The find of a lifetime...

I have been interested in stones, rocks, minerals and gems since I was a child. Since discovering viewing stones about 15 years ago, I have spent many many hours looking for that one really good stone. I have found and lugged home hundreds of stones. Some of them are ok but I had yet to find that one really special stone. This past May I spent the day with a buddy at one of our favorite places to look for stones.

Just off to the right off this waterfall,


I found this stone...


When combined with this suiban I get the feeling that I am right back on the river...


I love the edges...water spilling over the stone


The stone lacks the super smooth and black surface that seems to be most desirable in viewing stones but I still enjoy the fine details...


the bottom is naturally flat...


John

Hi jgeanangel . Your stone play good but you clean it more , you will see a better suiseki.

John -

Nice find. I like the stone a lot. It appears to have a nice skin to is as well. The surface is nicely pitted, but still smooth. I don't have the book in front of me, but I seem to recall the Yoshimura and Covello text including a stone that they referred to (I think) as snake pitted. It was a very finely pitted stone, but still worn and smooth like yours. I'll try to look it up when I'm home. There aren't any recent fractures to the stone; all the edges have been rounded and worn down. You're very fortunate to find such a flat bottomed stone. That's a constant challenge for me. And it doesn't appear to have multiple flat sides. I often find stones that are pretty good, but with back-sides that are also fairly flat. For me, the drop off in the back of a stone often detracts from the depth of the scene.

Based on the first view of the stone in the suiban, could it be rotated a couple degrees counter-clockwise? It's hard for me to tell from pictures, but I feel like the presentation may be slightly enhanced if the left side of the stone (as shown in the picture) were brought slightly forward. The somewhat abrupt change in the front contour of the stone on that side is a little distracting. For me, it interrupts the visual flow, and a slight counter-clockwise rotation may solve it. Although, it may also be that by rotating the stone that direction, the right side of the image could be negatively impacted as well.

I really like the suiban. It gives me the feeling of a pool that's just full enough to start overflowing. I could see myself sitting on the edge of the stone, dipping my feet in the water. And most likely my 2 year old son would be next to me throwing rocks into the water. Do you know what kind of stone it is? My geology is rough to say the least.

Thanks for sharing,

Christian

Hi John.
I love your enthusiasm in many IBC posts, John, and this stone and suiban are a nice contribution to the Stone forum. Can you share more on each? Though not asking about your stone, John, Christian left me wondering about the stone's backside.

Very nice river photos. Especially on such a hot & humid day, thank you for sharing the refreshing views!
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Hi Christian.
I can hardly believe your son is two, already... then, again, it stands to reason. He must be clamoring through time... :-)

John -

After following your link to the video of the area, I see that a lot of the host rock is granite. If that's the case, I would be very hesitant in much more cleaning of the stone, as well as keeping the stone outdoors. The canyons closest to me are full of granite, and most of the stones that I have pulled from the mountain rivers and streams have faded when placed outdoors. The surface patina of those stones was not (I believe) the natural polishing of the stone. In finer grained stones like serpentine, japser, and others you'll get a nice patina from natural polishing of the stone surface. In my experience, granite is less likely to do so. I'd keep it indoors and resist much more rigorous cleaning. And as Chris noted, I would like to see the back of the stone, and I'd be curious to learn the origins of the suiban. A very nice piece in an of itself.

Chris -

He's two and a half now, and has a little brother on the way (beginning of December). Time flies... He's definitely a boy at heart. Climbing, running, jumping, skipping (at least he thinks he's skipping). He keeps us on our toes.

I only have time for a quick post...still working:) Thanks for the comments!!! Double thanks to you Christian!!

I do believe this stone is granite and I do not plan on cleaning it...the granite from this area when cleaned is typically some shade of orange. I have cleaned other stones from this location and the results have been from orange to almost very light beige. This stone has no recent fractures or even cracks that are apparent. It was found in the rumble beneath a waterfall. Stones from this area rarely have a scale that makes them suitable as viewing stones...although as you can see from the video the area itself is amazingly shaped and worn from water erosion.

Here is a pic of the back of stone...



Thanks again,
John

Well, the back of the stone is a little flat, but not too bad. There is definitely still some character to it. I remember when I first met Chris (Cochrane). I had been collecting stones for a short while, and we both brought stones to a deli. He brought some great stones. Then I got out what I thought was my 'most Japanese' stone. It was a black, smooth stone. The first thing Chris pointed out was that the stone had multiple flat sides. I was pretty disappointed, but now I look back and smile at what I thought was a really credible stone. Learning is fun...

I have the same issue with granite here. Lots of orange/beige when cleaned. I've mostly given up on it unless something spectacular is found.