Gemstones in the Rough !

Without going into a long explanation or discussion of where to find, how to find and what you might have to do to find gemstones lying around, or when having to dig them out of the ground, here are some pictures of some "rocks" that one might run into while "Rock Hounding", if you go to the right location.

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For many, it could be a short trip as some of the most important deposits of Amazonite are found in Colorado (since 1876). Other locations where Amazonite is found are in Brazil, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Russia and Zimbabwe.

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Now if you want to get a sample of Ametrine, it will require a trip way back into the hills of Bolivia. This is a one source stone from the Anahi Mine.

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Although similar red rocks (Jasper) can be found in many locations, some of the best in the Big Bend Area of Texas, this particular piece that contains Red River Jasper and Red Variscite is only found in the 'Outback' of Australia.

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Sodalite can be found in many locations from Africa, to China to South America. This particular piece of blue Sodalite comes from Brazil.

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This unique find of blue Apatite came from the Diamond Mine area of Arkansas, but Apatite comes from all over -- Brazil, India, Kenya, Madagascar, Mexico, Myanmar (Burma), Norway, Sri Lanka, South Africa and the several locations in the United States.

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The name gives this unique find from the Pacific Ocean California beaches away, San Joaquin Green Jade.

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Discovered on the Island of St. Paul, near the coast of Labrador, Labradorite is a very unusual form of Opaline Felspar. Although originally found only in Labradore, it has now been discovered in Madagascar and other locations near volcanic activity.

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Spider Web Jasper can be found in many locations to include Idaho, Oregon, Arizona and New Mexico to name a few. This particular piece came from Arizona.

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Fluorite is very common throughout the world. But rockhounds in Arizona have to look twice so they don't confuse this nice yellow-green Fluorite with Arizona Peridot.

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Chrysoprase is a common find in Australia, but also comes from Poland and the United States. It is considered the rarest form of Chalcedony.

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Oklahoma's "Red Rose Rock" !

The Red Rose Rock was selected by the Oklahoma Legislature as the Official rock of Oklahoma in 1968. Although not really a gemstone, they are charished by rockhounds and gemologist alike world wide. Oklahoma's Red Rose Rocks are aggregates of Barite Crystals and sand and with an iron content which produces their reddish hue. The Barite crystals form a circular array of flat plates, giving the rock a shape similar to a rose blossom. Rose Rocks appear either as a single rose-like bloom or as clusters of blooms, with sizes ranging from pea sized to over 8 inches inches in diameter.
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The Red Rose Rocks are most common in and near central Oklahoma and can be found in mineral deposits in the Wichita Mountains and Ouachita Mountains. Red Rose rocks are most common in the Noble area of Cleveland County. Barite Rose Rocks have also been found in California, Mexico, Eqypt and Saudia Arabia, but are not the red color due to the lack of iron. Other varieties of Rose Rocks called Desert Roses, consist of formations of the minerals gypsum and barite with poikilotopic sand inclusions. The 'petals' are crystals flattened on the crystallographic axis, fanning open along the characteristic gypsum cleavage planes. The rosette crystal habit tends to occur when the crystals form in arid sandy conditions, such as the evaporation of a shallow salt basin. Gypsum roses usually have better defined sharper edges than Barite roses. These can be found in the SW United States, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and the Saraha Desert. Some varities also contain Selenite, thus giving a translucent crystal look rather than a sand look.

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Oklahoma's Red Rose Rocks were formed during the Permian era, 250 million years ago, when western and central Oklahoma was covered by a shallow sea. As the sea retreated, barite precipitated out of the water and crystallized around grains of quartz sand. This left behind large formation of reddish sandstone, locally called Garber Sandstone, containing deposits of the Red Rose Rocks.

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