This is a piece of Siltstone, although it was being sold as 'Zebra Stone' by the vendor on the day. My suspicion is that this sort of material is easier to sell when it is called 'Zebra Stone' given the popularity of that particular stone. Although zebra stone is a variety of siltstone, it has a far more distinctive pattern than this piece. In saying this, I loved the colour and uniform pattern of this slab of material so grabbed it anyway. I am not sure what I will do with this just yet as it is a very soft stone, but will see how we go!
This piece is Ribbon Jasper originating from New Zealand. Jasper is basically a variety of quartz and is quite a hard material. Because of makeup and hardness of jasper, it generally takes a magnificent shine and the variety of colours and patterns is endless. This particular piece caught my eye because of the pattern running across the stone. It has quite a few healed fractures that I may need to avoid, but the piece is large enough for this not to be too much of an issue.
This piece is Rhyolite which I am told originates from New South Wales (Australia). Rhyolite is also part of the quartz family and is generally a volcanic creation. It is worth noting that when the Rhyolite formation cools too quickly for crystals to form, instead of Rhyolite being the end result, Obsidian is formed in its place. I haven't cut rhyolite before so not quite sure what to expect. In saying this, if it is in the quartz family I would anticipate it to be quite hard and taken a good polish.
Last but not least we have a slice of unknown material. I was told that it originates from New Zealand but that was all the vendor could tell me. My thoughts are that it is some sort of agatised jasper or some other form of quartz. It certainly has that look and feel to it. I liked the pattern on it so thought I would grab it regardless and we will see how it cuts up!
Well, that's it as far as our Gemkhana adventures go for another year. I certainly had a great weekend and was very pleased with the turnout. The organisation of the event was well done and there were plenty of people through the gates. I am certainly looking forward to next years show! Remember that if you like the look of any of the materials I have posted from the show, feel free to drop me an email via jakagems@hotmail.com and I am sure we can work a piece out for you. Also don't forget to check us out on facebook and on storenvy.
Until next time!
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