Prospecting & Collecting Specimens

[OpalSpectrum]

when it comes to minerals I don't buy many specimens but I do collect some local samples ... which in most cases is nothing special and low quality because here we don't have top grade stuff -- or it's very rare -- but I like to explore and 'discover' things
now it's winter here so I'm unable to prospect but in last few years I did couple of trips and visited different locations and quarries ..and I plan to make even more this year
I will start with my old post I want to save from OA
> my visit to old nephrite quarry from July 2014

trip to nephrite quarry in Jordanów (Jordanov) which in fact was 1st nephrite quarry in Europe !!
*if you are from NY you can see 2144 Kg nephrite in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which comes from this quarry and was found by Mr. G.F Kunz in 1899

I wanted to visit this place long time ago but never had time .. also this place was 'abandoned' but the entrance is restricted because some company owns it.
still I menaged to get in (mr. security man was OK and let us in )
I didn't expected to find anything because I knew there is nothing left ...and I didn't found any nephrite
there is a lot of serpentinite mixed with some rocks .. but it looks quite like nephrite and at the begining it's very confusing.. I thought nephrite is everywhere

here are few shots from the trip

as you can see the quarry is not huge or even big
there is a bit more but this is main most interesting part of quarry
I'm standing on top of 1 side which looks similar to other side which you can see




closer look and the main pile




some serpentinite (i guess ? )






most stuff looks like that - mix of dark grey & greenish rocks with darker dendrite alike spots
*I took some samples - this stuff is very soft and easy to work




the biggest surprise was when I founded 1 please where somebody was digging huge vain of magnesite? where was small vain/seam of yellow opal
this was very cool because I didn't expected to find this ..I took only little bid because it was hard to dig more and it is low quality stuff

*it might be hard to see it in the photos

couple weeks later I visited small 'mineral museum' in Univercity because I had to see some nephrite from this location and I knew this is the only way
....
to be continued

[SwordfishMining]

That stuff could be serpentine juice- or talc that is green. Vesuvianite is called Pulga jade or Califorite I think and is jadish hard.

[PinkDiamond]

I'm so glad you moved this thread OS, thank you! I'm looking forward to hearing about some fun trips you take and what you find this year so I hope you can get out soon.

[OpalSpectrum]

@swordfish - I was guessing it's serpentinite because I know this area is full of it
@Pink - the snow is gone and I hope to start my 'gem hunting' season soon

[SwordfishMining]

My friends In Lakeveiw were all part of a flu pandemic it seems. So being on the road and in cell tower black since 6 am, I didn't hear the message. Soo went on over the rock shop and paid for slabbing Flamingo agate with money from same at the show. Seeing the drive line is about to get replaced- Subarus have 3 ujoints and pressed in on this one- before it fails, I went to Hart mtn instead of sunstones as its at least 30? miles of corrugated road difference. I actually got a limit (7pounds a day in refuge) which is the exception more than the rule especially as my knees went "Stop this now". They make such nice patterned little stones from the tiny nodules that just want to be wrapped. The first one I found was green opal/chrysophrase/jasper translucent center of nodule in front of the big one thats red and yellow and frothy center , but red it looks. Be interesting to see them all faced, but time is precious lately. I have to go dig in my holes between trips to town.