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Foggy twin quartz point (Read 2142 times)

daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Foggy twin quartz point Aug 9^th, 2018 at 3:27pm	Print Post
	I picked up a 1/2 dozen crystal points today, 2 of which are twins. One is mostly water clear with 2 clearly defined crystals growing from one base. The other is the problem.One side shows the dividing line between the 2 crystals, the other has almost nothing in the way of a line. The problem is, it seems covered with a fine white "mist" of something. It feels almost powdery when running the finger across it. When wet, it's like it isn't even there. Then you can see a mass of hairline fracturing running from one side of the crystal to the other making it look like just one crystal. Anyone have any idea's what it might be & how to remove it? Pic 1 shows the full dividing line, pic 2 is the opposite side. I'm hoping it can be removed. Right now it's sitting in a bath of white vinegar (hopefully that won't hurt it). Yes, I'm pickling my quartz...

	1_034.JPG ( 298 KB \| 43 Downloads ) 2_031.JPG ( 322 KB \| 48 Downloads )
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daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #1 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 4:36pm	Print Post
	Small update. I've given this crystal 8 2 hour long vinegar bath's so far. Rinsing, then soaking in water with baking soda between each bath. The misty fog stuff on the outside has gone away some, but not completely. I've temporarily coated it with some old water based gloss coat to show why I want to get this thing as clear as possible. The fracturing or whatever it it is inside looks sort of like a plume of smoke. The faces aren't flat which can be seen in the original pics, but I don't think it will matter much if I can clear them up. The gloss coat can be soaked off with water (like I said, it's OLD). I used to use it when painting pewter figures.

	3_032.JPG ( 374 KB \| 48 Downloads ) 4_028.JPG ( 374 KB \| 52 Downloads )
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Dude Full Member Offline RockHoundLounger Posts: 151 Joined: Jul 4^th, 2017 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #2 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 5:06pm	Print Post
	Oh my... I nearly passed out when I read you had glossed it, very relieved to hear it will one day breath again lol. It’s a very pretty piece though


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daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #3 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 5:22pm	Print Post
	Oh, I've already removed the gloss coat. I only did it for the pics. It's back in it's nice, comfy vinegar bath getting pickled.


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Dude Full Member Offline RockHoundLounger Posts: 151 Joined: Jul 4^th, 2017 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #4 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 5:42pm	Print Post
	Back to getting pickled Well it is a Friday after all!


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daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #5 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 6:13pm	Print Post
	Yup.. I wonder if it will taste like a dill pickle now. It will definitely be crunchy.


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Dude Full Member Offline RockHoundLounger Posts: 151 Joined: Jul 4^th, 2017 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #6 - Aug 10^th, 2018 at 6:17pm	Print Post
	probably will do lol


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Rebecca God Member Offline I Love YaBB 2.5 AE! Posts: 653 Joined: Nov 11^th, 2010 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #7 - Aug 11^th, 2018 at 11:13am	Print Post
	That is an interesting process, thanks for sharing. Most white coatings I have seen in that area were....magnesium...I think. Oh I can't remember anything anymore! I think it is a beautiful crystal regardless, but I also really like the frosted ones (whether from water or a secondary mineral coating). You couldn't duplicate that look ever.


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daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #8 - Aug 11^th, 2018 at 11:58am	Print Post
	Unfortunately, I don't know where it came from. It could be from Siberia for all I know, so it's anybody's guess as to the coating.


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Scott LaBorde RHL Administrator Offline "Rock it" science! Posts: 2975 Location: Wake Forest, NC Joined: Sep 28^th, 2010 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #9 - Aug 13^th, 2018 at 7:58am	Print Post
	Many times we get white coatings with our crystals here as well. Many times we have found it to be microcrystalline druzy. Sometimes its a mixture of quartz and feldspar that make it up the coating. The best thing you can do it soaking it in acid to remove it as best you can. Unfortunately, when you see that white coating, it's usually there to stay. All you can do is experiment. Good luck!

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daves64 Senior Member Offline Rockaholic Posts: 456 Location: Ellensburg WA Joined: Jun 27^th, 2018 Gender:	Re: Foggy twin quartz point Reply #10 - Aug 13^th, 2018 at 2:06pm	Print Post
	So far, if the light hits it from an angle, you can see the plume inside fairly clearly with just a little "fog" on the surface. But from straight on, fog city. The texture doesn't feel like a powder finish anymore though, feels more like a smooth crystal with surface imperfections. And this one does have some visible surface imperfections. I need to get pics of the other twin at some point. In one area, that one actually has 3 flat crystals growing up one face, and they wrap around to a second face and onto a 3rd. It's really quite pretty. I just hope I can get some good shots of it.


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