The Trapiche Gemstones !

Everyone should always keep their eye open for some of the neatest and fairly rare gemstones in existance --- the Trapiche Gemstones ! The Spanish word trapiche was used in Colombia with a literal translation that means 'wagon wheel'.

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It was and still is applied to a rare form of Emerald that has inclusions aligned along the edges where the crystal faces meet, which causes the stone to literally look like a wagon wheel. The most famous and best known is the 'Trapiche Emerald'.
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A Trapiche Emerald, found only in Colombia at Coscuez, La Peña in the celebrated Muzo mining district
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But......the trapiche 'wagon wheel' formations can indeed occur in other types of gemstones, i.e. Ruby, Sapphire, Tourmaline and particularly in a form of Andalusite. So the term 'Trapiche' must be clarified by adding the name of the Gemstone along with it.
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For insatnce Trapiche Ruby, of which there are two distinct types, one with the carbon 'wheel' from Viet Nam and the second with the lighter colored 'Calcite' or 'Dolomite' wheel' from the Mong Hsu region of Myanmar (Burma).
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A Trapiche Sapphire, probably of Burmese origin.
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A Trapiche Tourmaline, of this green variety, can be obtained from the Kavungu mine in the vicinity of Jivunda southeast of Mwinilunga in northwestern Zambia.
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A Trapiche Andalusite, called Chiastolite, has the same kind carbon spokes as the Emerald and Ruby. This particular form of Chiastolite is found in areas around Georgetown, California. It is also known to many as "The Cross Stone" in religious circles.

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And I have been told there is a Trapiche Garnet, but have never seen one or even a picture of one, so definitely something to look for.

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Pictures from own collection and those of some close friends. The locations indicated are where these particular speciems originated from.

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QUARTZSITE - A major prelude to Tucson 2010 !

Welcome to QUARTZSITE and Desert Gardens on the California - Arizona State Line.

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2010 Calendar of Events

January 01 - February 28, 2010 Desert Gardens-Gem & Mineral Show

January 01 - January 10, 2010 Tyson Wells Rock & Gem Show

January 09 - February 24, 2010 Main Event

January 15 - January 24, 2010 Tyson Wells Sell-A-Rama

January 16 - January 24, 2010 Sports, Vacation & RV Show

January 27 - January 31. 2010 Hobby Craft & Gem Show

January 29 - February 7, 2010 Tyson Wells Arts & Craft Fair

January 20 - January 24, 2010 Annual Pow Wow

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Then it is on to the Tucson Gem Fair 2010 during February !

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When its clear it is beautiful, but then the wind and sand rolls in.
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but the Show goes on, and the weather clears again.

There is plenty to see, masses of rock and minerals all over the place, inside and out.

Tables of new material, like Imperial Sarah Jasper,

or buckets of everything and anything imaginable,

and hugh slabs of Tigereye and TigerIron,

or maybe even some unknown wierd stuff.

How about a Geode big enough to stand or sit in
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and a few odd things also.

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Whatever you want, you could probably find it at QUARTZSITE and for sure at the following Tucson Gem Fair 2010. Many of the vendors at QUARTZSITE will move to Tucson as the various different shows open up there during the month of February.

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Pictures thanks to Ron, theimage1 and Quartzite.com.

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Fun after TUCSON !

One of the great things following the Tucson Gem Show is getting home and then sorting though the items you bought to see if they still appeal like they did when you saw them at the show. Then to identify them (the ones you forgot to write down the names for) and determine which will go with whatever else you got or have from past years that will make appealing jewelry. This is the Fun of Tucson and gemstone handmade jewelry making in general.

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Some of the stones in the picture are- Amber, Rhyolite, Ocean Jasper, Brazilian Agate, Rhodochrosite, Bloodstone, Rose Quartz, Fire Agate -to name a few.
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BACK FROM TUCSON 2009 !

A little less for ware and tare, tired feet, sore back and heavy suitcases. But back from the Tucson Gem Fair 2009. It was fun, could definitely move around a lot better this year with the smaller crowds. Several past shows did not come at all, vendors were moving about to find places in other shows, and by mid-week several of the Wholesale Only shows had opened up to the Public also. The lapidary and minerals area seemed to be doing a brisk business, but the faceted gemstone locations were for the most part customer bare. Those that were there were buying, but you did not see the families with children and the tourists wandering about, and the few there were did not seem to be buying at all. Lets take a quick tour of the some of the shows.

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The Days In and Inn Suites set-ups (good buys at both)

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Electric Park Show and the RV section beside it (best buys)

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Holidome and the G&LW Shows. (Started out Wholesale Only)

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The JOGS and GJX Shows. Two of the bigger. (a bit more expensive and JOGS opened from Wholesale Only to the Public after 3 days also)

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And the grandaddy of all expensive shows, the AGTA.

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And just couldn't pass throwing in a few street scenes from around Tucson.
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Thanks to Ron, theimage1, for some of the pictures, especially the cars.

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TUCON GEM SHOW 2009 - Turquoise Mines

Wild Horse Magnesite and Sleeping Beauty Turquoise Pendant and Necklace

Several e-mails have been received asking if it is possibel to visit and/or go 'rock-hounding' at the various Turquoise Mines while visiting Tucson, or while driving to or from Tucson through Nevada, Utah or New Mexico. After considerable research, one of the best answers I found pertaining to the formation, finding and mining of Turquoise comes from Dillon Hartman of Indian Village Mines, Durango, COLORADO. The following comes from Dillon's IndianMines.com web-site.

"Turquoise depends on the whims of nature for its formation. It is not a material that originated deep within the earth as a primary mineral. Rather it relies on weathering and the ingredients of the earth’s crust for its formation.

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Turquoise is found in or near copper deposits as it depends on the presence of copper ions for its formation. Turquoise is a hydrous hydrate of copper, aluminum, and phosphorus. The latter element is combined with oxygen and called the phosphate radical. Radicals act as single chemical units, though they may be made up of two or more elements.

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There was a time when turquoise could be collected by rock hounds. Small deposits were accessible but now it is nearly impossible to go into the field and find and dig turquoise. Turquoise deposits were known to the Native Americans of the Southwest long before copper mining was a fact. In Arizona, for example, a very active trade developed between the coastal tribes who gathered shells and the interior tribes who dug turquoise in several places as well as salt from the Camp Verde region of central Arizona.

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When the Spaniards came to the New World, turquoise was seen as a common component of ceremonial and royal robes and jewelry. With their lust for gold, the Spaniards paid little attention to this gemstone. This is certainly not true today, as turquoise has taken its place on the list of highly regarded gems.

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When copper mining came to the New World, turquoise became more available. Since turquoise has no ore value of consequence, it occurs in minor amounts in copper deposits. It was possible for miners to easily gather small fragments of turquoise rock and take them home without hassle.

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If you want to collect turquoise today, the only option is to go to an operating mine where permission is a must. Rarely is it possible for the individual collector to obtain good rough on his or her own. The vast amount of turquoise being mined is obtained under contract with one of the big copper companies operating an open pit."

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Without trying here to identify places to go to find Turquoise in the United States, or elsewhere in the world, recommend you visit the http://www.indianmines.com/ site and find the state or country listed that you want to know about Turquoise in that area. There is a great History lesson about Turquoise on the same site. There are plenty of pictures to also help you recognise the various turquoise from the different mines.

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TUCSON GEM SHOW 2009 ! - Final Color

It seems appropriate to leave the Tucson Gem Show highlights with a presentation of COLOR. There are so many amazing items to be found, but one thing that stands out among everything is the color. Here are some final pictures showing rock/mineral samples with their amazing colors. Some of these are pictures from earlier posts, but the colors just beg for a repeat.

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The greens of Maw SitSit -------The oranges of Creedite

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The purples of Fluorite ------ The reds of Corundum

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The yellows of Fluorite--------The blues of Cavansite

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The blue-greens of Amazonite --- The multicolors of Ammonite

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The bright colors of 'Sonora Sunrise' and the 'Peacock Stone'

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Rhodocrosite Crystal on the host stone or Koroit from Australia

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The fluorscents were outstanding as well as the colorful carpets
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Thanks go to Cascade Scepters for some of the samples and pictures.

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TUCSON GEM SHOW 2009 ! - Real Gemstones for Beaders

Nothing too special today. Providing some pictures for the "Beaders" among you so you can see some of what is very plentiful around and in the various shows. Some of the more unusual material will be shown later on as it is included in completed jewelry pieces as they are finished up over the next several months.

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Carnelian ---------------Chrysoprase

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Labradorite---------------Snowflake Obsidian

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Lapis-------------------------Mahogany Obsidian

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Kyanite----------------------Wild Horse Magnesite

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And the ever popular Baroque Tahitian Pearls

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