For fun: Polished mineral spheres, geodes gallery link

I don't think this is substantial enough to be in tech or science so I'm putting it here . . .

I love the great variety of beautiful mineral combinations in these spheres.

I find myself wondering how some of them came about.

Many are just very strikingly BEAUTIFUL:
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Do any of our mineral folks on ATS do such work? I wonder how expensive such spheres routinely are?
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www.spheresdumonde.com...

ohhh man, now your going to make me post my own collection of minerals. GOOD! I been wanting to do so for awhile anyways. Once I have more time I will upload some pictures.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

I look forward to it. THANKS THANKS.

Amazing!! I've always loved geodes and such, but these are simply breathtaking.

Thanks very much for sharing!

I too love these and can't wait to see pics of people's own collections! Beautiful!!!!!

Well now I need to find some crystal spheres to buy.

What have you done to me...
I need them. I need them all.

a reply to: BO XIAN

OK I got my phone and took some shot. Flash is super bright on reflective surfaces, please forgive.

First shot is my small mini display cabinet that I have layered with themes. Top to bottom : Ocean, human/money/industry, and deep Earth.

This is a "septarian dragon egg" as they are called (fancy name for compressed mudballs that crystalized lol), and an Azurite cluster on malachite matrix.


Closer shots

I think the one on the left are small Wulfenite crystals on matrix, but I don't remember. The right is a small clump of fluorite on a crystal matrix that I cannot remember the name of. If anyone remember please let me know, I believe it started with a C.

Azurite, malachite, and iron impurities over a very clear quartz crystal. In fact many quartz are found with neat mineral layers over them like this and cleaned off to look clear and clean. I like them better when covered in these impurities though.

Amethyst geode with a selenite or calcite chunk (cant remember, may not be either) and a column of tourmaline with small line of quartz making it look like a snowy side of a cliff.

Kyanite cluster and cut citrine cluster.

Whew those are my major ones. I got some fossils and other smaller crystals too. I love displaying these around the home.

a reply to: AmericanRealist

What an impressive collection.

THANKS for sharing it! Congrats.

Beautiful. I have some "slices' from those kinds of globes, but never the whole globe. The thing is, you do sort of have to slice into them to see what's inside.

Very nice.

a reply to: ladyinwaiting

Agate slices are neat. I am not a fan of the polished stones myself. I was all about the polished tumbled stones when I was younger, but I grew to really appreciate the natural rough clusters and the impurities that come with them. I have had my eye on this piece of crocoite since late last year, and I will probably finally buy it july 4th. I have bee seeing if another specimen of such caliber shows up at the price, but nothing yet.

My favorite things to collect are minerals, all things brass, and coins.

Hey guys, look what I ordered last night! I'm so excited, these are so cool! I seriously have a feeling I'm going to end up collecting these things.

Rhodonite

Obsidian

Picasso Jasper

Mahogany Obsidian

a reply to: BO XIAN

I go mountain hiking only in hope I find them but nothing exciting so far know its not exactly the same or polished

a reply to: Tehthehet

Wow, beautiful. Thanks.

How do they get the polished perfect spheres?

a reply to: Tehthehet

hehehe, I know for a fact you did not find the second third or last picture specimens while hiking in the mountains, but they are still great pieces. First one looks like some kind of jasper or quartz rough, but it looks like it has pyrite or gold coating to me from the image, a really nice piece. second and third are titanium treated quartz crystals. The titanium gives them that rainbow sheen.

I cant really claim to know what the fourth image is, maybe a type of "desert rose" selenite?? The last one is lab created bismuth. It rarely if ever crystallizes like that in nature because its always found within ores. It is actually easy to grow at home as well.



a reply to: BO XIAN

I think they just tumble them until they get as round as possible, and then polish them with a machine. They can make for a great marble collection.

originally posted by: AmericanRealist
They can make for a great marble collection.

They're not marbles, they're glorious mineral spheres!

WOW thanks people for sharing your pics! Now I want to go to e-bay and if I do, I'll be there all night! LOL

originally posted by: Night Star
WOW thanks people for sharing your pics! Now I want to go to e-bay and if I do, I'll be there all night! LOL

I ordered mine from Etsy. You should check that out too.

originally posted by: Tehthehet
a reply to: BO XIAN

Is this the stuff that melts in your hand?

a reply to: trollz

yea haha I know they are mineral spheres, but they are so perfectly round why not use them as marbles???

a reply to: Night Star

and yes, you will end up on ebay all night because it happens to me frequently lol. Im going to check out etsy though.

a reply to: Autorico

no, but here is a fun video about how to grow it in your kitchen.