What is this?

[Huzzah!]

It's been worked on all sides, but what is it? First image is proper orientation (tab images are upside down). At first I thought it was broken at the bottom, but the knapping on the bottom makes it look as though it was made this way on purpose. I've found 2 other pieces like this, but they are maybe an inch long. Similar shape and same material. Found in exact same area. Maybe a blade or scraper? I really don't know. Central Va.

 

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[GopherDaGold]

Not an artifact. Does not appear to be worked by anything other than nature.
I'll now wait for your explanation on how incorrect I am.

 

[monsterrack]

It looks to be to small to be used as a tool and it could be debri from a larger item that was worked. Also quartz is the hardest stone to see signs of chipping in a photo.

 

[filmiracl]

I disagree with the idea that it looks too small to be a tool -- you should see some of the tiny little tools from my woodland site (and some are nicely crafted, not just utilized flakes.) With that said... this particular quartz piece looks to be nothing more than a natural piece of quartz... or maybe debitage if it's from a site with quartz points and such.

 

[Tdog]

As far as quartz goes, that's a good quality piece of material. I can't see the detail in the pics that you're seeing with it in hand. It may be a piece of a larger item or maybe a touched up flake to be used as an expedient cutting tool.

 

[Huzzah!]

Not an artifact. Does not appear to be worked by anything other than nature.
I'll now wait for your explanation on how incorrect I am.

Gopher, when have I called you out--or anyone--for giving your opinion? That's why I post stuff here. Yesterday, others disagreed with your opinion about a stone tool and you got really butthurt If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen!

Otherwise, thanks for the looks yall. I don't think i can get better pics of this with what I have. Will keep it for now.

 

[GopherDaGold]

Gopher, when have I called you out--or anyone--for giving your opinion? That's why I post stuff here. Yesterday, others disagreed with your opinion about a stone tool and you got really butthurt If you can't handle the heat get out of the kitchen!

Otherwise, thanks for the looks yall. I don't think i can get better pics of this with what I have. Will keep it for now.

How do you suppose I was 'butt hurt'? I gave my opinion on two rocks then moved on. If you don't wish to believe my opinion it's no skin off my balls.
There is no shortage of people here who post rocks claiming them to be tools, points and effigies. When someone with actual knowledge comes along to dispute their claims we get a wall of text diatribe on how wrong we are and 'if you hold it in the light a certain way' or 'there's no way a natural rock would balance this way' etc.
Believe what you want to believe. Meanwhile, I will be picking up REAL artifacts.

 

[Older The Better]

Sometimes people disagree that’s the way of the world. Your crazy if you think you’ll make it your whole life without conflict. I have no ill will to gopher da gold. I’m confident in my assessment and if he disagrees then that’s his right. I generally try not to make people these days type statements but I’ve seen lots of posts get out of hand recently because people can’t handle a difference of opinion. Seems like people are getting more and more thin skinned. Hopefully next time I’ll have a new and worthy find haha

 

[Quartzite Keith]

Being in a neighboring county and having extensively worked with (knapped) the local materials makes it easier to make a guess. Finding a flattish piece of completely cortex free quartz here is an almost sure sign the piece was worked. They especially liked that clear stuff because it flakes well and is super sharp. Unfortunately, like all the quartz around here, it only comes in small pieces that are full of cracks, so as you knap it it likes to just fall apart. I believe what you have there is one end (about a third) of a small biface that cracked toward the end of production. Sometimes they did save the broken pieces like that to use as expedient tools, but cases where I've seen that done, the pieces were more like twice that size (i.e., easier to handle).

 

[Saguache]

Small tools...NOT "just a rock"!!


These are from a Folsom site, the
bottom one is from fossilized bone.

 

[MAMucker]

I have to agree with Quatzite Kieth. Although quartz is notoriously difficult to capture in photos -to show fine edge work. There is enough in those photos to see workmanship.

I for one would like to see a few more photos. I suspect we are looking at a small expedient blade (possibly salvaged/saved section from a failed attempt at a point)

The lithic is a high grade crystal quartz. This was highly valued by NAs. It is not uncommon to find small cutting blades, made of that material, of that size in my region of the Northeast US.
Though it is likely they are often overlooked.

 

[Saguache]

Quartz crystal graver

 

[Huzzah!]

Appreciate the looks and insight all. I’ll have more photos up when I get back to Va—and I’ll include the other pieces that are similar yet a little larger. Will need to find something other than my iPhone to take good pics with. That’s a cool graver. I know even less about gravers than I do about the piece of quartz I posted.

Keith—this one and the other 2 I found at that knapping site/area I mentioned before.

 

[arrow86]

Appreciate the looks and insight all. I’ll have more photos up when I get back to Va—and I’ll include the other pieces that are similar yet a little larger. Will need to find something other than my iPhone to take good pics with. That’s a cool graver. I know even less about gravers than I do about the piece of quartz I posted.

Keith—this one and the other 2 I found at that knapping site/area I mentioned before.

Iv tried a lot of different things to get good photos of worked quartz ..... unfortunately it just really doesn’t show well in photos but some of the better pics I got I took with my phone than using the tools to edit photo adjusting the shadow, brightness, mostly just playing around with the different settings may help out.