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Techniques for CollectorsCalaverite and SIO

26th Nov 2015 05:57 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

Does anyone have an experience (or even educated guesses) concerning if calaverite (specifically, a roasted sample from Cripple Creek District, Teller County, Colorado) will handle cleaning in Super Iron Out?

26th Nov 2015 06:26 UTCDoug Daniels

I don't know why it would....it wasn't designed for silver tellurides, just iron oxides.

16th Dec 2015 05:24 UTCJohn Attard Expert

Steve,


Take a very small piece of the calaverite and do the experiment in a small test tube or in a tiny vial under the microscope.

You're a Chemist and ... Chemists have solutions!

16th Dec 2015 05:34 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

John's advice is good for any mineral: test a fragment first.


But another thing, re the "roasted" part: Calaverite was roasted to drive off the Te and turn it into gold, right? One often sees these anthropogenic "gold pseudomorphs after calaverite" in collections. Why would SIO have any effect on gold?

9th Feb 2016 06:05 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

Alfredo, imagine a poorly roasted specimen in which some/all of the calaverite may still be intact. That seems to describe this piece.


BTW the SIO seemed to have no effect on the calaverite after an overnight soak. Reasonably bright and shiny now.

9th Feb 2016 14:08 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

Why would anyone want a roasted calaverite in their collection? Unless you are a collector of fakes.

9th Feb 2016 14:57 UTCDavid Von Bargen Manager

The gold looks more impressive than the calaverite.

9th Feb 2016 15:01 UTCSteve Hardinger 🌟 Expert

Because some people like pretties, some people like locality material, some people might like it for the chemistry it represents, and for some people maybe it's the only gold they can afford in their collection.


As collectors, dealers, and others in the hobby we shouldn't look down on anyone's collecting interests but instead understand and support them. Unless of course the interests are based in complete quackery.

9th Feb 2016 17:34 UTCReiner Mielke Expert

If it turned to copper or lead I doubt if anyone would collect them. Seems gold induces people to alter their standards.
 
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