Edwards Black XRD testing 2011 _ edited only to remove some personal back and forth stuff between Vic and I.....
From: vshowell@comcast.net [mailto:vshowell@comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, October 07, 2011 9:37 AM
To: Michael Hoover
Subject: Re: edwards black
Hi Mike
the Edwards has been tested and more tests will be performed to hopefully include talking George into taking it into the SEM.
It tests better than any BC jade for sure,
and tested better than the Wyoming green piece I got from Agren.
Appears to be a super nice actinolite-tremolite nephrite jade with nice high peaks for tremolite.
I found no evidence of quartz which is defined by specific 2 theta peaks on the graph readouts.
Your Edwards Black is superb material.
You can just see it and feel it when handling it.
The hardness results not from the quartz suspect, but most likely from the tremendous character of this specimen itself,
representing intensely interlocked fibers of actinolite-tremolite.
It exceeds 95% of all the salt water beach black in quality.
I have tested a couple of beach black pieces that tested better than the Edwards in tremolite and actinolite peaks,
but no matter what,
the beach black stuff here will have a percentage of feldspars... though often slight,
they do compromise the hardness and the purist of blackness desired.
We also have a genre of "green-black" from the beaches here that tests well.
The Edwards had no discernable chlorites to consider whereas ALL Washington nephrites
will display some level of chlorite,
from minute to inundated.
I have seen however ...Washington nephrites with explosive tremolite levels exceeding anything anywhere else,
and that could mean a host of explanations,
so until better authority is approached with cumulative data,
I cannot comment on that phenomena.
ie
I need to extensively talk to George Mustoe,
but I need to organize specific data sheets to specific questions etc,
and ultimately,
puzzling data and samples go into the SEM ...electron microscope
I will have to review the BC jades but my memory is that there were no chlorites in those either.
There will be more testing on your pieces as time goes on.
I will send you a copy of the XRD data sheet on the Edwards.
If I were you I would back pocket that untill more data is produced from those samples.
Can you open attachments with images?
If so I can send an image of the XRD data.
Thanks
Vic