The most beautiful stone Ive found in Lake Michigan

Rattlehead

Rattlehead

Jr. Member
Dec 16, 2010
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44
Byron Center, MI
The most beautiful stone I've found in Lake Michigan

Anybody know what kind of stone this is? I found it in Lake Michigan last week. I've never seen anything like it before. The crystals are bright orange. I've already cut it and the crystals don't run all the way through it but it will be made into a beautiful sphere soon enough.

Pics are here: The most beautiful Lake Michigan Stone Ever Found! | Spheremaker.com
 

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The botryoidal shape would make me guess chalcedony of one form or another. Carnelian even?
Might also be opal, do a hardness test, opal should be scratched by quartz. Chalcedony/carnelian will not get scratched.
 

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Is it possible that it's due to a lightning strike on the rock? Maybe melting and resolidifying some mineral?
 

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Cubfan64 said:
Is it possible that it's due to a lightning strike on the rock? Maybe melting and resolidifying some mineral?
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Boy, that'd be something wouldnt it....I've heard of those rocks made by lightning strikes but couldn't tell you what they're called or what they look like off hand. In Michigan, I believe they are made by lighting striking the sand and melting the sand....we got tons of it off Lake Michigan.
 

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Rattlehead said:
Somebody else mentioned opal on basalt. Its not as hard as Carnelian. I'm not familiar with Chalcedony. I don't think we have carnelian or opal in Michigan that I'm aware of. I imagine its tuff to id some rocks by just a picture. A friend thought the orange could be calcite or maybe garnet.

Either way it made a cool sphere: Orange Dragon's Eye Crystal Sphere | Spheremaker.com
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Not as hard as carnelian? So quartz could scratch it?
Chalcedony is a micro-crystalline variety of quartz; agate, jasper, carnelian are all members of the chalcedony group.

Calcite is very soft and even flourite and a knife would scratch it...
However I see no cleavage in your pics, which would suggest its not calcite.

Garnet is about the same hardness as quartz, so if its to soft to be carnelian its not very likely to be garnet either.

I would say opal is your prime suspect. ;D
 

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Rattlehead
Nice photos on your web site. Really interesting rock
Opal is a very common mineral. It is silicon dioxide with a little water. Chalcedony is just silicon dioxide. Opal can come in almost any color. Only precious opal has the flashes of color and can be quite valuable, but there are many types of opal. If it isn't hard enough to be chalcedony then it is opal.
Rob
 

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Bajahunter said:
Rattlehead
Nice photos on your web site. Really interesting rock
Opal is a very common mineral. It is silicon dioxide with a little water. Chalcedony is just silicon dioxide. Opal can come in almost any color. Only precious opal has the flashes of color and can be quite valuable, but there are many types of opal. If it isn't hard enough to be chalcedony then it is opal.
Rob
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Thanks for the information. I really appreciate you taking the time to fill me in.
 

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opal is also very brittle and that stone is almost to rounded to be opal.I think it is a banded agate of some sort but I am not sure what gives it the red color.Have made a slice through it yet . I would take a piece off the small end and see what the center looks like .I bet there will be at least 3 colors in that rock. If it is hard enough it would make some beautiful pendants.
It still could be opal though, but I don't see any chips or fractures from other rocks bumping it.Also I am no expert but We have quite a bit of opal in oregon along with jaspers and carnelian. Go find some more for us to look at. ksmith
 

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That sphere looks incredible! There must be some beautiful stones in Lake Michigan. I think your hobby is very interesting. I've never heard of people doin that with natural stones before. I don't leave my small town in NC that often so I think that is really cool. You are definitely a fine artist using what God created on this Earth.
 

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I sliced it to make it into a sphere. It appeared as if the crystal would go all the way through it, but it was almost completely made up of the grey rock inside with small pockets of the orange crystal. You can see the sphere I made out of it here (it turned out very nice I think...my personal favorite I've done anyway): Orange Dragon's Eye Crystal Sphere | Spheremaker.com

I think I had my rock identified. I've had quite a few people say the grey is a kind of basalt. I stopped in at a rock and mineral show put on by a local club here in my area today. I'm always amazed at how friendly everyone is. I brought my sphere in and the first guy I spoke to identified it as a kind a basalt with what he believed was agate that filled in the holes and spaces. He showed me other rocks he had that had agate filling in areas of an otherwise ordinary stone. He said it was a very good quality of basalt that he believed had come down from an island on Lake Superior that was know for that kind. He said it was a one of a kind and passed it around to a bunch of equally nice folks from his club to look at. Everyone seemed to agree it was something they had never seen before and were very complimentary on the quality. Everyone invited me to join their club and he and another guy invited me out to their homes to show me their collections. Amazing folks. Made me feel good to be able to meet such nice people. Finding out what it was was just a bonus.
 

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I am glad the guys at the local rock and gem club were able to identify it for you. It is always easier to do if you can actually hold it in your hand. Plus they are the experts on what you can find in your area. Take advantage of their offer to join the club.
You can become the Lake Michigan agate expert here on Tnet.
 

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Rattlehead said:
Everyone invited me to join their club and he and another guy invited me out to their homes to show me their collections. Amazing folks. Made me feel good to be able to meet such nice people. Finding out what it was was just a bonus.
Click to expand...

That would be geologists!

Glad you found some new friends.
 

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