A Few Field Trip Spheres

By David Springer
Social distancing and stay at home orders are not a problem with a nicely outfitted garage, some spare time, and a stockpile of rocks representing many popular collecting areas that our club and other sister clubs routinely visit. Full disclaimer, some of these materials I did not self-collect, but rather identified them in fellow rockhound yards and confirmed their provenance before acquiring them and thereafter turning them into polished spheres.

Sphere 1: Greenhorn Mountain rose quartz – collected from this popular field trip location in CA. I procured a 30-lb chunk from fellow rockhound Rob Sankovich’s yard, and I thank him for making the backbreaking hike back from the collecting area to the vehicles. Finished diameter is at 6.0-inches, showing the characteristic white streaks that in some pieces yields an asterism or star pattern. In this piece, I just got the streaks, and some orange hematite staining, but also some nice rosy coloration. I prefer when I can to keep the sphere material as unadulterated as possible (i.e. limited stabilization only, no bleaching, etc.) allowing nature to speak for itself.

Sphere 2: A massive chunk of Lepidolite with clear and smoky quartz and blue beryl (aquamarine). This material came from the Oceanview mine, in Pala, CA. Our club has headed down to this area regularly in late summer to sift through the dirt pile looking for tourmalines and such. Finished diameter is 4.2 inches. This one is fun one to hold and rotate to see the changes – the aquamarine was a surprise as I only saw it after making a few cuts into the rough.

Sphere 3: Silver lace onyx sourced from the Calico Mountains near Barstow, CA. This piece was fun to work with as it contains the classic onyx on matrix with some nice vugs; finished up at a nice 5.5-inch diameter. I am showing the obverse side as well to see the contrast between onyx and matrix. The Barstow field trip is typically scheduled in late spring before it gets too hot. Check with field trip leaders Chuck Borchard or myself to coordinate a potential trip Saturday AM 30 May 2020.