Earlier this month I picked up some new material out of China.  Of course I had to immediately get them in the saws to see what it would be like to work.  Wow have they been surprising.

The first is a purple sagenite. I expected this material to be extremely hard.  Surprise!  It is very soft and I now have a round cube ready for a high speed machine.  The sagenite is white on a purple back ground with small banding of green.  Could it be Fluorite?  It will be interesting to see what kind of polish it will take.

The second is a stromatolite. The stromatolite is a dark red in what appears to be a beige limestone.  I expected this to be soft material.  It sings in the saws!  I haven't gotten the corners cut yet but expect this will be a slow grind.  Overall the pattern reminds me of Indian paint rock.

I am slowly getting spheres made.  There are still many interruptions during the day.  I cross my fingers that Alan will be able to get the Richardson Ranch sphere machine up and running today.  It is amazing how much he can get done around the house when I have broken equipment.  

The West Coast Gem and Mineral show is approaching quickly.  Would like to get as much inventory completed before I have a break.  

Thanks for reading.....