Gemkhana 2013 Part 2

Following on from my post from the other day (view here), here are some more of the rough material that I got my hands on at the Gemkhana event in Albury.

This is a piece of Mahogany Obsidian. I have already explained obsidian in my post from the other day and the fact that it is a pain to cut, but again, I couldn't walk away from this as it comes up so nicely! This particular piece has quite interesting patterning though it.

Nundoorite (Pictured to the right) is a material that I had never seen or heard of before. From the little information I have found relating to this particular stone, I have been able to ascertain that the name 'Nundoorite' is as a result of where this material was originally found - Nundoora Station near Broken Hill (New South Wales). The original deposit of this stuff was mined out some 20 or 30 years ago, but further deposits of similar stones (such as this piece) have since been located nearby. This stone is mainly made up of orthoclase syenite with green flecks of aegerine running through. Quite an interesting looking stone and I am certainly intrigued as to what it will end up like.

These 3 slabs are a stone known as 'Sonora Sunrise' (or Sonora Sunset depending on who you talk to!). It is a relatively new find originating in Mexico and is a mixture of Cuprite (red) and Chrysocolla (green). I have been chasing some of this stuff for a while now so was pleased to find these slabs. It seems like quite a soft material so not sure how the final polish will end up.

These 3 are small slabs of 'Marble Bar Jasper' - a material originating from an area just outside the small West Australian settlement of Marble Bar. I have some of this at home already and have cut a few pieces out of it (this piece in particular came out very nicely!), but it is so hard to come by that I could not leave these pieces behind. The vendor did have a few other small slabs, but they were quite cracked and I didn't think I could do a lot with them. These pieces on the other hand looked fantastic.

This piece is a relatively large slab of Poppy Jasper from New South Wales. I quite liked the patterns across the stone, with small agatised areas amongst beautiful red jasper. Jasper is known for taking a brilliant shine and I have no doubt that this slab will not disappoint. I have a project in mind for this piece, so stay tuned!




I have 4 more slabs yet to show you from the material I bought at Gemkhana which I will post over the next couple of days, so swing back by my blog to find out what they are! Also keep an eye out both here and on my Facebook page for pieces created out of this rough material!

Until next time!