This will be an interesting batch because I have overloaded the 3lb barrel. Once again I’ve suckered myself into trying to keep stones together. I […]
Batch 85: Fossicking at Gemstone Beach with JP again
JP was back in Southland and I’ve been out fossicking at Gemstone Beach with him again! Living so close to that “famous” beach you can […]
Stones, Waves & Whispers: 12 Months on Gemstone Beach
Introduction Welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. I’m excited to share this new 12-part series, dedicated to a year-long (month-by-month) journey of fossicking on one […]
Batch 80: The Coastal Collection 2
Batch 80, the neglected Papatotara coastal collection batch, has been patiently waiting in the Papatotara Coast ready for Stage 3 drawer for a wee while […]
Batch 83: Connor’s Stones
Batch 83 are Connor’s stones probably collected from Gemstone Beach. Connor is a friend’s grandson and every now and again friends ask me to tumble […]
Batch 84: Unique Beauty of Gemstone Beach Jaspers
Let’s dive into the unique beauty of Gemstone Beach jaspers, which I always keep an eye out for while fossicking. Types of Jasper Jasper, along […]
Batch 82: Slices and Hydrogrossular Garnets
Slicing Stones Equipment A while back I purchased a wet tile saw from Mitre 10, swapped out the blade for a diamond blade (180mm diameter, […]
Batch 81 : How Breccia Differs from Conglomerate
Breccia (pronounced bre-CHE-a) is a funky type of sedimentary rock that’s actually composed of large angular broken fragments of other rocks that get cemented together by […]
Batch 78: From Gemstone Beach to Tumbler
The majority of stones I tumble are from Gemstone Beach. It is not often that the stones go straight from the beach to the tumbler […]
Batch 77: Sold on Mr Grit 220grit
I’ve been using Mr Grit 220 grit for Stage 2 in quite a few batches now and the quality of it is really good. It […]