Sand, Shells and Stone

12/15/2021

Meteorite impacts can create diamond bearing ores. Many impact sites around the world have yet to be officially recognized OR prospected for diamonds. If you see rocks like these, look for shiny embedded crystals, no matter how small. These were found in industrial landscaping in western WA state.

11/20/2021

A meteorite impact in the distant past created high pressure alteration materials such as the black diamonds (also known in mineralogy circles as "carbonado") which the Olympic Peninsula and other areas of WA State are not-so-secretly famous for.

Roads, towns, bridal shops,, even a country Rock band (called "Black Diamond Junction") here in the area take their names from these hard and polishable gemstones. There is also, in fact a city in WA named "Carbonado" even though commercial black diamonds supposedly only come from Africa. It might make one wonder why they named the town that.

If you know what to look for, the dark stones with hints of purple are abundant, and can also be green or, rarely, blue or red.

While it may seem that someone in possession of rare diamonds would be fabulously wealthy, it is important to understand (or learn the hard way) that diamond sales internationally have for decades been controlled by a cartel who decides who buys which diamonds from whom and at what price. In the UK it us actually ILLEGAL to possess rough diamonds so collecting them as we do here at Sand Shells and Stone would land us in jail.

The accompanying photo shows some of the carbonado specimens in our collection; size is relative, one of the largest in the collection was found not in the wild but at a rock show.. mistakingly tossed in with a selection of "apache tears". If the dealer had known he sold a 20 carat flawless black diamond for $2 perhaps he would join the Apache nation in weeping. On the Right, an interesting specimen with a burnt appearance is encased in a metallic "impact melt" of gold, iron, and other metals and silicates, joining dozens of smaller ones; they have the appearance of peanuts in peanut brittle.

My favorite is the little triangle shaped one right about in the middle of the green kimberlite matrix. ..bottom left.

For more diamond pictures, see our latest post about white and fancy diamonds of WA State found in impact Kimberlite.

11/20/2021

Some pretty patterns seen here in high-pressure alteration material from Ediz Hook in Port Angeles

11/07/2021

This photo is of a beautiful blue mushroom that was recently discovered somewhere in the Pacific NW..such a pretty diaspora of life forms in this area of WA State USA and Olympic National Park area. The latter being designated a world heritage site by UNESCO primarily for the biodiversity and the number of species indigenous only to this particular area of the globe ( unsure if the blue spotted fly agaric mushroom is found elsewhere in the world; citation required)

04/08/2021

Olympic Peninsula - locality: Port Angeles area. Jaspers, jades, hematite , corundum, fire agate, chalcedony

03/24/2021

Kevin Huff

Meet our new store dog - Winnie 🐾 🎶!

03/24/2021

This density tested as “moissanite” or a slightly heavy silicon carbide. The stone is almost perfectly symmetrical and has several properties in common with some major gemstones.

The “dissapearing ink” phenomenon is unique, i think to stones from the Olympic peninsula. Dark purple to black lines travel the surface and sometimes intersect to form dark four-rayed stars. A mineral similar to rutile is likely responsible for both the asterism and the increased specific gravity observation.

03/14/2021

Couple of recent finds in the Port Angeles area: the well known and sought after local stone known the world over as “Olympic poppy jasper” shows colors that rival the best forms known. Rubies can be found along coastal streams and beaches. “Galaxy Jasper” is the name we are using in-house for an ALL NEW VARIETY of stone being found locally in scarce samples. It has a submetallic green and blue luster and a patterned array of tiny white spots. No cut or polished stones are yet known only a few rough pebbles like this are known to exist.

03/01/2021

ROCK OF THE YEAR: TEKTITE (SPACE GLASS)

We have named a “rock of the year” for 2021! We expect to see a LOT more varieties of this stuff now that it’s been established what it is and how it’s formed (kinda) there is a LOT in mineralogy and geology I trash don’t think we have much of a clue about. One big area of confusion seeks to be well... THIS stuff. It’s not obsidian, and it’s not Moldavite, the Blooming-onion looking glass reputed to be impact ejecta from meteorites. Also Libyan desert glass, trinitite and now it’s looking like EVERY desert has desert glass now? Wow.

Well this stuff is also of mysterious origin. Primarily silica, the swirls of colors on these match nearly precisely. They also match totally opaque stones that resemble granite or brick. But they definitely formed the same way. Plus they all have several healed stress fractures from impact themselves. The electric blue fire within the blue tektite is phenomenal.... more research is needed on this stuff and we will keep you apprised.

Rock of the year:

precious/fire tektite (royal blue obsidian) I’ve seen some of the solid darker blue tektite crystal online for sale, (it’s spendy) I have NOT been either of the other two types correctly identified. In fact, what appears to any rock collector to plainly be a {MALACHITE} egg, contains stress fractures, “genetic” swirls and colored areas identical to the other tektite samples- so even if it’s chemically malachite the specimen formed the same way as all
The others...and then sustained impact cracks also. There’s a story here, and you’ll be hearing a lot more about the space glass from Port Angeles !

02/22/2021

Spectacular new discoveries of Tektite “Blue Space Opal” “Green Space Opal” -USA source location-Cascadia

Formed from impact melt created by meteorites hitting silicon laden rocks., Tektites are flying molten pieces of glass and metal and silicone that flies in the air and crystallize in flight. Most of these are characterized by a popular appearance, and I both harder and softer than traditional Opal.

The material on the outside is significantly softer and has a waxy luster and feel. The center is characterized by extremely hard on the flawlessly transparent facet quality/gem quality material.

The material I’m the center of the blue Specimens has electric and fire, and is out of this world, literally.

Items pictured are significant to the science of geology and exoplanet geology as it’s possible that the intriguing metal creating the almost unnatural azure blue fire could be unknown, or possibly even radioactive or have other electrochemical or electro-optical properties . These one of-a-kind crystals are currently not for sale until the research project and exhibit is completed -but will soon be in the hands of happy new owners after the exhibit!

Thanks fir looking -A

02/17/2021

New wallpaper ! Free download .. check size on browser... high resolution version available just message me so I know where to send it electronically. Thanks for looking!

Winter gathering:

Grossukar garnet, fluorite, malachite, calcite, thomsonite, black diamond, goshenite, aquamarine, thunder egg, calcite geode dark red twenty sided garnet (In case), Rare purple tektite, blue fire opal, and small sealed jar of one carat surf-collected beach gemstones.

02/11/2021

“STAR OF DAVID” TWINNED BLACK DIAMOND FOUND IN USA

Amateur gem hunters and mineralogist at Sand Shells and Stone at discovered a rare crystal. What are the oldest substances in the non-solar system, black diamond or Carbonaro as it is known as believed to have formed inside stars during the creation of the universe. Surviving meteorite impacts the only normal force of black diamond on the planet. This 30 carat behemoth was discovered at the side of a suspect meteorite crater in Washington state.

This is insist that wind diamond crystals are the only material down to inhabit the same space at the same time as another substance being other twin. This seems to clearly violate any number of laws of physics and it brings to mind the “superposition “ of two states over each other in reality, described nicely by the seeming paradox of Schroedingers Cat. Which, if you are familiar with this thought experiment still only produces one observable cat not Siamese twin cats as is the case with these rare and seemingly impossible “superposed” crystals, absorbing light so quickly it looks black although it is in fact a clear crystal. Yet it is also fluorescing a purple color as do all diamonds