[Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about mountainleather... and looking for pictures.

Thu Jan 15 14:30:30 PST 2009

Hey, y'all! Thanks for the great replies to my question, and the great links
to check out. I had the feeling that this was one of those names that seem
to be applied to a plethora of materials.
If you have a different or local material that this name is used for, please
give us a comment. I'd love to get a specimen of whatever material you have
as mountain leather, and have many California materials for trade. Just drop
me a note.

Thanks again for the great answers!

Be Well!
              Kris
              Lapidary Specialties

P.S: That anomalous post professing love was actually a midnight note from
my lovely partner Laura. Our apologies to any reader who was nonplussed or
ended up blushing!  *grin!*

On Thu, Jan 15, 2009 at 10:12 AM, Carolyn Reynard <sunstone3 at hvc.rr.com>wrote:

> Hello Stuart, your description fits what we here in Dutchess County, New
> York have been calling "mountain leather" instead of doubly terminated
> quartz crystals we have very nice calcite crystals. The vein of mountain
> leather is in marble with diopside.  It looks like the pictures you posted.
> When collected it is a wet fibrous material with the marble-sized calcite
> crystals. When dry it looks like stiff chamois and could mistaken for very
> old road kill.
>
> Carolyn Reynard
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Stu Schmitt" <stu at arcrystalmine.com>
> To: "Rockhounds at drizzle.com: A mailing list for rock and gem collectors"
> <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> Sent: Thursday, January 15, 2009 11:55 AM
> Subject: Re: [Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about
> mountainleather... and looking for pictures.
>
>
> > Hi Kris,
> >
> > Rectorite is also called "Mountain Leather" when it dries.  My geologist
> > friend wrote this about that:
> >
> > "Now this Jeffrey Quarry Quartz grows in this "Rectorite" named after a
> > lawyer that lived in Hot Springs, Arkansas. It is a jelly when in the
> rock
> > fractures. The quartz grows in this jelly and that is why every crystal
> is
> > double terminated, unless it grew on the sandstone. When you dig the
> quartz
> > out of the fractures, the rectorite hits the air and turns to what is
> called
> > "Mountain Leather". It's some neat stuff and is a clay mineral. It is
> > flexible just like leather. If you look at it close, you will usually see
> > small double terminated quartz crystals."
> >
> > I have more information about the source on this web page:
> > http://arcrystalmine.com/crystals_results.php?category=17
> >
> > If you would like a piece of it please contact me off line.
> >
> > With appreciation & gratitude,
> > Stuart Schmitt
> > Clear Creek Crystal Mine
> > www.arcrystalmine.com
> > 60 Mary's Eagle Trail
> > Mount Ida, AR 71957
> > (870) 867-2443
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Kris Rowe" <lapidary.specialties at gmail.com>
> > To: <rockhounds at lists.drizzle.com>
> > Sent: Wednesday, January 14, 2009 9:02 PM
> > Subject: [Rockhounds] "D'ever Wonder?" - Wondering about mountain
> leather...
> > and looking for pictures.
> >
> >
> > > Howdy, y'all!
> > >                     I was sitting (shivering) on the back porch last
> > > evening, reading a Lapidary Journal (from 1968, if I remember
> correctly)
> > > with a great article on 'Amethyst of Korea.' Amongst the many materials
> > > written of was something that was unfamiliar to me, called
> > > "mountain leather."
> > > So, lacking any underground (at least deeper than 8 feet) mining
> > > experience,
> > > I googled it and found "TEM observations of a 30 million
> > > year old mountain leather nanofiber mineral composite" on
> ScienceDirect.
> > > However, they want my money before letting me read the
> > > paper, and my Queen of Reciepts says "$31.50 for a research paper? for
> > > FUN?", at which point I slunk back to my Laz-e-Boy and
> > > decided to ask y'all ... what the heck IS mountain leather, what does
> it
> > > look like, and have any of you found any?
> > >
> > > The Intro to the research paper makes mountain leather sound like
> > > something
> > > Dupont wishes it would have made, and brought a smile
> > > to my face with the amazed comment that it was 30 million years old,
> the
> > > same wry smile I get when someone marvels at how amazing
> > > it is that Nature could create something so complex!  *lol*
> > > Warning to you search wizards (like me) there's almost nothing readily
> > > available online about this material, other than the mentioned paper.
> > > So, dear miners with letters behind your names, help me if you can. I
> > > don't
> > > want to wake up at 4 am wondering about this question. My
> > > sanity is in your hands (sorry it's so sticky, the kids were plaaying
> with
> > > it.)
> > >
> > > Be Well!
> > >              Kris Rowe
> > >              Lapidary Specialties
> > >
> > >
> >
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