Prehnite

[Kwant]

I have caged a little prehnite turtle carving and now need to pickle the cage. Does anybody know if prehnite is resistant to sulphuric acid or alum pickle, after soldering 33 joints I do not now want the stone to dissolve before my eyes :0)

I have been in touch with the geology museum in London, but they have yet to get back to me and I thought someone here might know.

[Keia]

What's the active ingrediant in safety pickle? Might be worth a try? =)

[Wallace]

Prehnite (Calcium Aluminum Silicate Hydroxide) is 6-6.5 on the moh scale. When heated it can release water, but does not reabsorb water. probably doesn't help much! lol

[Kwant]

I don't have access to safety pickle Sion, only the acid or the alum. You are quite right Wallace no help whatsoever :0) though your idea of doing it in two stages by attaching it to the bottom pickling half turning it over and doing the same again is something I am going to try this afternoon.

[Kwant]

I have found amongst my stock of stones a little prehnite cabochon, which can be sacrificed for the sake of knowing.


Some half an hour later no damage to stone in acid, so full steam ahead.

[Keia]

Good luck =)

[Kwant]

All done no damage. So now I know :0)

[nammie]

And Prehnite symbolising prophecy, clarity and fore knowledge, this is a good thing!
(well, google says so anyway)

Nammie

[Wallace]

All done no damage. So now I know :0)


you did good my little padawan! :p

[Kwant]

In you the force is strong.

[eirish]

And when do we get to see the little guy in his cage? :)

[Kwant]

Will show in the morning :0)

[Kwant]

I do not normally buy things like this but as I was bidding on some other "real" stones and the postage was no more for extra items, this little fellow was being ignored so I got him for next to nothing. 6ct prehnite carved turtle 14mm long.
So he arrived and hmmm very cute but what on earth to do with it. I had often wanted to make a cage to put a gem in so this seemed the perfect opportunity to have a go. Here is the result, not perfect but it was very very fiddly to say the least:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8307/7905051230_d2f1578b49.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12340604@N02/7905051230/)
Prehnite turtle in cage (http://www.flickr.com/photos/12340604@N02/7905051230/) by kwant (http://www.flickr.com/people/12340604@N02/), on Flickr




.... and yes I know to have saved myself the worry of will he pickle or not I should have put a little door in, this was suggested to me after all was done :0)

[eirish]

What fun he is! It's a good thing we have you to make the world safe from prehnite turtles. :) (I'm very fond of prehnite, such a lovely glow.)

[Dennis]

I used to buy things like that at the Rock'n'Gem Shows for my grand children, but sadly they are too old now so I buy them for myself. He' the Unknown Political Turtle. Dennis.

[Keia]

Very creative idea. Glad it all worked out for you in the end =)

[Kwant]

A little extra info. The geology museum London did in fact respond today, and told me that if it was indeed prehnite it was fine to expose it to sulphuric acid ( they could not guarantee that the sample I showed them by photo/email was in fact prehnite). They did however suggest that I did not use acid to clean my silver but to buy silver cleaner from the supermarket :0) I suspect they thought it was just tarnish though I had explained it was not, bless their little geological socks.

[lilacmonkey]

nice work....
so do you let him out at weekends for good behaviour??

[Kwant]

Not a chance it is a snapping turtle :0)