Time's Bounty

I should know better! When something needs repair I should stop thinking "This won't take long". Especially when it is two of the machines I use the most in my lapidary workshop. After shipping issues, rebuilding requirements and modifications required for "Frankenstein" parts for one of my old machines, I am happy to say that my machines are humming along nicely again. Tomorrow I'll post a photo of a different interesting cabochon.

Just to confuse matters, this agate is also called Luna agate. Not orbicular, it is a banded agate mined in New Mexico in or near the county of Luna in NM. Definitely not the first time markedly different gemstones are given the same name. Sometimes there is a logic to it, like this agate. Also, sometimes it is a marketing ploy to take advantage of a popular name to sell stones to the unsuspecting. Not the easiest thing to determine at times.

This is a Luna agate from Mexico. Larynda Brown gifted me some small slabs on my departure to live in the West Kootenays. This little beauty is one of them. From what I have read this soft mauve colour of the gemstone is mined near Durango. There is another darker purple variety that is mined in Chihuahua. It was christened Luna agate because the orbs reminded them of the craters on our moon.

Yellow feather jasper. So named due to the feathery dendrites of manganese oxide. Yellow feather jasper is found in several parts of the world from Russia to Australia. I made these two cabs from stone from Utah. Yellow feather can be found in colours ranging from yellow through to red, depending on the quantity of trace iron in the stone. Personally, I think the yellow jasper offsets the dendrites better to make them more of a standout in the cab.

Here we have another BC stone, and quite a celebrated one at that. Dallasite, as it is officially named, is named after Dallas Road of our province's Capital, Victoria. It is the unofficial stone of Victoria. This brecciated stone is a product of Vancouver Island's volcanic past. Usually recognised for it's black and white appearance, it can also have significant green portions and sometimes additions of other colours as well. It is often found on the beaches of eastern Vancouver Island. Keep a sharp eye out for it, it is listed as one of the top 3 significant stones of BC.

So, I had this small carnelian nodule, rich carnelian colour from iron oxide staining on the exterior but fading to clear on the interior as carnelian nodules sometimes do. Possibly the host stone of the nodule being formed in the air pocket had iron content in it(?) The difference with this nodule was that the last silica solution making ingress to the interior of the vesicle was pure white. I couldn't resist isolating this part to make this really unique cabochon. Nice find!