In June of 2020, the Central Oregon Rock Collectors Club went on a field trip to the McDonald Ranch near Ashwood, Oregon. The McDonald Ranch offers petrified wood, angelwing agate, and thundereggs.

We met in downtown Madras, Oregon, in the morning and caravanned North on Highway 97. No carpooling was allowed due to COVID-19 concerns. We drove past the Richardson Rock Ranch and turned South on NE Pony Butte Road towards Ashwood. In 9 miles, we passed the polka dotted trailer that marks the entrance of the Polka Dot Agate mine, and within a half mile past that was the sign for the McDonald ranch at the first right turn after Polka Dot. The gravel road to the McDonald Ranch Agate Beds is well maintained and, at 5 miles in, ribbons mark the ranch entrance.

Historic Destination

The McDonald Ranch is a 3,000-acre ranch that has been in the McDonald family for generations. The family history dates back to the 1800s when Ashwood was a gold-mining town and the McDonald’s great grandfather was one of the first livestock operators before the Homestead Act. Today, the ranch is run by Alex and Cheryl McDonald and their son, Tom. In the 1960s, the family began to open their ranch for rockhounds and have continued to do so ever since.

The group first started at the petrified wood location. The ground has been bulldozed, exposing large quantities of petrified wood. This is primarily petrified Sequoia, which is well silicified and takes a great polish. There is plenty to pick up from small to massive broken chunks and intact limbs and trunks. Logs have been dug there up to 30 feet long, and there is a 16½-ton piece at the University of New Mexico at Las Cruces. A geology professor from the Smithsonian was present when that log was shipped.

Exploring Angelwing

Next, the group went to the angelwing agate area, about a 1/3 mile farther down the dirt road. This area has also been bulldozed and has loose piles of dirt to search through to find agate. Beyond the loose dirt was some agate exposed in basalt that required serious digging. I stayed with the loose piles and was rewarded with a very nice 2-pound piece of angelwing. Club members left with some very nice pieces from this dig site.

Another 100 yards beyond the angelwing is a long trench where thundereggs can be dug from the trench wall. This was the hardest digging of the day. I spotted a thunderegg on the wall and began to carefully chip away around it. I chipped and chipped, but it is still there for the next more patient rockhound.

The thunderegs are $1 per pound, the petrified wood is $2 per pound, and the angelwing agate is sold at $3 per pound. Scales set up at the petrified wood and angelwing sites let us know how much over budget we had gone.

The McDonald Ranch is open by appointment only. This is a working ranch, and the McDonald family needs to know when guests are coming. Call Alex McDonald at (541) 489-3290, leave a message, and Alex will return your call.

The post Club Corner: Digging at McDonald Ranch first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Resilient, passionate, giving, and camaraderie describe the spirit of the Paradise Gem & Mineral Club member.

Resiliency is a significant factor in the past and present of this California-based club, which formed in 1950. As history reports reveal, it came to be when several people made their way from the San Francisco Bay area to Paradise. It was among the transplants that like-minded rockhounds, who enjoyed scouring the area and taking trips to other areas of the state in search of rock and minerals, came together to form the club.

Fast forward to 2018 and the devastating fires that swept through and destroyed thousands of acres and homes throughout California. A number of Paradise club members lost everything in the fires, including collections and lapidary equipment. As people had to rebuild their homes and lives, the club membership drastically declined.

During this particular moment in time, a silver lining was the generosity of a partnership with the Gold Nugget Museum. The museum, which also suffered a complete loss of its building and collections during the fires, invited the club to partner and share space in its new museum locality. Thanks to this generosity, the club has a home and a place to meet.

Flash ahead to 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic, and just like most other clubs, the group had to cancel its popular annual show, which would have marked the 70th anniversary of the club. Instead of 2020, the resiliency of the club members resulted in a wildly popular show in April of 2021.

The theme of the show: Out of the Fire We Rise! Celebrating 70 Years!, brought a tremendous response from the community. The indoor/outdoor event saw nearly 3,000 youth and adults attend the show during the three days, and as organizers report, it was a rousing success for vendors.

The response to the show only serves to inspire this club to keep moving forward and keep aiming to serve the community with education, experiences, and inspiring all to enjoy the hunt, collection, and creativity that involves rocks, minerals, and gems.

For more information, visit https://www.facebook.com/paradisegemandmineralclub.

The post Paradise Gem & Mineral Club Steeped in Resiliency first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Understanding what brings and keeps people interested in rockhounding, mining history, and mineralogical study is as varied as the natural discoveries they make.

For Canada’s Jason White, one could say it dates back to his years as a Cub Scout in St. John’s, Newfoundland. During this time, a Scout leader presented him with a book about Newfoundland’s mineral deposits, written in the 1950s. Perhaps it was during the late 1990s when he staked his first claims, operating on little knowledge but a deep passion and excitement for what he may discover. It also could be when he was prospecting full-time and selling vegetables and herb transplants to afford money for fuel to get to the dig sites. Or, it could be each of these moments and many others that brought him to the place he is today, continuing to explore one of his most significant discoveries, amethyst from the La Manche mine.

La Manche’s Mining Legacy

The La Manche mine property consists of four claims on the western side of the Avalon

Peninsula, which is adjacent to the former community of La Manche, in Newfoundland, Canada. In researching the mining and cultural history of the area, White, a technical writer, has mapped out a timeline of activity at the mine. As he explained, the La Manche mine was formally discovered in the 1850s, but the locals collected lead in the area for fishing weights long before that. There has been evidence of mining attempts dating to the 16th century in Placentia Bay (Basques, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and English were the first Europeans to explore the region).

The first mining attempts during the 1850s were the work of a company owned by the Transatlantic communication cable developers and employed Cornish miners. The veins reach from under the sea of Placentia Bay to two miles inland, ranging from four inches to 16 feet in width, with the deepest shaft sunk to a 400-foot depth. Historically, the first noted formal mining attempts were undertaken by the same people responsible for the transatlantic cable in 1855 and again in 1864, according to White’s research.

La Manche’s connection to amethyst quartz, while the focus of White’s present-day mining and research activities, dates back to an 1868 geological survey of Newfoundland, which revealed amethyst quartz in the La Manche mine.

Not unlike many things, the 1920s were not kind to the mine, as the shaft on the main deposit was extended to 400 feet, but in 1929 the dam broke and flooded the mine, and with the market crash the following month, it was impossible to raise the money to repair the damage, White reports.

In the 1970s and early 1980s, the area again was prospected, White stated. Soil samples were taken. It was trenched and drilled. While prospectors did uncover the deposit, they didn’t find a base metal deposit but rather unknowingly a smaller gemstone deposit, and they abandoned efforts to mine in the 1980s. Between the 1980s and early 2000s, “A few people briefly picked at exploring the property, including the discoverer of the Voisey’s Bay Nickel deposit and now mine in Labrador, and La Manche went back on the shelf again,” White stated.

Then, in 2004, White took a chance on the mine, which he had first visited in 2002.

As he explained, “I had the idea that lead usually had silver with it, so I had staked the La Manche mine, the Silver Cliff mine in Argentia, The Meadow Woods Fluorite/barite/galena vein near St Lawrence fluorite mines, and the Traverstown Lead deposit in Fleur De Lys, Newfoundland.” As various historical accounts reveal, the area was quarried several thousand years ago and was known about by Europeans in 1668. But, since nobody wanted lead at the time, they were all available to be staked, he added.

It was also White’s fascination and career task involving research that brought him to La Manche.

“What allowed me to do the initial trenching at La Manche to discover the vein was the employment as a technical writer at Syncrude Canada Ltd. in Fort McMurray, Alberta, one of the largest mining operations on earth,” he explained. “I enjoyed reading all the technical specifications and meeting the technical experts in their fields.”

Research Broadens the Appeal

In fact, the technical documentation review has opened the door for White to enjoy an even more personal approach to understanding the extended history related to the site.

“It has gone from just looking at the rock to looking at the people who were here mining in the 1850s, my ancestors,” he explained. “I see the holes in the rock where the drill steel was pounded into the solid rock and filled with powder, and I feel my arms ache from the hammer hitting it.”

He went on to explain another fascinating discovery. “I have traced the mining engineer Harry Verran, who put La Manche into production the 1850s, back to his birthplace in Cornwall, one of the Cornish diaspora, as were some of my ancestors. In addition, my family worked in the mines of Bell Island in Conception Bay, one of the largest underground iron deposits ever mined; my grandmother’s brother was a blaster at the Pyrophyllite mine in Manuels, in Newfoundland, up until his retirement in the 1980s.”

As exciting as the research part of the journey may be, that first actual discovery is undeniably thrilling.

“The first time I had found the vein with some galena and clear quartz clusters, and the second time I had found the same vein 500 feet away with large masses of galena weighing over 35 pounds, and now they are joined. The next day, I was on site with a geologist and hit the large pocket where the first good material was discovered,” White explained.

As is often the case, the connection between rockhounds of varying experience and interest, such as White and the geologist, can forge friendships that result in countless collaborations. Before discovering the treasures at La Manche, White and the same geologist paired up on a tungsten project wherein they spent countless hours jumping in and out of 300-foot-long, 20-foot-deep trenches in the dark of night with a UV light looking for the blue glow of scheelite in the gravel, White said.

In fact, over the past 20 years, friendships, collaborations, and the excitement of future projects have marked the journey.

“There may be potential academic involvement for the La Manche project to discover additional crystal-filled pockets using ground-penetrating radar and seismic to differentiate between the hard rock and gravel and clay-filled pocket,” according to White. The same technique worked well when used at a barite site 15 miles away at Collier Point during a research project with Memorial University.

White went on to explain, “With the close proximity of La Manche and the other deposits from the University, these can be used for academic study as well. What first-year geology student wouldn’t love to do a field trip to a mine with large mineral crystals including UV fluorescent calcite, smithsonite, and a few others, large pseudomorphs of galena after calcite and a gemstone deposit in the middle of the vein?”

Presently, Dr. Phillippe Belley is beginning study of the amethyst from La Manche, and the goals, as explained by White, are to define and map the deposit, mineralogy, and then to determine the very subtle features such as color shade, inclusions, and trace element geochemistry, the unique factors of the deposit.

Among the many lessons that prospecting has taught White over the years, one of the greatest may be the value of details.

“The most important thing you can learn is to pay close attention to details, every detail, whether that be stories from locals in an area, company press releases, government reports, academic research, and everything you can find. Sometimes the slightest detail can lead to the largest discovery in the same area where others have looked for generations.”

The delight of discovery and details is clearly part of what keeps this prospector, technical writer, husband, father, and proud Canadian steeped in rock and mining history.

The post New Discoveries in Newfoundland first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

I have been making more cabs lately that have included some features that involve carving techniques. Much of my carving is done with 1” diameter Mizzy silicon carbide wheels which are used dry. The material removal goes rather quickly, but the sanding activity that follows requires quite a bit of tedious work.

Some of the work can be accomplished with rubberized Cratex wheels with various sizes of silicon carbide grit embedded within. The wheels do a good job of smoothing the previously ground surfaces, but there is more precise work that needs to be done. Usually, I use wet or dry silicon carbide sandpaper sheets to finish the sanding job, but as I said, it’s a slow process. The grit on the sandpaper wears down rather quickly, and you need to start with another small piece of sandpaper repeatedly. Overall, it is a slow, tedious process.

Making Discoveries at Shows

A couple of years ago, in June, we went to the Monterey Jade Festival in Monterey, California. It had many dealers from domestic and foreign locations. Many carvers were selling their products and carving tools. A dealer that I frequently see at various shows — Dave Clayton — was selling carving tools. I have purchased many tools from him over the years. His business’ name is Jade Carver.

One time I asked him, “How do carvers smooth rounded or flat surfaces when they are carving?” He responded by showing me some small silicon carbide carving blocks that he uses. They come in various sizes and grits as well as hardness. I bought a set of four with the soft binder. They came in 220, 400, 600 and 1200 grit sizes. Then, I proceeded to bring them home, put them in a drawer, and forget about them until recently.

I started this month’s project, and while I was carving a groove down the center to make a heart shape, I was contemplating how I was going to shape the shoulder of the groove. I wanted it to have a dome shape, and I knew I could grind the shape with my Mizzy wheel, but the result was a rather rough, bumpy surface. As I was dreading the process of sanding the surface with sandpaper, it dawned on me that I had those silicon carbide sanding blocks.

The blocks come in a hard binder used to carve sharp edges or grooves or a soft binder used to smooth curves or domes. After I ground the basic groove and shaped the edges to a dome, I used the 220 soft binder carving block to start the sanding operation. I used this process to get the coarse grinding scratches out and further refine the dome’s shape. I did this activity dry, which I found out later in a phone call with Dave, works better if done wet. These soft blocks quickly ground the surface and helped me get to the desired shape and surface finish. I touched up the piece with the 400 grit and took it to my polishing wheel that quickly brought up the final polish.

Adding Touches of Decorative Carving

I later decided to add some decorative carving from the back in the form of multi-sized

holes that were ground and polished to let a light pattern show through the piece.

If you have any questions about using the carving blocks or anything concerning carving and polishing jade, don’t hesitate to contact Dave at www.jadecarver.com. I found him to be very sharing of his carving knowledge.

The post Bench Tips: Finding a New Tool for Carving first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Mexican Peanut obsidian was discovered in the 1960s near Alamos, Sonora, Mexico. In recent years it’s become exceedingly scarce as it has been a lapidary favorite for years. Many people are attracted to orbicular stones or something that resembles flowery patterns, and Peanut Obsidian has all that and more.

Though it’s not exactly obsidian, it is perlite with spherulites in it. The spherulites are radiating crystals of feldspar, tinted by hematite. They are quite chatoyant when cut and polished, which adds fascination to the already beautiful orbicular design in this material. The backing matrix is predominantly black but also comes in grey tones with some banding. The spherulites are generally reddish-orange and generally round; however, recently, I’ve seen batches where the orbs have split and grown in different directions or formed clumps of flowery clusters, which adds to the beauty of this stone.

Tips for Purchasing

When purchasing Peanut obsidian, it comes in various sizes, anything from the size of a baseball to large 20-pound chunks. I have always noticed that the lighter the grey matrix, the softer and less stable the material will be. The best choice, in my opinion, is an all-black matrix, as it tends to be far more solid and stable to cut. No matter what, most of this material will have some fracturing to it, usually not a great deal, but there might be times that stabilizing is an optimal idea. The outer edges that have been exposed to the soil around it can soften the perlite and spherulites to a point where you can pop some out with your hands, but don’t worry; this is typical of this material and only on the outer areas.

Once you slab this material, the inner portions are generally very stable and have minimal fracturing. You may see small spiderweb fractures, but they are not usually very deep. However, you should do a bench test and either flex the slabs in your hand or lightly tap them on your workbench to see which parts fall off before beginning any work. Be cautious when doing these tests, as volcanic glass can easily cut, or worse, it can send small sharp shards in the air, which can cause severe eye injuries. Take extra precautions.

The fun begins after the slabs are cut as the orbs, or flowery clusters make for some great designs. If possible, consider adding a little extra black matrix in the back-ground utilizing negative space, it adds to the beauty of the stone, and accents the spherulite patterns. When cutting out your preforms, the thinner blades work much better on obsidians; they cut fast and clean without too much vibration that can cause additional fracturing.

Ready, Set, Cab!

Once you’re ready to cab, be sure to wear adequate eye protection, because as I mentioned earlier, this and any obsidian or glass can send small razor-sharp particles into the air when initially grinding out your shapes and domes. I start on the 80 grit steel diamond wheels and softly work out my shapes. Obsidian is relatively soft, so going slow with light pressure is usually best and avoids the additional chipping off the outer back edge.

At this point, I like to move directly to a soft resin wheel, either 140 or 220 grit and continue to smooth and dome the cab. From here, it’s fairly easy and routine; move onto your 280 grit wheel, and be sure to go no further until all the scratches are completely gone at this stage. Having canned air handy is quite helpful, as a quick blast of air will immediately show white scratches if they still exist.

Next, move onto the rest of your wheels until you have reached your 14k grit, at which point you should have a wonderfully polished cabochon that is ready to set in jewelry. But, if you want to go further and gain that added extra mirror polish, you can use cerium oxide on a leather buffing wheel. Just be aware of any open areas, whether it’s a hairline fracture or a small hairline gap on the edge of the spherulite and matrix, as these spaces will fill with compound and be difficult to clean after.

You should be able to find this material at the Tucson shows this spring, and you can always obtain the material from Tanner Singleton on Facebook, via the Slab Depot Group.

The post What to Cut: Mexican Peanut Obsidian first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

I’m not always a huge fan of cooking, but I like to eat (don’t we all?), so such is the case of necessity.

I think I’m least thrilled about having to cook after I’ve been out and about all day, be it on the hunt for rocks, visiting rummage sales with a friend, spending the day on the lake, or completing a particularly busy workday. Can you relate?

That’s why I love the meal prep approach and all the wonderful recipes and handy tips others have shared for making the most of prep time in order to enjoy a tasty and healthy meal. Snacks are another place where I like to use prep time to avoid just grabbing something that may not be the best choice for me. Instead of a handful of chips or a candy bar, I have two recipes that help me stay sound in my eating and still give me an enjoyable treat or two.

And, since where I live, late spring means the first flush of humidity for the summer, I opted to go with two of my quick and cool pineapple treats. I can’t tell you how splendid it is to enjoy one of these treats after I’ve been out digging in the dirt for part of the day. Mmmm!

Chocolate-Pineapple Frozen Treat
-Two packets of Carnation chocolate breakfast mix
-2-3 ¼ cups of crushed pineapple (no syrup)
•Mix the chocolate mixture and pineapple together in a bowl.
•Scoop the mixture into a baggie and place in freezer.
—Repeat process to use entire can of crushed pineapple.
•Chill in freezer 12-24 hours.

Chocolate Pineapple On-a-Stick
-Whole pineapple or pre-sliced pineapple wedges
-1 cup chocolate chips
*Optional nuts or white chocolate to drizzle or coconut flakes
-Popsicle or lollipop sticks
•Cut ends of the pineapple and trim the rind and start cutting the pineapple lengthwise-to create pineapple wedges. Place on paper towels to remove excess water.
• Insert a popsicle or lollipop stick into each wedge and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
• Melt the chocolate chips and dip wedges into the chocolate; shake slightly before transferring to the baking sheet
•Optional – drizzle white chocolate, add nuts, or sprinkle coconut before freezing.
•Place in freezer to chill for 12-24 hours.

Alternate approach: Use pre-sliced pineapple rings – dip half the ring in chocolate and freeze.

Don’t forget to appreciate every moment you can enjoy food as fuel and/or for fun!

The post Food for Fuel and Fun: Chocolate Pineapple Delights first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

Cornetite is a mineral wherein the word “b-e-a-u-tiful” is an apt description. It is well known and greatly appreciated for its rich and sparkling colors, often presenting in a deep blue, green-blue, or a lush shade of green.

It is an uncommon secondary copper mineral, hence the luxurious blues and greens, and it is often found in oxidation zones of copper sulfide ore bodies, as explained at www.geologypage.com.

Its locality is primarily the Democratic Republic of the Congo, most specifically the Star of the Congo (Kalakaluka) mine, which is located near Lubumbashi; additional prolific localities include the Kalabi and Lukini mines, both in the Katanga Province, Congo. The Lubumbashi region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the country’s mining capital. It was founded in 1910, a year after the Kalakaluka mine began ore mining operations. The region is located in the southeastern tip of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, along the border with norther Zambia, according to the Encyclopedia Britannica.

The featured aesthetic cornetite specimen in this Mineral of the Week was mined in the Kalakaluka Mine (Star of the Congo), Congo. It is considered small cabinet size (9.7 x 8.1 x 3.8 cm). The specimen (featured at different angles within the photos presented) is on offer by Bob and Lisa Williamson and open to bids at mineral-auctions.com.

Although the Kalakaluka mine is still visited on occasion by locals looking for any remaining ore specimens, the copper mine is currently abandoned. It became a leader in cobalt ore mining in the first quarter of the 20th century and was known by various names during its active operation.

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The post Mineral of the Week: Cornetite first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

The mineral orpiment provides a great lesson in the importance of knowing mineral composition as it relates to storage and display.

The orpiment specimen is on offer by Luciana Barbosa and open for bids at mineral-auctions.net. 

This arsenic trisulfide mineral has a Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2. It is also a photosensitive mineral, which is known to produce a white film if exposed to light for long periods of time, according to information at minerals.net. With this being the case, it’s recommended orpiment be stored in an enclosed space away from direct exposure to light. In addition to its sensitivity to light and more fragile structure, as an arsenic trisulfide it does contain a certain amount of arsenic, which makes it toxic to handle.

Despite the fragile, light sensitivity of this arsenic-based mineral, it often presents as a brilliant gemmy butterscotch color, as well as bright yellow, orange, and orange-red. Adding to the striking color, the crystal formation is commonly prismatic, chisel-shaped, and appears triangular in shape, and the mineral is formed as a hot-springs deposit, according to information published at Britannica.com.

Among the most common locations orpiment is found are deposits in Iran, Macedonia, France, and Peru. Plus, a recent addition to that list is the area of Humboldt Co., Nevada, and the locality of the featured specimen, Tooele Co., Utah.

While the mineral’s toxicity is well known today, Middle Eastern artists were known to use orpiment as a form of paint during ancient times.

The science of mineralogy is a truly fascinating way to study history.

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The post Mineral of the Week: Orpiment first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

By Lee Wallace

Many years ago, in what is now our Western States, there were violent upheavals within the earth. Magma boiled and seethed below the surface and, in some areas, forced its way upward to spill out of volcanoes and fissures. Any of the liquid magma that reached the surface is called lava, and lava that cooled so quickly that it did not have time to crystalize is called “obsidian,” or volcanic glass.

In weathering, especially where water got into cracks or crevices, this natural glass contracted and fractured into curved scales, much like the layers in pearls. This new rock, called “perlite,” erodes away, leaving rounded black nodules of the original obsidian — Apache Tears — to become a joy or plague to the rockhound who tries to polish them in a tumbler. The proper name for these stones is merekanite, but they frequently are called other even less-attractive names before they are successfully polished.

Characteristics of Apache Tears

Left in place, all of the obsidian in any deposit would slowly weather into perlite. So, relatively speaking, there is no old obsidian, although it may age the rockhound who works with it. This does not imply that the polished Apache Tear, worn on a necklace, will crumble and fall on the toes of the wearer. Obsidian, like any glass, just is not stable. However, the process of breakdown takes many, many years, so you will be safe wearing them. Most people who are unacquainted with Apache Tears are amazed to learn that light can be viewed through them. This is not due to the minerals involved as much as it is the structure. Obsidian is actually the non-crystalline equivalent of granite, which in turn is the coarse-grained equivalent of rhyolite. The chemical and mineral compositions are the same.

Within the U.S., Apace Tears are often found in the West, less so east of the Mississippi, unless found in the back lots of disgruntled hobbyists who tried in vain to turn them into lovely, high-polished gemstones. While we had seen beautifully polished Apache Tears, our results were often like frosted concord grapes — all dark and sugary. So, we read a bit and tried again, only to fail again. So, we tried the methods of various others who reportedly “had the answer.” However, nothing seems to work, so by careful questioning and sheer tenacity, plus some thought of our own, we figured it out. No secret ingredients, no holds barred.

Steps for Tumbling Apache Tears

Just keep in mind that you are handling glass with a Mohs hardness of about 5½. Do not attempt to tumble it with anything harder, except in the first rough grind to smooth edges. Here are the steps we followed:
1. Place Apache Tears of various dimensions with other agates, a half-to-half ratio, with one pound of 90 grit to 10 pounds of rock, in the tumbler barrel. Water is added, and this tumbled for a month.
2. The stones are washed and Apache Tears are separated from the agate. The Tears are then tumbled for two weeks with one pound of 220 grit for each 10 pounds of Tears. Add about a cup and a half of leather bits, and water to full.

3. Again the Apache Tears are washed, and separated from leather bits. Tumble for two more weeks with one pound of 600 grit to 10 pounds of Tears. Add about a cup and a half of clean leather bits, and water to full.
4. Switch to a vibrating tumbler. Wash the Apache Tears and remove leather. Place Tears in a four-pound hopper with on tablespoon of Tripoli and about a half to three-fourths of a cup of clean leather bits, and enough water to make a gravy-like slurry.
**At this point you may be asking how to put 10 pounds of Apache Tears in a four-pound hopper – but a box will hold the excess to process later.
5. Wash the Tears again, remove the leather bits, and tumble for one week more with one tablespoon of cerium oxide with one-half to three-fourths cup of clean leather bits, again adding water to make a gravy-like slurry.
6. Wash the Tears another time, remove the bits, and tumble for about two hours with one-half cup of clean leather bits, and about a half-tablespoon of detergent.

The results are highly polished glassy Apache Tears.

Editor’s Note: You can find all of the supplies and equipment discussed and shown in this article at the Kingsley North website >>>

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The post Tumbling Talk: Tearless Apache Tears first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.

My late mother and grandmother were not stereotypical when it came to being grandmas. However, after speaking with various people in the rockhounding community, I’m less convinced there is a stereotypical grandma these days.

My grandmother and grandfather had a small farm in northwestern Wisconsin, and while other grandmothers of the day might have enjoyed tending to the house, cooking, and the like, my Grandma Anne much preferred working in the barn and in the garden to house tending duties. In fact, there’s a story that floats around our family about how my grandmother, having lost all time as she was tending to her garden, was known to take a roast out of the freezer with little time to spare and try and move and heaven and earth to de-thaw the meat for evening dinner. She was rarely successful.

My mother (Helen-Pat) was another unconventional sort for different reasons. She was widowed for much of her life (twice) and was the lone parent to my sisters and me. While I came along during her second marriage, she found herself widowed again quite early on. With that being the case, she began working two jobs to keep things moving in our household. Working a full-time factory job during the day and a part-time customer service job in the evenings left little time to make the traditional type of dinners she hoped to. That’s when she became a pro at making the most of the handy device known as the slow cooker.

Whether your reasons for having limited time to spend in the kitchen are because of work, community projects, family events, or like my grandmother, a desire to simply stay outdoors as long as possible, maybe you’ll find Grandma’s Easy Stew to be an answer to help feed your hunger and your limited time to cook.

Ingredients
2 pounds cubed stew meat
3 medium-sized potatoes (peeled or not and cut into chunks)
5 carrots (peeled and cut)
3 small onions (sliced thinly)
1 can of peas (drained) *optional
1 can of tomato soup
1 can of cream of celery soup
Add salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Put all ingredients into a Crock-Pot/slow cooker and cook on medium for 4-5 hours. Enjoy!

The post Food for Fuel and Fun: Grandma’s Easy Stew first appeared on Rock & Gem Magazine.