❓Your Mineral Identification Questions answered here

I don't see diamond but I do see topaz and zircon for a first up guess, as part of the process of elimination. From top to bottom #s 3, 4 & 5 - topaz, topaz, zircon. 6 looks interesting as a carving stone. If there is a feather-like crack or inclusion that reaches into the stone, by as much as 1/2 to 1 mm, is a fair indication of topaz that has had a fracture occur along the crystal axis after a collision. Zircon will crack along the length of, into and through the stone or show colloidal fracturing, like windscreen cracking and so will quartz, that is when you go to the next determinates in the exciting world of "Name that Stone".
Do a search on goldierocks name for his determinates to identify your finds. One of the most helpful is the scratch test and then the density equation.

Sorry Mouse, that doesn't look like diamond to me either.

Yeah i understand the liklyhood of 1.2 carat diamonds a stretch for a first week fossiker. Just seemed differnt to all others, im reasonably sure it isnt topaz as cold lip touch is not as cold as a piece i have that im sure is topaz. Not sure if a better photo would help but was just seeing best guess as im short on funds to id.
Zircons would still be nice to find a buyer for.

Pat hogan, im unsure if you see a feather crack in stone 6 which is only the fifth (first picture is a double up) or just exampling a possible sernario it would be intresting. Ill look at it better tonight.

To be honest Mouse77 the only way to start getting any sort of idea on what the stone could be is to do a Specific Gravity test, if you have a set of gem scales, then it's relatively easy to make a little SG rig. This PDF will explain how:

https://www.prospectingaustralia.com/forum/doc/member-docs/10304/1570782572_sg_rig.pdf

Not the fanciest of setups but it works and will tell you a lot. Plenty of SG charts on the web.

Mouse77 said:

Pat hogan, im unsure if you see a feather crack in stone 6 which is only the fifth (first picture is a double up) or just exampling a possible sernario it would be intresting. Ill look at it better tonight.

Click to expand...

Yeah, I didn't see one either, just saying that it is an indicator to look for when determining topaz at first sight.

Edit: btw 'colloidal' should be the word conchoidal in my previous post. I can feel the hot breath of the central scerrutiniser down my neck.

Hi all, been working my way through a few rocks that Ive acquired along the way but this one has me stumped the black and green minerals are what Im interested in. The green has a waxy sort of feel to it and is very dull. The black is a bit shiny but really soft. My best guess is graphite?

I'd like to see what answers you get Wentywildman, as I found a chunk of the green waxy-feel stuff myself only last weekend. I assumed it was desiccated animal vomit or some other gross organic matter rather than a rock, so I just left it where I found it. It was hard and weird though, and I found I could mark it fairly easily with my thumbnail.

Can anyone help me identify this.
It's highly magnetic and found in the g.t

maybe magnetite

Magnetite is a rock mineral and one of the main iron ores, with the chemical formula Fe3O4. It is one of the oxides of iron, and is ferrimagnetic; it is attracted to a magnet and can be magnetized to become a permanent magnet itself. It is the most magnetic of all the naturally-occurring minerals on Earth. :Y:

Cool info... thanks
I just googled it and people actually seek it lol.
Shame mine just fits in my hand lol.
Seriously thanks...
Chris :Y:

Hi guys found these two stones in a gully near Hanging Rock Nundle while panning for gold.
Hope some one can tell me what they are.
Thanks
Nuc



Quartz crystals ?

Yep!

Oh well they are still pretty to look at erfect:

Can anyone help me Identify this stone?? Thanks in advance

The shape suggests a water worn fluorite octahedron, is there any hint of purple if you sit it on a torch light lens or hold it up to the sun?

Hi Flowerpot, no trace of purple under light. It is just a solid black when held over a light.

maybe magnetite.
Run a magnet over it, if it reacts to the magnet it is a Magnetite crystal,
if not probably flourite.

Looks like magnetite to me too.

I just tried to run a magnet over it but no reaction. Thanks for the advice everyone, really appreciate the help!

Seems to be striations on the stone, only seen pics of octahedron diamonds like that.
A zoom in shot of your stone.