Some finds from Lowmead

[Dedicated luck]

Quick trip down the lowmead today and was one of the best amd shortest trips yet concentrating on spot thats hidden abit and wont stop throwing purple was there for 2 hours with 27 pieces of purple
6 cutters but majority of them had etchings and only amethyst no cintrine or smoky i found these 2 small facts interesting.. 50m was a spot with plentiful cintrine.. not a single piece of ameythest.. what's peoples thoughts on why the crystals form and colour can very so much so close together yet the same mineral compound..?

 

[Lefty]

It's unusual isn't it DL? Maybe the rate at which the rock - now coarse sand -cooled down after forming?

A hole I was digging in a while ago had only smokey purple amethyst at one end of the hole and only straight smokey crystals at the other. Another had very nice bright mid-purple crystals only (and then nothing as it ran out). Yet another spot less than 50m away has lots of crystals but almost all of them very pale lilac and a lot of pieces of citriney quartz.

But you've noted the tendency for the stuff to occur in pockets - you can be there an hour and get a bunch of crystals in one spot or you can be there all day digging several different spots and find nothing at all.

It's all down to luck - and one of the biggest components of luck is persistence

 

[Dedicated luck]

Heading down again today lefty will take some.photots also getting them out of.the clay hard floor new geological pick will breack it up better. Very strange about the colour varies but whis complaning.

 

[Lefty]

The colour variation of the quartz is the notable thing about Lowmead. The amethyst comes in every shade from colourless with just the barest tint of purple, pale lilac, bright mid-purple, smokey purple and a nice pinkish-purple. Haven't found any of the pinkish stuff for quite some time.

Even some of the too-badly cracked to facet stuff can make interesting cabs.

 

[Dedicated luck]

Speaking of colour variation the "Purple Rain" pocket? thru 19 pieces of ametrine today... some cutters best iv seen from lowmead will take photos and upload when im home???

 

[ktmman]

Finally got to make a trip out for a dig.
The purple was as elusive as ever for me, found some nice micro-mount sized Amethyst but the bigger pieces were hiding.
Not so this large light smokey though! Has anyone found a bigger crystal than this at the public diggings?
If so I'd love to see what everyone's biggest piece is.

 

[silver]

Wow Ktmman,.... and that's not even starting at the zero,... I'm reconing 9.1 cm in length from where I sit,...She's a sight to behold,..only that beauty above the bar at Lowmead has any size over this one,.... let's hope you're only on the edge of it all,... and the biggies are still yet to come.

 

[Lefty]

Speaking of colour variation the "Purple Rain" pocket? thru 19 pieces of ametrine today... some cutters best iv seen from lowmead will take photos and upload when im home???

I've found a couple of bits of ametrine there as well - and now that I facet, I'm buggered if I know where I've put them :/

 

[Lefty]

I can't say I've seen a bigger one than that myself from there Richard - seen the near-football sized one behind the bar at the Lowmead pub and was told by a local that he found an almost black smokey crystal the size of a dog food can. But he didn't invite me back to his place to dig.

 

[Lefty]

BTW mate, that Proston smokey crystal you gave me cut a helluva stone, the biggest I've faceted yet. I haven't weighed it yet (it was midnight when I finished it last night and I went straight to bed) but it's over half an inch across and I'm having trouble holding it in the tongs, it just keeps popping out because it's too wide for them. I had to slice the foam cushion square in the little plastic display case in half so it would sit down in there properly Will have to make a start on those garnets shortly.

Cheers

 

[ktmman]

Sounds like it made for a nice stone Lefty.
When you get a chance,I'd love to see a picture of it.
I have 1 other piece from there,it has some fractures and inclusions but the colour is the same and I think it would cut an okay sized stone.

 

[DirtyDigger]

Has anyone got an idea on this specy. its green

 

[ktmman]

Hey DirtyDigger, what area did you find this in?

 

[DirtyDigger]

In bundaberg ktmman

 

[Dedicated luck]

Thats a cracker smokey!! And dirty digger the green looks like epidote also abit of calcite copper charlcopyrite by the looks of it, similer to what i get in the upper Burnett area.

Been walking around the montains looking for some sort of hope.. mainly east of lowmead going off geological map no reason why there wouldnt be crystals there picked up a few bits of hope but nothing really.. although did stumble accrose this awsorme chert deposit up in the hills!! Heading back tommorow to look for some even better stuff, has blie and green flecks throu it with bits of amethyst.. yes amethyst started cabbing a piece of the amitrine like you mentioned ktman havnt got around the finishing it yet. Heading down rosedale way for a poke about tommorow. Would anyone be kind enough to give me directions to the thunder egg deposit?

Cabbed piece of the chert found! Hard to get a good photo but can see the purple squarer shape on the top!

Chert in the rough!

ametrine from last trip! 2 cutters will send to thailand!

Piece half cabbed!

Bit of hope.. cintrine phantoms

Need this scaled up X1000 and be on the money! Found this on side road east of lowmead

 

[Lefty]

Just a guess DD, but that specimen might be epidote? Seldom found as facetable crystals but can make good specimens.

 

[Lefty]

Just a guess DD, but that specimen might be epidote? Seldom found as facetable crystals but can make good specimens.

Ah, I see DL beat me to it

 

[Lefty]

That's a really interesting looking specimen there DL - looks like a galaxy.

Never cabbed any chert myself - nice and hard like agate?

 

[Dedicated luck]

Good call lefty

Yes like a galaxy! The purple through it is nice in the sun hoping for some larger brighter purple, i wonder where the blue specs come? Blues a funny colour with minerals i find it hard to work out what it is.. copper based? Maybe why no blue quartz?

Its lovely lefty! I reckonised it from my previous missions for gymieite. Dont know whats in side till you breack the white blocky shaped rocks up! Took it to the gladstone gem show and few interested people. Might be some slabs on ebay soon of Barkenite ;p

 

[ktmman]

Being gluttons for punishment, my brother and I went back to Lowmead today,weather was great for digging.
My luck has been pretty bad for finding crystals lately.All these are my brothers finds,he started finding purple 5 minutes after we got there and didn't stop till we left for 91 pieces,most of them Amethyst. Some are really clear and will make good cutters