Ohai, Its Shoogie! I was going through old forgotten folders on my computer today and found photos from my trip to the Cincinnati GeoFair. I went with my husband and mother-in-law way back in May, just before my move to Florida. I've long admired the beauty of crystals and stones, I even have my own (tiny) collection! While I'm no expert in minerals, I have done my very best to snag some useful info on what I saw that day.
Amethyst Geode - Amethyst is from the quartz crystal variety and is formed in the bubbles of volcanic rock. It takes hundreds of millions of years for the geode to be filled, some remain partially hollow.
Sphalerite - Sphalerite is closely related to the structure of diamond. Color is most often yellow, brown, gray or gray-black and may be shiny or dull. Some varieties of Sphalerite can be fluorescent in ultra-violet light!
Galena (top left) - Galena is also called lead glance and is the natural mineral form of lead sulfide. Galena is one of the most abundant and widely distributed sulfide minerals. While Galena has many uses, one of the more unusual is in cosmetic eye Kohl. In Ancient Egypt, eye kohl was used around the eyes to reduce sun glare and repel flies.
Copper (center) - Heres a familiar one, Copper! Copper is most often found as unusual masses or wildly distorted crystals. Colors range from Copper-red to brown and tarnishes green, blue, red and even black. Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity, second only to Silver. Copper is most common in volcanic basalt rocks.
Rhodochrosite with Quartz - Rhodochrosite is also known as the stone of the compassionate heart, as it symbolizes selfless love. Found in few locations worldwide, Rhodochrosite will be located near other manganese minerals. Rhodochrosite is rarely found as well formed crystals, because of this it is extremely valuable.
Calcite (bottom center left) - Calcite is an incredibly abundant mineral which can be found in the earths crust. Although calcite comes in many dark colors, it will always have a white or light-colored streak!
Fluorite with Quartz (bottom center right) - Fluorite is also called Fluorspar and is made up of Calcium and Fluoride or Calcium Fluoride. Making it a hugely popular mineral, Fluorite can come in any color on the color spectrum!
Pyrite with Quartz (bottom right) - If you've heard the name "fools gold", you might be surprised that the reference came from Pyrite. The monicker comes from novice gold prospectors who mistook pieces of pyrite for gold. Pyrite is a metallic mineral, found in sedimentary rocks. With a brassy yellow color, Pyrite does not appear as bright as gold.
Opal - The stunning Opal gemstone is formed from rain! It is believed that opal is formed when water from rain seeps down into crevasses in rock... when the rain water evaporates, silica left behind dries and hardens into Opal.
Celestine - One of my new favorite minerals, Celestine or Celestite is hugely popular among collectors! Celestine is formed in sedimentary rocks such as limestone. Other identification markers include Celestine occasionally appearing fluorescent in Shortwave ultra-violet light.
While I do not recall, my best guess would be that this beauty is Citrine with Quartz... I would love to hear your thoughts. I have a few small chunks of Citrine in my collection, I love its rich color and warm presence. Citrine is also said to aid in manifestation!
Fluorescent Minerals and Rocks - Fluorescent minerals have the ability to reflect light which makes them visible to the human eye. With a property known as "fluorescence", these minerals have the ability to temporarily absorb a small amount of light and immediately release a small amount of light of a different wavelength!
Petrified Wood - The name Petrified Wood Literally means, wood turned into stone.. This happens through the result of a tree or tree-like plant having transitioned to stone by the process of permineralization. All of the organic material is replaced by minerals while retaining the original structure. The carvings above were all unique and masterfully done, my photos do not do them justice.
I hope you found my post both enjoyable and informative. As always thank you for spending time with me today and a big welcome to my new followers! I hope you all have a fantastic rest of your day, I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.
If you missed my last post, catch up here: http://bit.ly/2lj2Roi! In the comments below tell me about something you collect! and don't forget to give that "Upvote" button some love!
Nice post @shoogie, very informative!
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