Gemstone kits

[Harriet]

Are there kits with small specimens of common gemstones? This geek would like to study them.

 

[jstarfireb]

Jewelry TV may have what you''re looking for:
Gemstone Kits

 

[twodoor2]

JTV has tons of gemstone kits, and they have the materials that you can use to study that come with the gemstone kits(tweezers, scoop, etc. . . .).

When I was a kid, I used to collect rocks, had lots of those rocks glued to a cardboard box that had the name of the rock on it, like granite, basalt, mica. I think many museum stores have those, or scientific catalogs. Unfortunately, my benign rock hoppy as a child grew into gem collecting which is a lot more expensive. I remember I used to go in the neighbor''s backyard (he had rocks all over as landscaping decoration), looking for the elusive emerald in host rock I saw in a science book. From then on, I''ve been a lost cause. I didn''t realize they don''t have emeralds in host rock in Illinois, but I always thought I''d find it.

 

[Harriet]

Thanks, you two!
twodoor2, that's funny!

 

[Richard M.]

Date: 6/24/2007 11:52:43 AM
Author: twodoor2
I didn''t realize they don''t have emeralds in host rock in Illinois, but I always thought I''d find it.

You were just a bit too far north and west. Really fine, large emeralds have been found in North Carolina. There was a recent emerald "strike" in the Yukon too. I''m trying to chase down another partially-verified emerald source in the Western U.S. There''s an awful lot of "naked geology" out there to explore. Thirty years ago, who''d have suspected productive diamond mines in Colorado? And now maybe Wyoming as well?
Richard M.

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 6/25/2007 12:25:31 PM
Author: Richard M.

Date: 6/24/2007 11:52:43 AM
Author: twodoor2
I didn''t realize they don''t have emeralds in host rock in Illinois, but I always thought I''d find it.

You were just a bit too far north and west. Really fine, large emeralds have been found in North Carolina. There was a recent emerald ''strike'' in the Yukon too. I''m trying to chase down another partially-verified emerald source in the Western U.S. There''s an awful lot of ''naked geology'' out there to explore. Thirty years ago, who''d have suspected productive diamond mines in Colorado? And now maybe Wyoming as well?
Richard M.

I suspect the badlands in SD/ND will bring news of mineral deposits sometime in the next few years also.
I forget where it is but on one of our trips when I was a kid thru the area there was a small shop selling gemstones that were found in the coal and gold mine leavings.
As foreign sources get more expensive it will make it economically possible to mine these areas.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 6/25/2007 12:25:31 PM
Author: Richard M.
You were just a bit too far north and west. Really fine, large emeralds have been found in North Carolina. There was a recent emerald ''strike'' in the Yukon too. I''m trying to chase down another partially-verified emerald source in the Western U.S. There''s an awful lot of ''naked geology'' out there to explore. Thirty years ago, who''d have suspected productive diamond mines in Colorado? And now maybe Wyoming as well?
Richard M.

Richard,
May I join you on a hunting expedition?

 

[Richard M.]

<Richard,

May I join you on a hunting expedition?

My "prospecting" these days is from a desk armed with stratigraphic and topographic maps, with lots of library and other research. Many likely areas were described in U.S. Geological Survey publications as long ago as the very early part of the last century but field work continues and the results are available to everyone.

As one very famous USGS geologist put it: "A part of my job is to find anything from oil to agates and then, in effect, to say to the people of the U.S. ''Fly at it folks.''" Books, people! The internet''s great, and much USGS stuff is already on line. But if you want to go prospecting those dusty old books contain treasure maps. Of course you have to know how to interpret the data: how to find contact metamorphism and other likely geology, how to recognize graphic granite and pegmatites; how to do pocket mining when you find good prospects, etc.

One of the biggest problems these days is getting on the land legally amidst the welter of state and federal regulations. Some of the finest U.S. aquamarine deposits (among many other deposits) are now in the middle of a federal wilderness area. It''s illegal to even pick up a surface rock and take it home! It''s all a matter of trade-offs.

Richard M.

 

[Harriet]

Richard,
I''m a geek. I like books and maps.

 

[Skippy123]

Harriet, I just realized you put the page to Nicerz in Who''s Who in case you didn''t know already.

 

[Harriet]

I thought she might be more likely to notice. The hangout threads get a lot of movement. Faux pas?

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/25/2007 6:47:14 PM
Author: Harriet
I thought she might be more likely to notice. The hangout threads get a lot of movement. Faux pas?

I guess since it was move. heehee
You need to come out to NM.

I promise I won''t make you hike.

 

[Harriet]

But everything you described is outdoors!

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 6/25/2007 9:56:37 PM
Author: Harriet
But everything you described is outdoors!