Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - A Hidden Gem
Every rock has its #rockhound! This one one caught me by surprise. Every time I go rockhounding it's usually later in the day, which means other rockhounds have already combed the beaches early. There's usually a few already there by the time I arrive. That's okay though, because they left this one behind. I seem to have an eye for it, so it's a good thing they get there before me, otherwise I'd get them all! There's been a few times where I'll pick up an agate that someone stepped on. Hopefully I can find that again and get a picture.
When I picked this one I was certain it was an agate. As I began taking pictures of it tonight, I figured maybe it's not an agate but just a really dark smokey quartz with some kind of clay or other mineral wrapped around it. Once I observed the broken area I was certain it was an agate again! It's very thick so it doesn't glow very well, but overall I like the results.
Lights Off
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Through the 60mm Macro Lens
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Through a Jewelers Loupe 40X25 mm - Lights Off
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No Shine
I enjoyed spotting the bands when I got a closer look so I figured you might too! It always makes me feel good when I find agates like this one. Many rockhounds will overlook this because it resembled a sort of dirty quartz. Some of the best agates my friend and I have found looked like a quartz until we flipped it over, cleaned it or got a closer look, so it's important to check the quartz too! Afterall, most agates have quartz inside so if you see a quartz it's worth checking it!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
Through a Jewelers Loupe 40X25 mm - No Shine
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You can click on the image to view full screen!!
Shine
Once I added some oil the beauty of this agate really stood out. I was finding bands and character all over the place! Especially in the part where it's been cracked in half! I absolutely love the way this one turned out! I would not want to tumble this agate too much if at all. It's ready to just be polished, and at best I can sand down the surface with the bands to smooth it out a bit.
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
Through the 60mm Macro Lens
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
Through a Jewelers Loupe 40X25 mm - Shine
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
You can click on the image to view full screen!!
How Big is it?
Precious Metal to go with A Precious Rock!
| Flashlight Settings | ISO 200 35 mm f/4.5 1/400 sec |
| Settings both Lights Off & On | ISO 1600-800 55 mm f/5.6 1/50 sec |
| Camera | Nikon D3400 24 MP |
| Lens | AF-P DX NIKKOR 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G VR |
| Lens | AF-S Micro NIKKOR 60mm 1:2.8 G ED |
| Location | Superior, WI |
Fun Fact: I took a total of 181 pictures of this rock bring you the best quality! It takes me about 45 minutes to take the pictures, another 45 minutes to pick the best ones and re-scale them, plus another 20-30 minutes to make the post!
As usual the settings fluctuated. Yesterday was a bit of a failed attempt at using autofocus with the lights off and by the time I got to the rest I had forgotten which made for a lot of pictures but tonight I turned it back on which made for a good test. I took a lot less pictures and most of them were in focus which made it harder to pick my favorites, but getting through the different segments was much faster. I spent most of my time taking different pictures of the rock in its shined state.
Tonight is a clear night but no moon in sight. It's currently at 13% illumination with the next full moon forecasted on the 29th, the next Moonrise is scheduled today at 8:54 am so I assume we'll have a moon in the sky during the day!
I share my rock and agate photo's exclusive with the Steemit community! Feel free to share your thoughts!
Thanks for stopping by! God Bless!
Previous Rock Posts
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - Agate With Character
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - Banded Smokey Quartz
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - Bands and A Bullseye
Older than 7 days
good for viewing, not for voting!
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - Spotted Agate
March
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - March Rocks
February
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - February Rocks
January and Beyond
Lake Superior Rocks & Gems - January Rocks [and 2017]
When I joined Steemit I made the decision to always Power-Up my earnings. For now, payouts are set to 50/50 but you bet I will convert & Power Up! Besides internal transfers, I have never cashed out and don't plan on it! Power-Up only!
These gems are so lovely..... Especially the one that you added some oil... Nice work man!!
Thanks it's all the same one! It's great that it seems like many though! A lot of character for one rock!
What caused the really thick/dense yellow coloring? It looks like paint it's so opaque although I know it isn't of course. Nice philosophy about being late to the party but lucky anyway :)
I can't say I fully understand what would cause that. I want to guess that this would have happened during the hardening process, millions of years ago. It almost seems like an earthquake was taking place as this rock hardened, causing the minerals to slush around and now look like paint strokes. This is just a guess though! It can't be too thick, which makes the opaqueness even more interesting!
I have been doing a little searching about it and wonder if it is some kind of jasper? I actually do not know the difference between an agate and a jasper.
http://www.samsilverhawk.com/2010gemstones/1114cabs/stonecyn.html
The reason I'm interested in this stuff is because I paint so pigments and sources really fascinate me.
Sorry for the late response! I find it interesting that you found a jasper that looks like this one. I just don't think those particular jaspers are found here. The jasper's I find have more of a red/purple tint to them. Agates have those tiny bands (lines) of different colors. That's how you can usually tell it's an agate. Other rocks/minerals can become "agatized", such as coral.