[Rockhounds] Laker

[Jay Bates]

It is quite common to find pyrite flakes in jasper/agate from 
California. A sharp knife blade will crush the pyrite proving it is not 
gold or other malleable metals.


Julie Siebel wrote:
> Whatever it is, it's damn pretty.
>
> The funny thing is that John cut that agate a couple of years ago, and 
> we just never noticed until he was taking a picture of it. (Treasures 
> within treasures to my way of thinking.)
>
> It's just really startling...a silky, beautiful cream and orange agate 
> and then, at the proper angle, a single, metallic, fiery gold spark, 
> right in the heart.
>
> It's definitely not copper colored (or at least, not colored like the 
> copper that we have). It's not silver-colored - definitely leans 
> toward gold - though possibly it could be if tarnished. (Can something 
> tarnish if it's *inside* an agate?)
>
> I'd doubt gold (because...because I always doubt it's gold, even if 
> we're collecting rocks from an old placer - lol), but pyrite maybe?
>
> It's pretty small, seems to be just a flake.
>
> I'll look up those compounds and see if one of them seems to fit.
>
> Julie
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "R. Peter Richards" 
> <rpr at heidelberg.edu>
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem 
> collectors" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 4:12 PM
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Laker
>
>
>> If it's metallic, from that area it would almost have to be copper or 
>> (tarnished) silver.  The only other possibility I can think of is 
>> one  of the copper-arsenic compounds, algodonite and domeykite.  A 
>> non- metallic alternative would be goethite, which when included in 
>> quartz  as fine crystals can have a brilliant yellow color.
>>
>> Pete Richards
>>
>>
>> On Feb 20, 2009, at 6:49 PM, Julie Siebel wrote:
>>
>>> No no no. Not an optical effect. It's a very definite metallic  
>>> gleam, positively charming when looking at the specimen. Way cool.  
>>> We only noticed when John was shooting it for Flickr.
>>>
>>> Julie
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "John Siebel" 
>>> <john at pandemoniumgraphics.com>
>>> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem  
>>> collectors" <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
>>> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 3:43 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Laker
>>>
>>>
>>>> Dan,
>>>>
>>>> It does look metallic. But I suppose it could be an optical effect..
>>>>
>>>> John
>>>>
>>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: <Lapidry at aol.com>
>>>> To: <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
>>>> Sent: Friday, February 20, 2009 3:27 PM
>>>> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] Laker
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> Copper inclusions are known in lakers....I have some...... the  
>>>>> picture isn't
>>>>> clear enough for me to guess a gold inclusion. Does it look  
>>>>> metalic? I've
>>>>> never heard of rutile in lakers....
>>>>>
>>>>> Dan
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> In a message dated 2/20/2009 6:21:29 P.M. Eastern Standard Time,
>>>>> john at pandemoniumgraphics.com writes:
>>>>>
>>>>> Does  anyone want to venture a guess as to what the gold fleck in  
>>>>> this Lake
>>>>> Superior Agate might be?
>>>>> http://www.flickr.com/photos/31394106@N08/3245259215/
>>>>>
>>>>> John
>>>>>
>>>>>
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>>
>> ___________________________________
>> R. Peter Richards
>> rpr at heidelberg.edu
>> Morphological crystallographer
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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