Found Today in Central New Jersey - Carnelian Thumb Scraper?

[kushmeja]

Hello!

I was out digging in creek banks in central New Jersey looking for carnelian, and found this piece of carnelian that appears to have been worked. It fits perfectly in my hand as if it were a usable thumb scraper, and I know that there have been Native American artifacts found in the immediate area, even carnelian arrowheads at another creek a few miles away. I'm primarily a mineral collector, so I'm far from an expert on artifacts, so any input from more knowledgeable users would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance for your help!

 

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[smokeythecat]

You are correct. That piece has been worked and its gorgeous.

 

[joshuaream]

Very nice piece. Absolutely an artifact. Maybe not a thumb scraper.

The flake scars really look like they are from bladelets being popped off the core (the piece you have.) It's a bit thin, but I've seen some flat wedge cores sort of similar to that from paleo sites.

 

[ToddsPoint]

That material is unreal. Never seen anything like it around here. That blade was knocked off of a core. Other similar blades were knocked off before yours. Yours has a ridge on one side showing where two other blades were knocked off before. I can see why you are after that material. Super nice. Gary

 

[sandchip]

Nice! Amazing how much it resembles the Coastal Plains chert that we find around here that has been exposed for ages to tannins in water.

 

[GaRebel1861]

Nice! Amazing how much it resembles the Coastal Plains chert that we find around here that has been exposed for ages to tannins in water.

I was thinking the same thing. That material looks just like the material that we commonly find in the Flint River here in Southwest Georgia.

 

[A2coins]

thats a
very nice piece love the color

 

[kushmeja]

Thanks for the all the comments! It's very informative for a newbie artifact hunter like myself! So, I guess that the consensus seems to be that this is a bladelet then.

Do you guys have any input as to what time period it may be from? It was found quite deep, at least deeper than i would have expected for something only a few hundred years old. It was about 1.5 feet below the surface, and was below a mix of dirt and gravel, with some fairly large rocks in the range of 1-5 lbs.

I also found this other stone in the same area, which looks to me as though it may have been worked as well. This stone is what we locally refer to as "touchonite", which is essentially quartz/chalcedony/carnelian replacing and mixing with fibrous reibeckite crystals. It is similar to pietersite and tigers eye, with blue/green/gold chatoyancey. I could be wrong on this one, given that it is definitely more crude, but it does appear to have a worked edge and was found within the immediate area of the other one. What are your thoughts on this one?

 

[sandchip]

You sho' use some big words there, brother! Really, I don't know my rocks and minerals that well, and I welcome one with knowledge of such things. That looks almost semi-precious and it does indeed seem to have been worked in spots. You're finding some nice material in that area.

 

[kushmeja]

You sho' use some big words there, brother! Really, I don't know my rocks and minerals that well, and I welcome one with knowledge of such things. That looks almost semi-precious and it does indeed seem to have been worked in spots. You're finding some nice material in that area.

Yeah, it's definitely semi-precious gem material, and that's why I collect there. It makes gorgeous cut and polished stones too - I actually bought a saw and lapidary machine just to start cutting and polishing the stuff I found there! I have a few buckets full, with some pieces of the touchonite as large as 5-6 pounds even!

 

[sandchip]

Cool. Just don't grind up any artifacts!

 

[kushmeja]

Cool. Just don't grind up any artifacts!

Don't worry! I would never dare mess with any pieces that even remotely look as though they may be some kind of artifact!

This particular piece would for sure produce a spectacular cabachon if it were cut and polished though, but I have buckets full of this material, so I have lots of other pieces to choose from!

 

[rock]

Beautiful material, nice scraper/ knife

 

[joshuaream]

Thanks for the all the comments! It's very informative for a newbie artifact hunter like myself! So, I guess that the consensus seems to be that this is a bladelet then.

What does the back side of the first artifact shown look like? Is it smooth or does it have a ridge like the side pictured? Smooth would make it a bladelet, if it looks like the side shown then it would be a core that a bladelet was knocked off of.

 

[kushmeja]

What does the back side of the first artifact shown look like? Is it smooth or does it have a ridge like the side pictured? Smooth would make it a bladelet, if it looks like the side shown then it would be a core that a bladelet was knocked off of.

The other side is alot thicker and not tapered to an edge. Here's a pic of the back side and the bottom.