Does anyone do Lapidary?
- Thread starter Tengu
- Start date
Know where you're looking basically 
Scotland, indeed the UK as a whole, is rich in mineral variety. Geodes here are usually formed from small volcanic gas pockets that have slowly crystallised inwards with minerals while still porous. In good conditions the filling in is complete, in others only a layer inside the hollow is crystallised.
Think bubble shapes when you go looking often sort of squished bubble shapes, but there's something rocky bubble looking about them.
We can find the most glorious colours sometimes....from golden cairngorms to wonderful rich purples.
Be warned though, there's an awful lot of grey and brown mucky sugar looking filled ones too.
cheers,
m
Scotland, indeed the UK as a whole, is rich in mineral variety. Geodes here are usually formed from small volcanic gas pockets that have slowly crystallised inwards with minerals while still porous. In good conditions the filling in is complete, in others only a layer inside the hollow is crystallised.
Think bubble shapes when you go looking
often sort of squished bubble shapes, but there's something rocky bubble looking about them.We can find the most glorious colours sometimes....from golden cairngorms to wonderful rich purples.
Be warned though, there's an awful lot of grey and brown mucky sugar looking filled ones too.
cheers,
m
Toddy,
Where the heck are you managing to find Cairngorms? I know folks who spend their days, heads bent down never finding them. Had thought Scotland had run out hence all the caramel glass in Sgian Dubhs these days. You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge.
Goatboy.
Where the heck are you managing to find Cairngorms? I know folks who spend their days, heads bent down never finding them. Had thought Scotland had run out hence all the caramel glass in Sgian Dubhs these days. You never cease to amaze me with your knowledge.
Goatboy.
I haven't found any in years, but they are there if you're lucky usually just the mucky looking quartz though.
As a child I played with amethysts (well, purple quartz really I suppose) that my grandmother's father had gathered.
Geodes rarely yield enough for 'jewellery' jewellery, like the big stones in plaid brooches or pommels for sgian dubh's and dirks. Those stones are found in different matrix though.....I'll pester HWMBLT to find the geology links in the morning, but there's a site that I find interesting
http://www.curriehj.freeserve.co.uk/grampian.htm
It's not just the Grampians that are rich in stones like this though; Leadhills, the Ochils, etc., all are worth a ramble
Grooveski's much better informed about this sort of thing than I am though
Legal bit.....you're not supposed to dig for anything though without permission.
cheers,
Toddy
usually just the mucky looking quartz though.As a child I played with amethysts (well, purple quartz really I suppose) that my grandmother's father had gathered.
Geodes rarely yield enough for 'jewellery' jewellery, like the big stones in plaid brooches or pommels for sgian dubh's and dirks. Those stones are found in different matrix though.....I'll pester HWMBLT to find the geology links in the morning, but there's a site that I find interesting
http://www.curriehj.freeserve.co.uk/grampian.htm
It's not just the Grampians that are rich in stones like this though; Leadhills, the Ochils, etc., all are worth a ramble
Grooveski's much better informed about this sort of thing than I am though
Legal bit.....you're not supposed to dig for anything though without permission.
cheers,
Toddy
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