Worth pursuing, opinions...

[Steve1236]

I picked up this piece of Chalcedony last time I was out at my agate spot, it was a couple small hills away from where I dig for fire agates but I remember the general spot, I noticed it looked somewhat translucent so I grabbed a small piece, I just cleaned it up this morning and I noticed that ugly rock crust from the inside is bright orange, pink, yellow and other colors probably, I tried to cut it but my last diamond blade burned out. I wanted some opinions, anybody see anything like it before or what's causing all those super bright colors, maybe an iron oxide layer?

 

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[IAMZIM]

It does look like iron staining to me. I still think that rock is really cool! Pics three, four and five look like there is a tiny bit of fire on that "nub"?

 

[Steve1236]

Yeah weird, that pink Schiller or fire in pics 3 and 4? In pictures 2 and 5 in that upper bright orange and pink color of the chalcedony a small section, is where the stone is broken just right to see what's under that ugly brown crust in the first picture, I started to cut it right in half but then I noticed I wasn't getting anywhere, my only diamond saw blade is toast lol. It's hard to capture in a picture but it almost looks like fire or schiller effects, I've never seen hot pink and fanta orange iron staining, that's why I wanted to reveal the backside by cutting it.

 

[Steve1236]

Went out again very early for two hours, there was a big rain so I had to get the free pickings, this was a vug geode I grabbed, you can barely see it, this rock weighs 15lbs, doesn't seen too pretty but wait till I clean it, I grabbed about another 8 or 10 pounds of fire agate as well.

 

[Steve1236]

Cleaned up, kind of reminds me of a grisly bear head lol.. Sorry about the lighting, I took these when the sun was rising.

 

[DDancer]

With the chalcedony in AZ around the fire agate areas you'll get a lot of common potch that has small fractures that sandrox will get into along with the common iron stains, sometimes its mixed into the chalcedony in little vugs usually near the surface and that'll give you pinks and fanta colors. Translucent to cloudy areas will disburse the colors almost like moon stone and rarely like cloudy opal. Its nice stuff though I've never seen a successful cab of it.

 

[Steve1236]

I need some more blades so I can make my bits last longer but I'm curious is to how that will come out, should I leave that crust on the back or cut it off to see if there's any play of colors in the chalcedony itself or would that take the pink and fanta effects away DDancer?

 

[DDancer]

Hard to say Steve. I've never seen a successful cab. I've tried chipping in the past and in it I observed what I reported. I think the rind will be necessary to preserve the coloration unless there is a deep inclusion. Also, as I said, the common translucent material acts to disburse colors~ like a lens~ so leaving the rind as a backing is kind of like an opal doublet for the layers showing color. I dont know how to address your tooling. Chalcedony is a tough material even for a silicate and working it wet is the only method I know to help preserve your tools.

 

[Steve1236]

I'll just go at it one of these days and see how it turns out, I'll post the outcome, good or bad. I just need the blades to cut deep lines then I stick a flat head in between them and break off most the Chalcedony rather than grinding it all off, that really eats your bits up, especially Chalcedony.