 383
    • Art In Stone
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #8 on: March 16, 2019, 10:32:48 AM »

Take a look at blue quartz from brazil......

peruano

  • Retired Zoologist
  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 410
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #9 on: March 17, 2019, 05:13:37 AM »

Not that you need more suggestions but . . .  I'd say its a deadringer for Dumortierite that I have cut not so long ago.  It can be variable in the intensity of the blue, but the fibrous structure shows up as those white flecks in some orientations.  Its a bit of a challenge to polish but the end result is good. 
Logged
Combining a love of bikes (pedal and otherwise) with hiking, hounding, lapidary, and the great outdoors

ileney

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 639
Re: Lapis?
« Reply #10 on: March 17, 2019, 04:48:14 PM »

Funny. I have dumortierite and it looks quite a bit like lapis but nothing like this image! Mine has black flecks ( possibly hematite or mica) instead of pyrite but the blue is very dark and not purple at all.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.133 seconds with 48 queries.