This is the ninth in this Series reproducing my recent regular Posts in the Facebook Group “New Zealand Lapidary, Rocks, Minerals, Fossils”. The first Post in this Series is here.
Saturday 29 May 2021: A stone for “Mrs Purple” – This is a recently tumble-polished stone found on Gemstone Beach (Orepuki, Southland) earlier this year, 4.5 cms long, has polished very well. It’s predominantly a dark stone, with some thin veins of intense purple and some creamy-white patches. I have a friend known as “Mrs Purple” who loves all kinds of things of that colour – I promised her I would send her some purple stones collected down south, so this one will soon go to her (see this Post for Mrs Purple’s stones).
Sunday 30 May 2021: Small three-sided stone of petrified wood, found at Slope Point on 3 March, finished tumble polishing on 19 May, 2.5 cms long. Most petrified wood in this area is black, this is an exception and stood out on the beach because of the light brown colour, showing the grain. It polished very well, with just one shallow indent on one side (left there because of the small size of the stone).
Monday 31 May 2021: This small Slope Point stone came out of the tumble polisher with mixed results. Patches are very shiny but other parts are rough. There are still cracks on the surface. Looking carefully at photos of it led me to appreciate a number of aspects of the stone. When I found it on the beach, I thought it might be some kind of sandstone, or maybe even petrified wood. Given the grain patterns and textures revealed by the photos, I now wonder if it is petrified plant material of some other kind. An interesting mystery to me. [One Group member suggested that maybe this is petrified bone, another thought it could be petrified palm.]
The next Post in this Series is here.
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