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Field CollectingIs Schorl worth collecting?

12th Jul 2014 19:58 UTCRyan Allen

Hey folks, In my recent adventures ive come across a lot of schorl. Most specimens are extremely large (100+lbs) some contain other minerals but most are solid jet black. Just wondering if this stuff is worth collecting? What should i be looking for in regards to getting a great specimen(pure? or mixed minerals?). Ive passed this stuff up time and time again and just wondering if i should be making more effort to gather some? Here is one of the smaller more junky pieces i brought home last trip up to study.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140712_112544_2_bestshot.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140712_112611_2_bestshot.jpg

12th Jul 2014 20:23 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Depends on what you mean by worth. It isn't worth much in terms of money ( more of a garden rock then anything) but may be worth a lot to someone studying schorl or the geology of that area.

12th Jul 2014 21:09 UTCRyan Allen

Thanks! I think ill leave it off my list then. Its easy to find but obnoxious to get home do to its weight size and the 100yards i would have to carry it on my back over loose cobble and scree. Then a several hour boat ride and a half hour drive in the pickup. Going to get a table at the edmonton rock and gem show this coming spring. I went last year and was totally disappointed by the total lack of rough minerals and the over abundance junk from china. Im not doing it for the money as i work in the oilfield and could easily make 5x the money by simply going to work for the day. I do however want to put out the largest variety of minerals my area has to offer. As far as someone interested in the geology.... This is/was a logging village in the literal middle of nowhere. I cant even find a rock hounding partner here let alone someone interested in geology. I will just put out a few chunks but i imagine since most that will be going to this rock show are amateur collectors im better off getting some more palm sized pieces of mixed minerals
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/WInter%20Rockhounding/20140103_112345.jpg

13th Jul 2014 00:14 UTCDon Swenson

Schorl of the quality in your photo qualifies as garden rock. At other sites it can occur as well-defined, terminated, lustrous black crystals. These may not command killer prices but are certainly collectible.

13th Jul 2014 04:00 UTCBob Harman

IS SCHORL WORTH COLLECTING?? Actually this poses a very interesting question; not only in the narrow sense of schorl per se, but of really WHAT IS WORTH COLLECTING?

With schorl and other relatively common and/or well crystallized minerals most experienced field collectors might take home "nice appearing" specimens, then prepare them, and then only keep one or several of the best finds. These, of course, would be those of good crystallization and color and esthetics. All others would be disposed of in various ways. On the other hand, novice field collectors or those going to a site for the first time bring home lots of "stuff", usually of all qualities and then tend to keep much or all of it. Experience usually changes that as way too much "stuff" becomes accumulated.

With other more complex, rare or rarely well crystalized mineral specimens there would have to be allowances used for each mineral. Clearly some are virtually never found crystalized or large or esthetically pleasing and displayable. These would have to be collected as one finds them. But as I noted, many collector minerals are well crystallized and showy and only these should be saved after the field trip. Other lesser quality examples should be given away as the total accumulated mass grows bigger and bigger.

The money value part of "worth" is another story. CHEERS…..BOB

13th Jul 2014 08:36 UTCRyan Allen

Don Swenson Wrote:

-------------------------------------------------------

> Schorl of the quality in your photo qualifies as

> garden rock. At other sites it can occur as

> well-defined, terminated, lustrous black crystals.

> These may not command killer prices but are

> certainly collectible.

Thank you Don. This was the answer i was looking for

13th Jul 2014 09:17 UTCRock Currier Expert

If by worth you mean its value in dollars and if you could hope to realize more dollars that it cost you to collect it, then the answer would almost certainly be no.

13th Jul 2014 09:37 UTCRyan Allen

Ive yet to see where it comes from as every piece i came across has been float.There might be some better quality if i can find the source. Im happy this style of schorl isnt worth the effort as i was already getting nightmares about taking up scree skiing with a full back pack:-)

13th Jul 2014 09:40 UTCRock Currier Expert

Scree skiing with a full pack. Ouch! Make sore!

13th Jul 2014 12:23 UTCKnut Eldjarn 🌟 Manager

Rayan,

Are you sure it is schorl ? Your first pictures could indicate a mineral with a good cleavage like an amphibole (60 & 120 * angles). Both schorl and amphibole can be rock-forming minerals but amphiboles more often.

I think the others have answered your question. Schorl as such is just as collectible as most other common minerals (i.e. Quarz, Feldspar, Calcite, Fluorite). It is not collectible by the pound (few except precious metals and gemstones are) - it depends on the degree of crystallization and overall aesthetics of the specimens.

Knut

13th Jul 2014 18:16 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

Ryan, a few years ago there was a big spike in schorl prices because some guru in Japan spread the word that the tiny electric charges generated when schorl warms up or cools down could purify ones drinking water. The more gullible sectors of the public bought up schorl any way it was marketed - crushed in little cloth pouches, massive tumbled material, whatever... :-S Brazilian miners were delighted to have a market for something they used to toss out on the dumps. But, like all fads, this one has mostly faded away too.

There was an article in Lapis magazine once about all the ridiculous patents taken out for inventions using schorl... Hairdriers? All sorts of crazy stuff, that only worked in the imagination of the inventor, I'm sure.

But you never know, some similar fad might reappear. (Spread the word in China... there's a big market :-D ). If I had a pile of schorl, I certainly wouldn't throw it away.

13th Jul 2014 20:17 UTCRyan Allen

Alfredo, I only have a few small pieces in my possession. I come across it a lot in my area. One area in particular seems to have massive pieces laying float on bedrock. I will take some pictures next time im there but im pretty sure there is enough to supply the whole world when the next fad appears. O didnt you guys hear? Schorl is great for erectile dysfunction. Just put a piece under your pillow at night and you will be rocking it like you did when you were 20 in no time! Also putting a well rounded specimen down the front of your pants will cover you during daylight hours and if you use a large enough specimen it will surely draw the attention of the ladies.... or the police :-)

13th Jul 2014 20:48 UTCSpencer Ivan Mather

I agree with Knut, I also see a lot of cleavage on that first photo, so it could be some form of amphibole..

Spencer

14th Jul 2014 05:44 UTCRyan Allen

Well i just finished going over both part 1 and 2 of Olav's Amphibole Supergroup papers and you guys could be right. Good Job on that btw! Here is the opposite side and end of the specimen shown in the first 2 pictures.
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_194258_6_bestshot.jpg
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_194342_5_bestshot.jpg

Here is a close up:
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_200909_4_bestshot.jpg

A few 10x
http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_200245.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_200827_8_bestshot.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_202142_7_bestshot.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140713_202333_8_bestshot.jpg

I dug into some unused photos i have of that area:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140704_104710_1_bestshot.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/The%20Lake/20140704_114359_8_bestshot.jpg

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/The%20Lake/20140704_114335_3_bestshot.jpg

I also come across a lot stuff that looks like this in the very same location:

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/20140628_170123_2_bestshot.jpg

In the last pic the base mineral this pocket is in is everywhere and its either a very dark green or jet black. Its very hard to get a solid pic of this material as its almost like it has a thousand faceted faces that have been melted together and it refracts light in different spots at any angle and messes with my focus. It looks great till you break some off and feel the weight and its one of the few minerals i come across that looks better weathered as the freshly broken stuff appears rusty. No matter how many times you break it the specimen still shows many flat shinny and never breaks cleanly.

http://i864.photobucket.com/albums/ab209/billycap4u/The%20Lake/20140704_082906_7_bestshot.jpg

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