My Archaeological Find: Calling all rock geeks!

Id vote for coke bottle too

Kristie, just wanted to mention here that there are only 2 other minerals I know of that have a similar shade of blue to them and that are not opal or obsidian, they are ajoite and larimar. Larimar would not ever be found in your location but it is possible you have quartz with ajoite included. If it was quartz with ajoite included and if you find more specimens you are sitting on a treasure chest, as ajoite is one of the rarest and the most expensive minerals found included in the quartz category. If that piece you have there is quartz with ajoite included then the value of it in it's present rough state (based on it's size and clarity) may be around $300 - $400 to you. As a finished piece it would go for around $800 - $1,000, maybe more.

If you're wondering what the white streaks and spots are in your own specimen, that will be calcite included in quartz. The following pictures show similar white calcite coloration in them, and you can see how close they are in color to your stone. The 2 larimar specimens shown are darker blue and classified as precious gem quality, very rare.

Ajoite in quartz (comes from Arizona)
http://www.mineralatlas.com/mineral%...oite12402a.jpg
http://www.coningworks.com/graphics/ajoite.jpg

Larimar stone (comes from the Caribbean)
http://www.colonialzone-dr.com/image...r%20slice1.JPG
http://www.boothandbooth.co.uk/acatalog/larimar.jpg

Here is natural clear light blue obsidian with no calcite inclusions:
http://www.spectrumwellbeing.co.uk/a...sidianblue.JPG
http://www.littlegemsrockshop.co.uk/...bsidianpol.JPG
http://www.fengshui-supply.com/store...s/T/008816.jpg

and here is darker colored opalized limb-cast:
http://www.mineralatlas.com/mineral%...al-image_2.jpg
http://virginvalleyopal.com/15340f00.jpg



I'm really looking forward to you finding out what it is that you actually have.

"Cause Brown County is pretty well known for its gold. Thought yours might be a mineral associated with gold.

Mon
(other counties in Indiana with found gold of various types: Carroll, Cass, Clark, Clinton, Deerborn, Franklin, Harrison, Jackson, Jefferson, Jennings, Knox, Montgomery, Morgan, Ohio, Owen, Pike, Warren)

This is exciting, I can't wait for the answer. Until then, uh, perty rock

I vote for mason jar.
Did I win?!?

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BANNED

Ok, so no word yet for those that asked because I'm going to see the gemologist tomorrow. I'm excited, but not holding my breath for it to be worth anything. Whatever it is I'm very curious how it ended up in my back yard, and even if it's not worth a cent it's beautiful and a great conversation piece!

So, I tried to get a good picture of what it looks like when I hold it up to light
This is the brightest light in the house and though the background looks kinda amber colored too the color in the stone showed true in the photo.



And here is the best picture I could get of the black rocks I'm finding along side it. I hope you can tell that it's riddled with small holes.




In this picture you can see the white on the surface. What you see on the surface feels very dry and slightly rough.

I did find out that there used to be a lot of glass factories around, so there is a chance it could be slag, but that doesn't explain the lava looking rocks I found around it. Since our house has been here a very long time there was definitly no glass factory on this land.


I did not know brown county was known for gold, my mother lives in Franklin county! I should send her to the creek with a pan.

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Crunchy mama, country girl, and homestead dreamer trying to work it all out.

Lol, L.A., I want to know too!
Quite the incentive to finish up those frames, huh?

BTW I put it in my bra to increase my milk supply, I'll let you know tomorrow if it worked

Since the picture of the lava looking rock is so crappy here's a stock photo of lava rock. It looks almost exactly like this. The only difference is that the holes are all very tiny. It breaks apart easily as you can see in the photo.

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Crunchy mama, country girl, and homestead dreamer trying to work it all out.

Uh,,,,Don't put it in your pants

In particular (in Franklin county), I've seen reference to Sein Creek and its branches in Laurel & Posey townships and along Little Duck Creek. Size of gold is powder/flake/wheatgrain, and finding is usually associated with black sand.

You have a REALLY pretty rock there...you might see if you can get some piece of jewlery made with a small part of it....would be exceptional color!

Depending on where you live in Indiana, it is possible that glaciers brought that stone down from Michigan or even further north. So, you may have a well-traveled rock!

Mon

OK, so I ran it down to a local lapidary and the main rock guy there said that it's definitely slag glass because obsidian doesn't come in that color.

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Crunchy mama, country girl, and homestead dreamer trying to work it all out.

Well, this was fun!
Looked like a melted coke bottle to me too, but all the interest was really cool, the many different things we learn!

I have a similar piece that my stepfather found in the ashes of a log cabin that had completly burned. Mine in green like green canning jars. It has 3 or 4 small bubbles in it. My stepfather found it around 1900, and said it had to be canning jars that melted in the fire as it was above ground in the ashes. It is about the size of a softball. It has been used as a door stop for over 100 years.

Well that's a major bummer, what a let down. But he's not quite right though otherwise I wouldn't have the 2 obsidians of the same color, and mine are definitely not slag glass. I guess he's never seen the blue obsidians that come from the west coasts of Central and South America, or seen St. Helens green or Andaran amber and sea-foam obsidians from North America. But he probably has other ways of determining what it is if he examined it properly. I hope he didn't just glance at it and dismiss it.

I hope you'll hang on to it and if you ever get a chance to go to any annual Gem and Mineral Exhibitions happening down your way, take the piece with you and show it to other rock-hound and mineral experts so you have several opinions on it. You might see other obsidians like yours at one of those shows.
.

??

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Some days are not worth gnawing through the restraints

According to the hardness scale online, glass is 5.5 and obsidian is 6-7, so you might try that to check it.

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"I don't want everyone to like me; I should think less of myself if some people did."
— Henry James

Gosh, that was exciting; but, can we vote to get a 'second' opinion? LOL It's just so big and pretty, I thought you might have hit the jackpot and were going to go on the Today show with Matt Laurer and tell the world of your find. Darn it anyway. LOL

I think the person you took it to might be mistaken.
It wouldn't hurt to get a second opinion.
This web site lists blue as one of the colors it comes in.

http://www.galleries.com/minerals/mi...n/obsidian.htm

Hey, if that works, please chip me off a piece and send it to me. I'll put it in my refrigerator to increase our milk supply. Seems I'm always going to town for milk.

It's very pretty but looks like glass I have seen- though the glass did not have the black flecks in it as I see in yours. Please let us know when you find out! And if the jeweler says 'it's glass I'll give you $20 for it' get a second opinion!