7.31.2011

Blue Beach Stones....Is it Slag?

I visited my favorite Lake Erie beach twice this week. Hey...it's WORK, I tell you!
I have to keep a fresh supply of beach stones and beach glass on hand for SToNZ, you know.

So this week I found a great deal of this gorgeous blue stuff. It's really beautiful....especially when wet. You can rub it with mineral oil to deepen the color, or leave it dry for a lighter more subtle blue. It's great stuff.

I have been collecting it for several years. I'm thinking that maybe it's time to put it all together and sell it in my Etsy shop as a collection. It looks gorgeous in a bowl....or can be used in jewelry making.

I am thinking it might be slag glass of some sort. Probably tossed in the lake years and years ago by iron manufacturers on its shore. If anyone out there has an idea of what this is, do let me know!  I think I'll list it in my Etsy shop. Pretty, isn't it!?

10 comments:

2 trick pony said...

don't know what it is....but I can't wait to see what you make with it!

Penny said...

Many years ago we use to be on the North Carolina coast we loved to get up early and look for sharks teeth (I wasn't into stones then) I would love to do that again!! how fun to look for something! Penny

julie beth said...

could you tumble polish some of it? even partially polished, it might be stunning! plus then a good marketing name might be "partially polished poseidon poop"

.... or maybe not. but it made me giggle.

(hi, i'm julie from texas, love your work, love your shop, have been a lurker for a while and decided to make an entrance with a poop joke. yep. :)

SToNZ said...

Ha ha! Thanks for the suggestion Julie. I think.
;)

Anonymous said...

Try Blue Chert or Leland Blue slag

SToNZ said...

Thanks...I have seen Leland Blue slag but have never heard of Blue Chert!

SToNZ said...

Just looked that up....nope. Don't think it's the chert stuff. More likely Leland Slag!

Anonymous said...

It looks like Leland Blue, maybe got there by iron freighter ballast tanks. It's much more common near Leland, Michigan, on Lake Michigan, where it was used for fill in old docks or break walls. What you show has dimples indicating that it's melted glass slag and thus Leland Blue! Blue chert on the other hand is just chert stained by the Leland Blue, and is usually only a surface stain with the inside of the rock it's normal color.

Anonymous said...

I too believe it is Leland Blue - glass slag from the copper mining industry years ago. Will you be putting it up for sale on Etsey as a collection soon?

SToNZ said...

The stones in these photos were sold in my Etsy shop some time ago, but I do have more and could photograph and list it if you have an interest.
Thanks for your comment!

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