Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

╳Discussions

💬 Home 🔎 Search 📅 Latest

Groups

Recent Images in Discussions

Identity HelpYellow Jade?

1st Jan 2013 05:03 UTCChet Spencer

Greetings all,

Here with a request for help to ID my small boulder. It weighs about 40-50 lbs and is about 10"x 8"x 6" it's non magnetic and very dense for it's size. this picture is shown with the boulder wet. When it's dry the color changes to a dull brown. This is from an area in Mendocino County,CA. I have literally thousands of rocks and boulders on my property, but I think this is only the second one like this one I've found. I found some pictures of Poppy jade on the internets and thought this might be related. Cheers.

1st Jan 2013 06:29 UTCDavid Zimmerman (2)

Hi Chet,

Welcome to Mindat!

Looks like you found a very nice piece of fancy jasper that would cut some beautiful jewelry, slabs, spheres, book-ends, etc. Since it looks like the piece has been brought down from a river, one can sometimes chase the material upstream to hopefully find the source. You can also do some searches for this material online by inserting a geographical name along with the word jasper to see if it is a locally named jasper. Sometimes is named after a river, city, canyon, etc.

Nice find!

1st Jan 2013 06:37 UTCD Mike Reinke

Chet,

Nice find! Do you mean poppy jasper? Jasper is quartz, with the usual 2.6-ish specific gravity. Nephrite jade and other amphiboles run 3 or so for SG. If you can tell it is 'heavy for it's size' it is probably not jasper, but' jade-ish', I like to say, because a lot of similar materials all grade into each other. In my limited experience, these heavier materials are VERY tough, you can't just whack a chip off of them with a brick hammer, they are way too stubborn. Of course, if those fractures are deep, it would split there...

1st Jan 2013 10:22 UTCSpencer Ivan Mather

It deffinately looks like fancy jasper to me, I find a lot of jasper that looks like that in Scotland and Germany, and it makes great gemstones..

1st Jan 2013 13:08 UTCCharles Creekmur Expert

Chet,

I have a 10# chunk of that same jasper- the guy I got it from said he picked it up on the Eel River near the town of Covelo in Mendocino County, northern California. Mine looks like it came off of your same piece. It cuts some colorful cabs and takes a nice polish.

Charles

1st Jan 2013 20:04 UTCJohn Truax

You can search the threads here or at Google for: Morgan Hill Poppy Jasper

Nice find!

J T

1st Jan 2013 23:30 UTCDavid Zimmerman (2)

Just for the record, I'm not convinced that it is Poppy Jasper, but it does have similar colors even if the pattern is missing. I guess Chet is most likely to determine that if it was found downstream from the Poppy Jasper locality than I would say that it probably came off from the same hill, but I still wouldn't give it the Poppy Jasper label because it appears to be missing the orbicular patterns. I'll let one of the agate or lapidary folks here delve into details about jaspers and such. the Yellow and red fancy jasper is one of the most common color combinations in the jasper world. It certainly is not jade of any sort, and it is most certainly a fancy jasper.

Once again though, great piece and find!

16th Jan 2013 14:54 UTCPaula Zimmerman

Can anyone send images of a bright yellow stone? I think it's yellow jasper I'm looking for, but I'll take anything bright.:-)

16th Jan 2013 21:46 UTCDavid Zimmerman (2)

Hi Paula,

Welcome to Mindat!

I guess I don't really understand what you are requesting that could not be found on a simple Google image search like this. https://www.google.ca/search?q=yellow+jasper&hl=en&client=firefox-a&hs=1TH&tbo=d&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Wh_3UNjYNsiy0AHNwYH4Bw&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAA&biw=1280&bih=668

Are you looking for copywrited material for publication, or are you trying to identify something that you have in hand?

17th Jan 2013 19:56 UTCJohn Oostenryk

Chet and Paula: below pertains to both posters.

Chet- Your material is not jade- it is definitely a jasper. No doubt in my mind at all. I recently spent a couple months looking at material exactly like that from your area in California.

Considering the size of your boulder- the red blotches may be orbicular inclusions or growth paterns from when this was first forming- and that is the scientific term for "poppy / poppies". Clear-Close up pics would help if you want to know that.

Jaspers basically always have color blotches- color spots DO NOT mean orbicular just cause there is a pattern to it. Do a lot of very Careful/close looking at advertised material, you will be able to tell difference.

Yellow-reddish jasper (Talking wet color:) is pretty common everywhere in the west when ya find it. Makes attractive yard rocks, and if it has really cool swirly patterns in it-some people love making jewelry from it.

The true orbicular stuff is pretty rare most other places- but a good possibility out your way. Keep looking- maybe you will get lucky!

Actual value? What somebody will pay you for it?? Fracturing kills value- but doesn't make it worthless... Your big chunk is showing a lot of serious fracturing (makes good yard pc!)

Heavy = expensive shipping- often decreased interest from buyers. Heavy also = pain in the butt getting home-chiro bills???

But yes, big is certainly Cool!

Personally, Ya got a cool looking rock! I'd keep it:) As you said, 2 out of hundreds- fun stuff!

If you want to see more of that type of material for reference ... first a DISCLAIMER!

And I say this NOT about buying- just to understand better WHAT you are seeing...

(Keep in mind PICTURES - EBAY can be totally Deceptive- COLOR wise/ FRACTURE wise... Most material on ebay is photoed wet- and ALWAYS look for measured sizes. inches or cm- huge difference in size.

... And the folks that only use weight to measure- What? So busy you can't take the time to measure or just can't read a ruler? Bad credibility, and I'm supposed to believe your price or promises? pffft- somewhere in the realm of foolish, lazy, lack of care?= more likely to be deceptive!

In looking, just be careful and realistic is all I'm saying here. I realize not every image has to have a ruler in it- but it helps... Someone could post and forget - I have done that in documenting material too many times myself, look at trends, just saying...

Personally- I have had very positive experience with sellers- BUT, I am quite cautious on extended research/observation first...

As to Google Image searches- there is SO MUCH misidentified material there- I would be VERY leery of what I read from the links. Again not that it is all wrong- but definitely do a cross reference search on any details- and even that is hard as multiple people will parrot each other...

OK- disclaimer over.

Search ebay or google for these terms:

Orbicular jasper

Morgan Hill PoppyJasper

Poppy Jasper

Stone Canyon Brecciated Agate

Stone Canyon Brecciated Jasper

Stonyford Orbicular Jasper

Hope that helps both you and Paula out in your searches.

~JO:)

20th Aug 2014 05:52 UTCChet Spencer

Just wanted to apologize for not responding to your fantastic and helpful replies everyone. Somehow I failed to turn on "Follow topic" so I never got a notification of responses, feeling my rock was not worth the powder to blow it to hell, i never checked back. But it's always been in the back of my mind, wanting to know what it is so I did a google search of the image I uploaded and presto it brought me here to you guys. :) thanks again, I can definitely take closer pictures if anyone would like to see them.

FYI, This rock is from a creek that feeds the South fork of the Eel River at about 1200' elevation. Cheers

Chet Spencer

20th Aug 2014 13:17 UTCWayne Corwin

Sure Chet,, we always love to see new pics :)-D

Pardon my stupidity,,, but where is the Eel River ?

20th Aug 2014 13:19 UTCChet Spencer

Wayne Corwin Wrote:

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

> Sure Chet,, we always love to see new pics :)-D

> Pardon my stupidity,,, but where is the Eel River

> ?

About 200 miles north of San Francisco CA. :) Cheers

20th Aug 2014 14:40 UTCPaul Brandes 🌟 Manager

Basically in the Franciscan Complex of Northern CA.

We like photos Chet; bring them on!

20th Aug 2014 17:03 UTCEugene & Sharon Cisneros Expert

For reference, here is a gallery of photos of Orbicular Jasper.

25th Aug 2014 00:50 UTCChet Spencer

25th Aug 2014 00:51 UTCChet Spencer

25th Aug 2014 02:24 UTCDoug Daniels

Looks like it could be interesting if slabbed. You'll need a big saw... And, is it slowly moving down your driveway? Is it alive?....LOL

25th Aug 2014 05:41 UTCChet Spencer

Doug Daniels Wrote:

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

> Looks like it could be interesting if slabbed.

> You'll need a big saw... And, is it slowly

> moving down your driveway? Is it alive?....LOL

Thanks for the feedback, I'm not sure I have the heart to hurt it :) Maybe if I get the Lapidary bug and I found another one like this one

to have as a back up just in case. Normally it just sits still next to the water spigot. ;)

Mindat.org is an outreach project of the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
Copyright © mindat.org and the Hudson Institute of Mineralogy 1993-2024, except where stated. Most political location boundaries are © OpenStreetMap contributors. Mindat.org relies on the contributions of thousands of members and supporters. Founded in 2000 by Jolyon Ralph.
Privacy Policy - Terms & Conditions - Contact Us / DMCA issues - Report a bug/vulnerability Current server date and time: April 25, 2024 07:59:14

Go to top of page