Finally got a cool day forecasted so I headed out to the dez for an artifact hunt. Went to an area I've done well at in the past. The first thing I see when I get out of the vehicle is a stark white thing about 25 feet away. As I approach it I'm just blown away how bright white it is, and it's looking like a good point! I carefully removed it from the cement-like playa surface. A beautiful white chert Elko!
About 2 feet away I can see olivella shell beads scattered about. It took some effort to break up the crust and remove them without breaking them. Underneath a broken piece of crust I spied a small abalone flat bead, so I carefully brushed the dirt around to see if there were more. Sure enough, plus an abalone pendant that was in four pieces!
After looking around that area for a bit, and finding a couple little points, I moved on to another spot a short distance away. I wasn't having much luck there, and there were fresh footprints everywhere. I was thinking about giving up on that spot, but then I remember my grandfather always telling me "don't worry about what other people did, look harder and find what they missed". So I slowed down and looked harder still. This thing just looked like dull black rock, but I thought I detected some knapping, so I went to it. Holy smokes! I couldn't believe this thing was hiding in plain sight like that.
I pieced the pendant back together as best I could, it was kind of flaking away in different layers, but I'm very happy to have saved it! Also strange was finding that piece of calcite on the camp.
What a killer day!!!
Thanks for looking!
About 2 feet away I can see olivella shell beads scattered about. It took some effort to break up the crust and remove them without breaking them. Underneath a broken piece of crust I spied a small abalone flat bead, so I carefully brushed the dirt around to see if there were more. Sure enough, plus an abalone pendant that was in four pieces!
After looking around that area for a bit, and finding a couple little points, I moved on to another spot a short distance away. I wasn't having much luck there, and there were fresh footprints everywhere. I was thinking about giving up on that spot, but then I remember my grandfather always telling me "don't worry about what other people did, look harder and find what they missed". So I slowed down and looked harder still. This thing just looked like dull black rock, but I thought I detected some knapping, so I went to it. Holy smokes! I couldn't believe this thing was hiding in plain sight like that.
I pieced the pendant back together as best I could, it was kind of flaking away in different layers, but I'm very happy to have saved it! Also strange was finding that piece of calcite on the camp.
What a killer day!!!
Thanks for looking!
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