Moonstone!!! (Pic heavy)

[IAMZIM]

So earlier this spring, I went to my claim and found that someone had been digging in it. I'm pretty sure that they didn't really get much because I could tell they had no idea what they were doing, lol! All around the edges of the pocket I started, they left pieces of rock with moonstone in them! I might have never known that there was moonstone in the pocket if they hadn't been messing around in there! It's pretty obvious they didn't know what they were looking for. When I get time this fall, I plan to go back and see if I can find some better pieces. In the meantime, I broke a little chunk out and polished one end to show what it looks like. Pretty neat stuff, pics don't really do it justice! Oh , and I added a pic of a "lovely" critter I had to do away with because he was making a beeline for my feet... I threw my phone at him , and now I have a nice crack running across the screen, but I got him! Hope none of you are offended, I consider spiders to be good and almost never kill them, but I swear I could hear a tiny maniacal laughter coming from it as it charged towards my bare feet! (hint: click the pics to zoom in for a better look...)

 

Amazon Forum Fav 👍

Agony and Death on a Gold Rush Steamer: The Disastrous Sinking of the Side-Wheeler Yankee Blade - Grab it through Amazon!

[EricTheCat]

Very cool. Nice of them to show you what is there. I hope they didn't get away with anything good.

Was the spider inside? It resembles a kind that is common around here called Aggressive House Spider. They have poor vision and so are prone to attack anything that moves. Also they have nasty bites, similar to a brown recluse bite in the way the flesh around the bite dies, just not quite as severe. I have been told mashed up plantain leaves (from the plant, not the tree/fruit) is good to treat the type of bite.

 

[IAMZIM]

Yeah, the pider' came tearing out from underneath by bathroom door, I'm glad I didn't give him the chance to bite me lol!

 

[Eu_citzen]

Nice! I had a spot I hunted heavily for moonstone several years back. Got several Kilos.
Did lots of cabbs - sold quite well. Still have more or less half a kilo stacked away somewhere.

Moonstone can indicate pegmatite, keep digging!

 

[Jim in Idaho]

They changed the name years ago from Aggressive House Spider to Hobo Spider. They aren't aggressive....just have poor eyesight, and run really fast. Nasty bite, for sure. We have lots of them here. Mostly you only see them in late summer, when the males are out looking for females. I found the first of this year a couple of days ago in my basement stairwell.
Jim

 

[IAMZIM]

Nice! I had a spot I hunted heavily for moonstone several years back. Got several Kilos.
Did lots of cabbs - sold quite well. Still have more or less half a kilo stacked away somewhere.

Moonstone can indicate pegmatite, keep digging!

The pocket I have been digging is indeed a pegmatite! I have been occasionally pulling out 5 to 7 lb smokey quartz cystals. You can see them in my thread The "Starry Night Crystal Pocket"

 

[EricTheCat]

They changed the name years ago from Aggressive House Spider to Hobo Spider. They aren't aggressive....just have poor eyesight, and run really fast. Nasty bite, for sure. We have lots of them here. Mostly you only see them in late summer, when the males are out looking for females. I found the first of this year a couple of days ago in my basement stairwell.
Jim

Thanks for the info. I did not know about the name change. I fully agree that their apparent aggressive behavior is due to their poor eyesight.

 

[Eu_citzen]

The pocket I have been digging is indeed a pegmatite! I have been occasionally pulling out 5 to 7 lb smokey quartz cystals. You can see them in my thread The "Starry Night Crystal Pocket"

Those are wonderful! In the peggie I found my moonstone there was also beryl & garnets.
Not sure it's the rule, since it only ever happened once, but I'd surely leave no stone unturned.