AZBlueRockers.com Rock Hound Blog

Ocean Jasper Cabochons

admin — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 00:12:05 +0000

Have a look at some of the new Ocean Jasper Cabochons we’ve put in the store:

New Products : Bruneau Jasper & Dryhead Agate

admin — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 23:54:43 +0000

We have added a few new product categories for Bruneau Jasper and Dryhead Agate, check out these great finds:

Bruneau Jasper has brown tones and circular formations which was originally from the region near the Bruneau River in western Idaho (about 30 miles south of the tiny town of Bruneau). Be sure to browse our store to see all of the have old stock Bruneau Jasper Cabs we have for sale.

Dryhead Agate is found in southern Montana between the Big Horn and Pryor Mountain ranges and just to the west of the Big Horn River. Dryhead Agate nodules offer the beautiful red and orange colors, with gold, white, yellow and pink. Click here to browse our Dryhead Agate Cabochons »

January Newsletter

admin — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 12:45:59 +0000

We just sent off our monthly newsletter (new year edition) filled with upcoming products and good deals. Amethyst, Sonora Sunset and soon to come more Rhodonite polished cabochons. Click here to view the newsletter!

Happy New Year!

admin — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:03:25 +0000

As we enter into a new year for 2010 we have some exciting things coming up! We’ve been hard at work cutting, tumbling, polishing and of course shaping gemstones. Expect to see some rough rock too along with polished necklaces, rock clocks, belt buckles and more. Of course you can still get our translucent obsidian apache tears from small to large sizes.

You will see more premium selections including priday agate, chrysocolla, dinosaur bone, green moss agate and more gem quality stones you can use in your next project or select from one of our necklaces, rings or bracelets. The new amethyst with cacoxenite polished cabs or faces are also new additions to our website and you will see more jewelry with this combination. The formations in the stone have landscape formations with golden fibers amongst the purple hues from the amethyst. Check our website soon for more polished faces and amethyst cabs!

In addition we are ramping up our website and will have a newsletter being sent out this week, so be sure to add your email to the list to be included for all of our promotions. You can add your email to the “Newsletter Sign-up” box on the right side of the screen –>

Cacoxenite in Amethyst

admin — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 14:31:46 +0000

This is an incredibly beautiful old material from Brazil that is Cacoxenite in Amethyst. The Cacoxenite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Oxide Hydroxide) is a needle like golden fiber inside the Amethyst which helps to bring a metaphysical “spiritual awakening”, promoting new ideas and understanding. It is also said to aid us in seeing the positive and benevolent sides of life.

The interesting part of this stone is the needle like fibers form tree like formations give it a surreal landscaping effect. Watch for our polished faces of this stone which make for a eye catching display. We will be posting polished face display pieces along with more cabs, have a look in our store.

New Chrysocolla Cabs just added!

marylou — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 22:55:44 +0000

Check out some of our new beautiful Chrysocolla Cabochons we have added to our site! We have some with Gem Silica from Bisbee and Globe Arizona! There are some beautiful Malachite inclusions in some of them! Click on any of the items below to view more in our store!

Chrysocolla : Blue-Green Mineral

admin — Sun, 28 Dec 2008 13:49:26 +0000

The name Chrysocolla was first used by Theophrastus in 315 B.C. and comes from the Greek chrysos, meaning “gold,” and kolla, meaning “glue,” in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold. Found in the oxidation zone of copper deposits, often encrusting or replacing earlier secondary minerals. It is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses or bubbly crusts, and as jackstraw mats of tiny acicular crystals or tufts of fibrous crystals.

Wikipedia says, Chrysocolla has an attractive blue-green colour and is a minor ore of copper, having a hardness of 2.5 to 3.5. It is also used as an ornamental stone. It is typically found as glassy botryoidal or rounded masses and crusts, or vein fillings. Because of its light color, it is sometimes confused with turquoise. Commonly it occurs only as pourous crusts unsuitable for gem use, but high quality, gem grade chrysocolla can be translucent and is highly prized.

Appearance & Locations

Chrysocolla is a very soft stone that comes in a beautiful bluish-green color. Many people call Chrysocolla the “Peace Crystal” because of it’s calming and soothing powers. Chrysocolla is found in quite a few places including the Czech Republic, Israel, and the United States. It is usually found alongside items like quartz and limonite. Notable occurrences include Israel, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chile, Cornwall in England, and Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Pennsylvania in the United States.

Chrysocolla in Jewelry

Chrysocolla is very soft, which makes it difficult on its own to work with. This beautiful stone can be found, however, mixed with quartz or in a druzy style that is very attractive and easier to work with.

Pink Plume Agate – New Find!

admin — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:22:00 +0000

This pink plume agate material is said to be out of Madagascar with agate formations and beautiful druzy crystal pockets. First said to be on the market at the Tucson, AZ Gem and Mineral show in 2008 for this rare material.

These pink plume cabochons are looking really nice when polished as the pink colors deepen while making the agate more visible on the surface. We are excited to have picked up a limited supply of this rare find and hope you enjoy our cabs in your next piece of fine jewelry! Let us know what you think and if you have more information on this rare stone.

Priday Plume

admin — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 13:17:19 +0000

Priday Plume Thunder Egg Agate

“Priday” or “Plume Agate” is a very rare agate found many years ago on the Priday ranch outside Madras Oregon. Long gone are the digging opportunity’s for this agate found in thunder eggs. You will find moss with rich browns patterns and in some cases plume patterns which become more valuable all laced within a beautiful agate matrix.

It is said to be rare to find a plume pattern from thunder eggs and some say you can find the plumes if you cut the stones on the flat side “butt” by shaving off the end rather than finding it in the middle of the stone. The “red beds” seem to be even more rare from the Priday ranch but we have seen more of the “blue beds” material which has been more abundant.

With the rarity of the stone and the beauty of the colors make these cabochons and jewelry all the more valuable. We have selective reserves of fine pieces which we will be adding to our store as we have cabochons, fine jewelry for you to choose from.

Petrified wood

admin — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:53:00 +0000

Wikipedia says, “Petrified wood (from the Greek root “petro” meaning “rock” or “stone”, literally “wood turned into stone”) is a type of fossil: it consists of fossil wood where all the organic materials have been replaced with minerals (most often a silicate, such as quartz), while retaining the original structure of the wood. The petrifaction process occurs underground, when wood becomes buried under sediment and is initially preserved due to a lack of oxygen. Mineral-rich water flowing through the sediment deposits minerals in the plant’s cells and as the plant’s lignin and cellulose decay away, a stone mould forms in its place.”

Fossilized wood

Fossilized wood is also known as “petrified wood” with the mineral composition of jasper, chalcedony, and, less frequently, opal; it consists of silicon dioxide only. The wood has not changed into stone but only the shape and structural elements of the wood are preserved.

Well-preserved petrification occurs only where trees after their death are quickly covered with fine-grained sedimentary rock. The outer structure of the wood is preserved in a negative form within the enclosing rock. Circulating waters loosen organic substances and replace them with mineral substances therefore it’s not a change that takes place but rather an exchange.

The crystallization process can keep the inner structural elements of the wood, the annual rings, the structure of the cells, even wormholes are preserved. On the other hand the appearance can be totally changed during the crystallization process.

The colors are mostly dull gray or brown, sometimes also red, pink, light brown, yellow and even blue to violet. The colors become stronger with cutting and polishing.

Petrified Forest

The most important occurrence is near Holbrook in Arizona (United States). There are fossils and tree trunks of up to 213 ft long and 10 ft thick belonging to the araucaria variety of plants. The tree trunks were covered by several hundred yards of sediment. Over time part of the fossilized wood was exposed by weathering from the enclosing sandstone. Nowhere is the fossilized wood as splendidly colored as in Arizona. In order to preserve this unique natural beauty spot, the “Petrified Forest” was declared a national park in 1962. That also means that no visitor is allowed to take a piece of these petrified materials as souvenirs.

There are smaller deposits on nearly all continents. Egypt supplies good quality as does Argentina, Canada and the United States (Wyoming). In Nevada (Virgin Valley), the fossilized wood shows the beautiful iridescence of opal.

It is mostly used as ornamental objects and decorative book end, table pieces and paperweights. Petrified wood is less frequently used in jewelry pieces however you can find quality Arizona petrified wood stones set in sterling silver for Men and Women jewelry.