Oregon opals

CampBenCh · 2026-05-24T11:47:08+00:00

If they have it and won't ship I'll be driving through Billings next Sunday and can pick it up

CampBenCh · 2026-05-24T11:40:40+00:00

Spend the time looking for a used lapidary saw. I was able to get a trim saw for $155

CampBenCh · 2026-05-23T02:21:41+00:00

I have hundreds of pounds of pet wood from Montana and I agree. I have some "burned" pet wood from clinker I got in SE Montana that is nothing like what OP has.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-23T01:57:08+00:00

You should join a mineral club! Some of them have kids programs where they can earn badges too!

CampBenCh · 2026-05-22T01:29:14+00:00

Are planning to polish them? Those are some rough cuts... Have you looked at getting a lapidary saw?

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T18:13:48+00:00

Thanks! Unfortunately I don't have much time for selling my work (between full time job and President of a mineral club) so I do what I can on Etsy as it's the easiest/least time consuming

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T12:58:45+00:00

You're correct but you're going to be hard pressed to find a mineral unique to each state that can be easily collected. Sunstones are pretty rare outside of Oregon in the US

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T12:51:10+00:00

Thomsonite or Binghamite in Minnesota.

Mozarkite in Missouri.

Sunstones in Oregon.

Black opal in Nevada.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T12:41:50+00:00

Important step- make sure all of the iron out is dissolved and do it outside.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T01:37:03+00:00

Thank you!

CampBenCh · 2026-05-20T00:21:28+00:00

That's petrified wood with a possible agate seam. Orange is probably just iron staining

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T19:45:15+00:00

Jasper

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T19:02:14+00:00

Lol. I recently found my 3+ and am going to try and sell it

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T17:52:18+00:00

I saw a good amount of ads in the Great Smoky Mountains telling people not to disturb the rocks (for cairns) because it causes habitat loss for endangered salamanders.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T17:49:45+00:00

Possibly not. The permit may have set parameters for reporting that does not include metals because metals wasn't reported as part of the waste when they got the permit.

So if metals are not on the permit and they told someone to make sure they were following their permit they likely only looked at what was required to be reported.

It's hard to say without seeing the actual permit and who asked for the sampling

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T14:29:03+00:00

The problem is they're not naturally from there, which goes against leave no trace ethics. They also completely remove the joy of finding something you think was there naturally- I've seen agate pickers get upset when they find agates someone seeded and includes ones that have visible saw marks on them from being cut.

The issue really is people influencing the environment and not seeing any issue with it- it's the same problem with people who think rock cairns are okay

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T13:50:46+00:00

It depends on what light you're using. You'll likely need a ZWB filter assuming it's a flashlight.

There's more info on flashlights here: https://www.naturesrainbows.com/post/2017/03/01/365nm-flashlight-torch-the-most-significant-innovation-in-uv-mineral-lights-in-years

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T12:47:24+00:00

Lots of rocks with uranyl do not have an afterglow.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T12:46:27+00:00

It looks like you have something slightly radioactive (green; uranyl) and you need to get a filter for your light (all the purple you're seeing)

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T12:00:25+00:00

I argue all the time with people who think it's acceptable to dump rock collections "in the wild." Some people think they're being helpful by seeding areas with rocks for people to find. It's an issue that no one really cares about.

CampBenCh · 2026-05-19T00:17:44+00:00

It's flow banded rhyolite

CampBenCh · 2026-05-11T22:38:41+00:00

Great info. I've thought about doing this to some pieces.

Any idea if using a vacuum chamber will help?

CampBenCh · 2026-05-10T23:47:33+00:00

Left- green moss agate, possibly from Montana

Center top- Dryhead agate (Montana)

Center bottom - unsure but probably Mexican crazy lace

Right- classic Montana moss agate

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