talc pendant with inlaid quartz crystal

[storm]

i found a small piece of talc recently and decided to grind it on sandstone into a pendant. i used a quartz crystal-tipped hand drill to make the hole, and a bone needle to inlay the tiny crystal. deer hide glue secures the crystal. i rubbed bear fat onto the stone so that it would keep the green color--talc is an off-white color around here. this pendant took about two hours to make.

 

[jdlenton]

nice work storm not so sure i would have imlade the christal quite like the talc on its own. Can you tell us more about the talc never seen it before?

James

 

[storm]

talc is another name for soapstone. it is extremely soft. some grades of this rock are suitable for bowls and carvings. all the other specimens of talc i've found thus far have hard magnesite or metamorphosed calcite nodules in it. i hope to find larger pieces around here and experiment with it...

 

[Longstrider]

Thats anice piece of work Storm. I've been pondering ideas for a really nice bearing block for fire drills and now you go and throw soapstone into the melting pot! Would the stuff be hard enough to take the wear?

 

[tomtom]

Nice work.. how is soapstone formed, i know nothing about it?

 

[jdlenton]

longstrider funny you should say that I’ve been after a piece of soap stone for exactly that purpose for some time but the only place I know where it is found in the uk is on one of the Orkney islands near skara brea (sp) and that’s a protected ancient site. Any one know where I can get some in the uk ?

 

[Toddy]

Have a look for Port Soy marble; it's soft and carveable with a pocket knife. The main quarry, no longer in use, is at the shore at Port Soy in Banffshire but it's just the end of a vein of serpentine that stretches across country. It's not easily accessible elsewhere. (well, I believe an inland farm has some but really doesn't want to be bothered)
I know there's serpentine elsewhere in the UK too, places like Unst, but maybe more accessible sites on the mainland; surely there's a Geologist amongst us somewhere?

Cheers,
Toddy

 

[jdlenton]

thanks for the info Toddy:You_Rock_ there might also be some who live near the vein you mention or even the quarry

 

[storm]

here's a couple more i made yesterday:

talc can be formed via igneous or metamorphic processes. it's primarily derived from the metamorphasis of magnesium silicates. around here, we have mostly metamorphic rocks. talc is uncommonly found in pure enough or large enough pieces to be workable around here. it is interbedded in the schists and actonilite locally (as is asbestos). soapstone and steatite are forms of talc.

for bearing blocks, most talc won't stand up to the usage. this stuff certainly wouldn't...