Who's Going Rockhounding This Weekend ?

Stoneham, Maine.

Crystal is a little over 8 inches in length

another Stoneham, Maine Beryl

Wow !
Thats pretty cool John
Thanks for the pics ....
Whats Beryl hunting like in Maine ?

Hi Tom,

Beryl hunting in Maine is sometimes frustrating as Im sure it is everywhere else. I dont dig the dumps anymore, since I have found such beauty in prospecting. This is probably my largest find yet in this particular area. I took the crystal out of matrix today. It is beautiful, with crisp edges.

I have seen some of John's stuff other places and he does quite well. If I had the time I would be up there prospecting next to him. He finds great stuff!

Don, I am from the Las Cruces area and do a lot of rockhounding, if you are ever in the area let me know maybe I can show you a couple of neat places...

Thanks, Paul

John Sassi Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Hi Tom,
>
> Beryl hunting in Maine is sometimes frustrating as
> Im sure it is everywhere else. I dont dig the
> dumps anymore, since I have found such beauty in
> prospecting. This is probably my largest find yet
> in this particular area. I took the crystal out
> of matrix today. It is beautiful, with crisp
> edges.


Awesome pictures! the colour of the specimen in the second photo looks beautiful. very nice!

-Matthew

Finally got out of the house and outside rock-hounding for the 1st time in 2013
Didnt find too much but it was good to go hunting .....





Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/04/2013 06:23PM by Tom Bennett.

I hope to make it out to Trout Lake and check out a few rumors I've been hearing. Hoping its not under a whack of snow! It'll still be a good day even if it is.
Gord

^^ Is that Pyromorphite? Pretty decent find whatever it is.

Everything is still snowed in around here. You might be able to get to some spots in the high desert (for agate/jasper/petrified wood hunting) but even then, it's usually way too muddy this time of year to drive on anything that isnt paved.

Matt Ciranni Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ^^ Is that Pyromorphite? Pretty decent find
> whatever it is.
>
> Everything is still snowed in around here. You
> might be able to get to some spots in the high
> desert (for agate/jasper/petrified wood hunting)
> but even then, it's usually way too muddy this
> time of year to drive on anything that isnt paved.

Hey Matt
Yep - its the Pyromorphite
My fav mineral

Terrain for the pyro is a Golf Course - no worries about mud or getting stuck .... good way to start the year

Still too much snow on the ground here, but I can't wait to get out this year. I had far too few trips out last year, though I did have one really good trip that was a few days long.

Linda and I are just counting the days until we can get to the lower areas around Ouray, Colorado. A good friend has offered that we can collect his claim which is quite well exposed to the sun. Can't wait. It's also a famous, quality locality.

The biggest snow of the year will be here in a few hours, grrr! but the sun will sorta shine by Saturday, because my buddy Don is takin' the train up; We'll tentatively see, in Chicago, the Field Museums' hall of gems and their other mineral displays, then there is the first show of the year in Waukesha, Wisconsin. There might be a sliver of beach we can scour for something new, everything else is buried.

Its always the same at this time of year. Planning a lot of trips for 2013 and when I`ll see back in autumn I made completely other things as planned.
But besides the trips to Austrian localities (as usual) it would be nice to see Les Montmins again this year.

Well, as a federal employee of the US, I will more than likely be getting furlough days, so am already planning some trips - might as well take advantage of my "days off!" Have 2 fluorite locations I have found that need to be explored a bit, and there's always the Memphis and Stephenson-Bennett mines!


Darren

If the weather holds a trip up to Strontian, Lochaber District, Scotland to search for harmotome, brewsterite, strontainite,and nice brown calcite and if lucky some rarities.
Hope the snow's away,
Goog hunting to all,
Brian.

I am off to Missouri Friday for 4 days of collecting!!! It will sure beat the snow if the Colorado Rockies.

Hey Ian
What will you be hunting for ?
Good luck

Hey D Mike,
I was at the Field Museum a few weeks ago and really enjoyed the Hall of Gems. There were quite a few nice rough/cut displays.

I was disappointed by the other mineral displays though. They were a bit underwhelming, considering what I had read about the Field collection in the past. There were also some interesting meteorite displays, but overall, I had hoped for more.