Gold Trip to NH found Garnets

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

I took a trip up to NH last week looking for gold and came up with a bunch of Garnets, the biggest was 3.8 carats (rough as found)

I need to figure out how to polish them up, do you tumble them or what? In the third picture are 3 pieces of what appear to be Pyrite

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[Red James cash]

Nice grab man,i do some panning up in NH when i can get up there.My brother lives there in the white mountains.

[StoneWhisper]

Garnets arte very hard to tumble polish.. and I've yet to successfully attempt this.. However.. After looking at your images.. I feel you have more then just garnets.. Posiable a few Star or regular sapphires and yes Sapps can come ina veristy of colors and can be located in or around your finds.. and the hardness isn't off my much and could be tumbled together.. But seems the chips are a bit small.. and you might waste your time.. I also have small coffee cans of these and to me there are just to small for polishing.. GL with your efforts.

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Garnets arte very hard to tumble polish.. and I've yet to successfully attempt this.. However.. After looking at your images.. I feel you have more then just garnets.. Posiable a few Star or regular sapphires and yes Sapps can come ina veristy of colors and can be located in or around your finds.. and the hardness isn't off my much and could be tumbled together.. But seems the chips are a bit small.. and you might waste your time.. I also have small coffee cans of these and to me there are just to small for polishing.. GL with your efforts.

WOW, being new to this my middle son had said he found garnets in the Lost River where we went so I assumed they were garnets. Imagine if they were Sapphires, that sounds so exotic! Are sapphires worth anything, I mean I have heard of sapphire gems.
There is a treasure show this weekend in Taunton MA and I will take them with me to ask questions!! Which ones look like they could be the sapphires?

[StoneWhisper]

Granted the granets are the redish brown color and most are chips.. you do have a few larger chips which you could try to tum,ble.. the ones that appear to be star sapphires or the regular sapphire (and star ruby) are in the third pic.. (top right) small grouping of staones appearing darker than the small chip garnets in the first two images.. Also you have a mica/matrax combo in the lower left of the third image.. You've done very well.. and never underestemate that all you'll find while out hunting is but one type of stones, you will undoubtedly end up with many differant types of stones.

As for worth.. again.. this grouping seems small and worth what you've put into it.. Assuming one of the sapphires is approx the size of your thumb nail.. and if you had it facited.. your prob looking at or about $5,000 but again it all depends on who cut the stones.. its clearity etc.. One thing I tell all those intent on doing this for money.. needs to realize that what soemthing is "valued" is not nessareyly what soem one is willing to pay for it.. I say ($5,000) sace we found a rough sapphire a few years back.. had it cut cost $85 and three months later we got it in the mail.. with a certificate indecating it's value..

[Eu_citzen]

You can either tumble them or have them cabochon cut. (if they are not to small)
Can't see any pics, though?

[StoneWhisper]

Follow Up: The penny did help to size the overall find.. and again.. many of your finds are to small.. In this case I would construct a "Gem Tree" using the small stones. Locate a large natural formed wood or back.. or even a large stones.. Copper strands or wire and twist the strands into a bunch.. then bend both ends out (one for the limbs and the others for the roots) glue the roots tot he bark/stoens etc and then glue the small chips to each of the limbs.. I've done this several times and have sold my Gem trees for $35.00

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

OurJeepLife
That is a great idea! My wife is very artistic and I will bet that will be nice!

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

Do you have a picture of one?

[StoneWhisper]

Ben.. I sold my gem tree to a local jewlry store and matter of fact I'm heading there today.. I'll ask them If I can take a pic and post it next week for those interested.

[StoneWhisper]

I went to the jewelry store yesterday and asked if I could see the gem tree I made for them.. It was placed in a display case right in fornt of the store.. Thou the trunk was bent over and a few limbs drooping.. I was able to correct the damage and took this images for you Ben.. Hope this inspires you to be and do something creative.

Image Above: made in late 2006, This Gem tree was my first attpemt at doing soemthing more usefull with the many chips I had left over.. Using Copper Wire and a large river rock.. I simply wrapped the copper wire into a bundle and glued it to the rock. The bending out each limb, I created small "loops" to support the small chips of each limb..

[Ben Cartwright SASS]

That is nice! My wife has a bunch of copper wire and we will try something similar