What is your "looking for" list?
Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2015 8:07 am
Those of us know that the stone/crystal chooses us as much as we choose them. The best test of this is to walk through any rock and gem show and feel yourself drawn to a particular booth, then to a particular stone. You know it when you feel it!
Aside from this, I was wondering if others have a "looking for" list. Those stones that you have seen or heard about that you are on the lookout for. If so, what are your top three and why? I'll go first.
1) Tourmaline in quartz. I searched for 10 years (and considered myself lucky!) to find a piece where the quarts was absolutely clear (facet grade), with a single needle going through the clear quartz. I had my cutter in Ohio facet a stone from this piece. He never follows my instructions, but the end product ALWAYS turns out better than what I planned! I had wanted a round brilliant cut, with the tourmaline needle oriented from the dead center of the top facet (table) to the very tip on the other end. This way, the needle would reflect from every facet. Instead, he cut a beautiful cushion cut stone which had more life than anything I could ever have imagined. This stone "disappeared" during my divorce, and I am on a quest to find another.
2) chrysacolla and white quartz. What seems like a lifetime ago I found some of this material in an old rock shop/ military surplus store that was going out of business. The chrysacolla that was above the quartz was SOLID SKY BLUE, with no veining or fractures. The stones cut from this material could put the best turquoise to shame! Alas, I only bought 2 pounds of this material back in the mid '70s, and have never seen its like since.
3)Lavender lace agate. This material was in a rock shop in Indianapolis also back in the '70s. When they closed their doors in the very early '80s, all of their inventory went in storage. I know where this stash is located, and hope to do some "horse trading" to get some of this material.
Aside from this, I was wondering if others have a "looking for" list. Those stones that you have seen or heard about that you are on the lookout for. If so, what are your top three and why? I'll go first.
1) Tourmaline in quartz. I searched for 10 years (and considered myself lucky!) to find a piece where the quarts was absolutely clear (facet grade), with a single needle going through the clear quartz. I had my cutter in Ohio facet a stone from this piece. He never follows my instructions, but the end product ALWAYS turns out better than what I planned! I had wanted a round brilliant cut, with the tourmaline needle oriented from the dead center of the top facet (table) to the very tip on the other end. This way, the needle would reflect from every facet. Instead, he cut a beautiful cushion cut stone which had more life than anything I could ever have imagined. This stone "disappeared" during my divorce, and I am on a quest to find another.
2) chrysacolla and white quartz. What seems like a lifetime ago I found some of this material in an old rock shop/ military surplus store that was going out of business. The chrysacolla that was above the quartz was SOLID SKY BLUE, with no veining or fractures. The stones cut from this material could put the best turquoise to shame! Alas, I only bought 2 pounds of this material back in the mid '70s, and have never seen its like since.
3)Lavender lace agate. This material was in a rock shop in Indianapolis also back in the '70s. When they closed their doors in the very early '80s, all of their inventory went in storage. I know where this stash is located, and hope to do some "horse trading" to get some of this material.
..again, spendy stone.