please help to ID this rock I found near Beechworth

[choiceshot2]

Hello I am a Panner who on the weekend found this buet little rock amber in color found along the a creek ne ar Beechworth

any help would be appreciated

regards len

 

[silver]

Mrs Silver says carnelian,..... I say amber floats in a glass full of water with a tablespoon of salt mixed in,... it sinks in fresh water(that's how you check to see if it's amber).

 

[The Green Wanderer]

Looks a bit like a fractured piece of red/orange agate, try scratching a knife blade with it. If it scratches the metal but can't be scratched by the blade then its about 6 or 7 in hardness and probably an agate.

 

[choiceshot2]

looks like it is a agate thank you for your help it will scratch a knife but cannot be scratched my same knife
are these common in this area , been panning the area for 5 years first time one of these , would it polish up or not worth the hassle

regards Len

 

[Piep]

Being an agate, it will polish beautifully to a nice super glassy shine. It's a small piece, but the colour is very nice. In my opinion it's worth polishing, but don't expect to get any money for it.

Carnelian is a fairly common stone and isn't a precious gem. You can buy it in bulk, fully polished or carved for about $2 to $10,- a piece.

I'll warn you though: if you decide to give stone cutting/polishing a try at your local lapidary club, you have found yourself a serious new time sink. It's incredibly addictive!

 

[Lefty]

I concur with everyone here, it looks like carnelian. And yes, it does polish up nicely. Occasionally you find a bit that is not translucent but so clear as to be virtually transparent and you would probably be able to facet it. But I think your piece would probably make a nice little cabochon