Rock, Mineral or Fossil? Any Ideas?

diggummup · Feb 1, 2015

I don't think it's a rock. Measures approx. 2 in. long. Has a glass like, polished sheen to it, semi opaque. Actual color is closest to the last two photos. Possibly something from the ocean? No idea of origin. Found in a junk drawer at an estate sale.

BurntBear · Feb 1, 2015

I think that may be a Snakeskin Agate:

MineralMan.com - The Photo Archive of Sold Specimens

diggummup · Feb 2, 2015

BurntBear said:
I think that may be a Snakeskin Agate:

MineralMan.com - The Photo Archive of Sold Specimens

Thanks! I think you hit the nail on the head. It looks like it's been through the tumbler, I guess.

DDancer · Feb 2, 2015

Yep Burntbear got it in one

BurntBear · Feb 2, 2015

I don't think it was tumbled. They form like this and the "skin" look varies quite a bit from smooth, like yours; to a rough texture like the link I posted. I think your specimen may have been handled by a few hands over time and smoothed out. Awesome specimen! There aren't many around.

diggummup · Feb 2, 2015

BurntBear said:
I don't think it was tumbled. They form like this and the "skin" look varies quite a bit from smooth, like yours; to a rough texture like the link I posted. I think your specimen may have been handled by a few hands over time and smoothed out. Awesome specimen! There aren't many around.

Thanks for the added information. I had no idea what this was. I thought it came out of the ocean or something.

huntsman53 · Feb 2, 2015

Since it probably came from an Estate Sale in Florida, I was thinking it was possibly Agatized Coral but I agree that BurntBear hit it on the nail's head! Beautiful stuff that would make some truly beautiful and artful sculptures of humans!

Frank

yakker · Feb 3, 2015

That's an amazing little piece! Never seen or heard about anything like that before- thanks for the show :thumbsup:

Yakker

DDancer · Feb 3, 2015

First time I saw that material was in at a rock shop in Tucson

If its still there the guy had a small box of them. They were unusual enough I had to ask and it was explained to me that he had made them by tumbling chalcedony nodules. I have a couple in the box's somewhere

He also had copper uglies~ large copper crystals that had formed in the tailings pond of one of the local copper mines. I have to see if that shop is still there when I'm in Tucson next. Kino's rock shop I believe it was... off of Nogales highway near the airport.