Sunday, November 15, 2015

Petrified Wood lapidary Slabs

These two beauties just came in. Forgive my little camera, it was never made for picking up the detail in pieces like these, so you might either have to come in to see for yourself or take my word for it....
These are spectacular. Rich warm colors, one in browns and reds, the other creams, browns. Both pieces hail originally from Oregon. 
They have come in from a very old collection and in researching, I have not found anything like these two available today.

This first is my favorite. Rich cream colors and an abundance of patterns. There is really so much going on in these two slabs. We are seeing jaspers, agates and so much more.  This specimen is roughly 12" x 10" and between 1" to 1.5" thick.


This is a detail of the above piece. The bright spot is light glare .. but I hope this gives you an idea of the diversity in patterns on this piece.


The second piece is 11" x 8" wide and  1.5" to 2" thick.
Colors here range from Chocolate browns, cream color, reds, oranges and white.




 These are details of the above piece. Again, sorry for the poor photo quality. Come in and see this for yourself. Stunning.










The bright spot on the left is light reflection.










Here is an image showing the thickness of the two pieces.

If you have any questions or are interested in purchasing, just drop us an email or give us a call... cgomez@ironstonevineyards.com
or 209-728-1251





Saturday, November 7, 2015

Pink Polished Limb Casts


Below are images of the two boxes of Old Collection pieces that have just arrived here at the Heritage Museum.  Received from a very old Museum Collection dating back at least 90 years, these are just a small sampling of the extensive collection that will be offered up for sale over the next several months.

These two boxes are listed as "Pink Polished Limb Casts". 

We have been searching for a clear definition of a "pink polished limb cast", for you, but have been unsuccessful.  As I understand, limb casts are the agatized remains of a petrified limb of a tree or prehistoric fauna. 

Beautiful in color, smooth to the touch, they are quite unusual and all polished nicely. They would make great wire wrap projects or simply look great in a collection.

If you see one here that you can't live without, email us and we will get you a closer image with measurements.  Or better yet, stop in and fondle a few!  

cgomez@ironstonevineyards.com. 

Prices range from $10 to $25.



Thursday, November 5, 2015

Our dear friend Glenn Wasson just stopped in to deliver his newest book,
"Too Much to Swallow, The Gold Gastrolith of Calaveras County & Selected Works by Glenn Wasson".   

And as usual, Glenn was in top form entertaining the guests with his quick wit and old world charm. 

Glenn has asked that we take $5 off the $25 price of his books for the Holidays to make it easier to share his stories with more of his fans.

If you haven't heard the story of the Gold Gastrolith, you need to stop in and see it for yourself.  Yes, we have on display the original Natural Gold Nugget, THE Gold Gastrolith of Calaveras County, found here in Murphys in 1987, which is the focus of this true story. And the story as expressed by Glenn is not to be forgotten. It is as Glenn claims, "a story Mark Twain would loved to have heard".


Friday, October 30, 2015

Mariposa Gargoyle Gold Specimen comes to Ironstone!


The Kailani Mining Co. is proud to present the 
Mariposa Gargoyle Gold Specimen. 
Now on display and available for sale at 
Ironstone's Heritage Museum, here in Murphys, CA.

Specific Gravity Tested 2.192 ozt of gold in this stunning specimen and valued at $7150.00.  Miner Captain Dan, brought us a photo of the larger specimen that the Gargoyle had separated from. It is amazing. We have it on display along with the Gargoyle inside the vault along with the Kautz Crystalline Piece. 

O.K. we know that 2.192 ozt doesn't compare to the 44 lbt of the Kautz Crystalline Specimen, but the Gargoyle will sit nicely in anyone's display shelf.  Come see for yourself!