A liitle quartz crystal thumbnail scraper from the beach

[scepter1]

This is a quartz crystal thumbnail scraper from the beach (Puget Sound). It's actualy amethyst with some little hematite balls and hematite needles. I can usually pretty well guess where Northwest material came from, but this one doesn't fit... I darkened one of the photos to better show the flaking scars. Sides A and B. Looks like it was a reworked point, until tiny !

 

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[NC field hunter]

I like that one. I think that was reworked more than once. It was a notched point at one stage of the game. Cool little find. Scrapers don't get the attention they deserve. Look at the fine secondary flaking and the detail on such a small stone. It amazes me. Can you imagine the tedious work put in on this rework? It would be much easier to find a new stone. I personally believe reworks have some sort of spiritual significance. That scraper was once a point that probably fed hungry stomachs.

 

[GatorBoy]

Neat little piece.
Looks alot like petrified/agatized wood.

 

[GatorBoy]

 

[hbrown22]

<img src="http://www.treasurenet.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=850376"/>

Those are pretty sweet!

 

[scepter1]

Here's an Amethyst Quartz Crystal with Hematite needles I found in the Cascade Mountains, but these are clear and not a muddy amethyst and no balls of hematite like the little scraper.

These Quartz Crystals are formed completely different from petrified/agatized wood.

BTW, Petrified wood is the state gem of Washington. Here the wood fiber was replaced cell by cell by silica, "petrifying" the wood. Often the petrified "agatized/opalized" wood is perfect in form and detail to the original wood. I have found many tons of it in Eastern Washington, including one log ythat was sticking out of the basalt - the butt end was larger than a volkswagon. We also have "agatized/opalized" bog/peat, which oftens has sticks/twigs mixed in. Here, with no wood replacements showing, yours would be called Agate/Chalcedony points with no refernece to being petrified.

 

[GatorBoy]

They are agatized wood from N. Dakota.
Just thought I would show you some from a place other than Washington.
I know exactly how wood agate..as well as all the other types are formed.. thanks for the info though.
Never saw amethyst or quartz crystal look like your piece.
I don't see any crystal structure in your piece and it has striations.
I have quartz crystal points as well as large amethyst geodes none of which look like agatized wood.
That's all I'm saying.. there is tons of agatized wood in your state and that small piece sure looks like it.

 

[scepter1]

How many pieces of agatized wood have hematite balls and needles? Amethyst? Obviously not wood.

Does Washington have amethyst quartz with hematite balls and needles? Yes....



I've stopped at some petrified wood tourist attractions in both North and South Dakota. This is one of the better ones:

https://www.google.com/maps/preview...=X&ei=P8QXUt-PJaXBiwKFvICQCA&ved=0CKIBEKIqMAs

 

[GatorBoy]

Our moderator Larson1951 gifted those to me..they are his personal finds... no tourist shop buddy.
Lots of imperfections in pet. Wood look just like those.. "balls and needles ".

 

[jackflashz]

Scepter1 is correct, it's quartz crystal with hematite.

 

[GatorBoy]

Here is one of my crystal quartz points. "Morrow Mountain"

 

[GatorBoy]

Scepter1 is correct, it's quartz crystal with hematite.

Do you follow him to every forum?

 

[scepter1]

Very Nice Gator! I haven't found a complete crystal point, and probably never will.

And just so we are clear, my previous message about North and South Dakota petrified wood wasn't about doubting your/Larsons points. It was just to let you know that i have seen a lot of other materials outside of Washington.

 

[GatorBoy]

I'm sorry but that is not crystal quartz.. no harm no foul..happy hunting.
Adios.

 

[rock]

Its a nice find and a good looking scraper. Stop arguing over the type of stone it is. If the poster says its type let it rest, please. We dont need to scare posters away we need as many as we can get for artifacts. JMO

 

[GatorBoy]

Its a nice find and a good looking scraper. Stop arguing over the type of stone it is. If the poster says its type let it rest, please. We dont need to scare posters away we need as many as we can get for artifacts. JMO

In his defence rock.. I doubt he's scared... we had a disagreement over the type of stone... we both posted reasons and explanations of our thoughts.
We are both adults.. a lot of learning takes place when people do that.
I don't think it would serve anyone's purpose to just grin and nod about everything without trying to improve our knowlage base... unless that's what you like.
Look how much less productive information would have been on this thread if everyone just said nice find.

 

[unclemac]

i think the confusion here may be that this piece is seam crystal quartz as opposed to a point made from a crystal of quartz. I have a number of these seam crystal points and out here it is common to see basalt formations with seams of white crystal running through them.

 

[NC field hunter]

I can't stop looking at this scraper. I did not think this was quartz at first. It has a "waxy" look that throws me off. In the second pic. Look at the old notch. It is transparent, as is quartz. I'm going to tell what I believe to be the gospel....the lithic type can't be determined based on a photo, with 100% certainty. Especially in this case. The poster here seems to have a great grasp on geology. Gator knows his geology as well. The advantage is held in the hand that holds the scraper. I am pretty sure the OP knows what he has here. Wear from usage on top of scars from reworking would leave a pretty hazy quartz. My guess, had the poster (sorry I forgot to look at your name) not given us the lithic, would have been quartzite. Why? Because of the color and hematite spots. After some reading, I found red hematite is probably the reason this piece looks as it does. Red!! Not regular old black .

 

[unclemac]

here is a piece from the coast that is made from quartz crystal...as opposed to a piece made from a crystal of quartz... and here is a seam of quartz from basalt.

 

[GatorBoy]

I guess I'm having a problem understanding what you mean by the term " made of quartz crystal" ..microcrystaline and cryptocrystaline quartzite describes most every type of Flint and Chalcedony.