Help with identifying yellow/orange stone found in southern South Aus

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Hi fellow prospectors. I need help identifying a yellow stone i found along with a few opals. They were in rock rubble that may have come from elsewhere?

It seems to be quartz-like, smooth, yellow/orange, somewhat translucent and has what seem like facets. I thought it may have been citrine, but it is not clear enough. Any ideas?

Thanks in advance.

Sam

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Hi Sam, your rock is chalcedony. The faces on your chalcedony indicate clearly your piece has been worked by aboriginal toolmakers. The type would be classified as a small "core". The tools often weather and glaze after a few thousand years giving the once sharp face edges a smoother look.
cheers RDD
 
samrota said:
Thanks for the info.

So cutting stones would have been chipped off this main stone?

Yeah Sam, they would knap off flakes to make various thin points and scrapers and often just sharp little pieces to be mounted in a groove on a spear. Once the pieces get too small to hit flakes off while holding them, the 'cores' are discarded.

In my limited experience, some of the different chalcedonies were really sought/prized for making exceptionally sharp edged tools with an edge harder then steel....and they could be knapped reliably into desired tools

Your piece looks very old. They get a glaze and slightly rounded edges on surfaces from 1000's of years on the surface being blasted by dust/sand etc.

(I am basing all my blurb on your pictures and my hobby of checking out the local Ab tools/flaking raw material in whatever spot I am detecting .... I could be wrong).
RDD
 

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