Offered here are 6 pieces of faced Lahontan Jasper rough from the Dead Camel Mountains of Northern Nevada.
These six pieces came from three rocks that were cut in half, giving you six exposed faces and three matching pairs. The cut surfaces are completely unpolished, so you can see the natural stone as it appears straight from the saw.
You will receive the exact six pieces pictured in this listing.
These pieces show a beautiful range of cream, pale pink, salmon, red and reddish-brown colors. The exposed faces reveal fine linear patterns, branching markings, sharp color boundaries and dramatic picture-like formations.
Several of the faces have patterns that resemble distant ridgelines, cliffs or desert landscapes. Other pieces show long red streaks cutting through a lighter cream matrix. Each matching pair also gives you two closely related versions of the same internal pattern.
One of the biggest advantages of faced rough is that you don't have to guess what is hiding beneath the weathered exterior.
All three rocks have already been opened with a lapidary saw, exposing the interior patterns while leaving the faces unpolished. This makes it much easier to evaluate color, pattern and potential cutting orientation before deciding what to make.
Some photographs show the cut faces wet to help reveal the colors and patterns that may become more prominent after polishing. The pieces themselves are unpolished.
I've cut and polished a lot of Lahontan Jasper from the Dead Camel Mountains, and well-silicified material from this locality can take an excellent polish. The complex patterns can produce dramatically different results depending on the direction of the cut.
Because each original rock was cut into two pieces, the lot also provides three natural matching pairs. These could be especially interesting for paired cabochons, complementary polished specimens, or simply comparing how the pattern changes through the stone.
As with all natural lapidary rough, fractures, inclusions, small pits and other natural variations may be present. Please examine the photographs carefully when planning your cuts.
Once upon a time, not too long ago, the Dead Camel Mountains were my favorite place to rockhound. I liked the area so much that I eventually staked two mining claims there.
Sadly, the area is now closed to rock collecting due to expansion of the adjacent military range. Fortunately, I collected a substantial amount of material over the years, and I'm now offering some of it to fellow rock and lapidary enthusiasts.
The Dead Camel Mountains have a fascinating geologic history that produced an extraordinary variety of Jasper, Wonderstone and silicified volcanic material.
Roughly 10 to 15 million years ago, volcanic activity deposited layers of rhyolitic volcanic rock and ash-flow tuff across the area. Hydrothermal activity subsequently altered and silicified portions of this volcanic rock.
Mineral-rich fluids moved through fractures and porous zones, contributing to the remarkable colors and patterns found in the area today. In many specimens, multiple stages of alteration, fracturing, mineralization and healing created increasingly complex patterns within the stone.
I personally collected this Lahontan Jasper in the Dead Camel Mountains before the area was closed to recreational rock collecting.
This isn't wholesale rough purchased for resale. It's material I personally collected from a locality I've spent a lot of time exploring, cutting and learning about.
Photos show the exact six faced pieces you will receive. The pieces are saw-cut and unpolished.