"Hi Paul,

Simon is perfect - as always. Imagine - getting paid to go hang out at a real tourmaline mine and help people learn how to sift and rinse tailings. The Oceanview property is gorgeous - the tailings area is on a wide, flat hilltop amid rolling hills. You drive up to it through orange groves. You can see Queen Mountain in the distance and even see the tailing of the Tourmaline Queen Mine.

This last trip I found a really, really nice light pink kunzite crystal. The whole crystal is intact and 1-1/2 inches long by about 1/2 inch by 3/8 inch. I found a few other chunks of kunzite and one piece of aquamarine that is possibly facet grade. I was getting some nice schorl on matrix pieces for the school rock and mineral kits that our club is making.

I'm still cleaning one quartz cluster that I bought. It has a smoky quartz crystal about 1-1/2 inches across by 6 or 7 inches long angled at a 45 degree angle on the left side. In the center of the foot long cluster are too many baby quartz crystals to count. The right side is mostly a flat slab of tan feldspar - but with a small fragment of shorl at the top. As I have been soaking it and scrubbing it with Bar Keepers Friend, more baby quartz crystals are being exposed under where the Feldspar was. My orginal hope was to clean off the feldspar from the half with the large quartz and leave the other half just feldspar. But now points of quartz are peaking out at me on that half also. There is probably a better/faster way to clean it up - but I'm having fun seeing it evolve.

I'll check out the agate carving video sometime. I usually research a project to death before I try it - maybe that is why I have so many unstarted projects lined up? (along with having our own business and five kids). I spent most of yesterday pulling weeds - we had rain and now nice warm sun - so the weeds have taken over our yard. At least I was out in the sun.

Ellen"

Man that Simon has a job of dreams. lol Tourmaline, Kunzite mannn, life would be good. That sounds like a beautiful Kunzite crystal you found. I have some pieces from the material I got some Oceanview and Simon last year. I just haven't taken the time to cut any. It is a beautiful pink colored stone and should cut some great stones. To bad the cutter isn't better than he is. lol You know I need to dig that stuff out and cut some. I have been cutting so many things for other people that I haven't had time to cut much for myself. But that is changing now. Everything is caught up and now it is my rocks.

You are so patient. That slow cleaning method of yours would probably drive me nuts especially after seeing what you are seeing in that sample of yours.. lol Take some pics when you get it cleaned up. Also the Kunzite crystal too. I would like to see that.

I hope your workload goes down a bit before it starts getting so hot down there. That way you can get back out there hunting goodies. I am sooo jealous! Someday..... If and when my bailout comes, I will have to order some more material from Simon. Nice stuff and great fun!

Don't work too much and get out rockin'!! :-)

Paul

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