Copper is a heavy, chemical element found naturally in the earth and has a ‘soft’ hardness of 2.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, (talc is #1 as softest and hardest diamond is #10). Copper is almost indestructible and as such, artifacts and relics showing its’ use throughout the ages have survived, allowing modern man to track the development of civilization through more than 10,000 years! 

Easily found in abundance, pre-historic man discovered the malleability of copper and used it to form simple weapons, tools and talismans. Some of coppers’ other historic roles include: being formed into statues and all forms of ritual and/or decorative art; used in the construction and protection of dwellings as roofs, gates and plumbing; shaped into eating and drinking vessels and utensils; used in thin sheets as a painter’s canvas and to protect the underside of ships from algae and parasites; used as trade barter and currency; and of course for personal and often functional ornamentation, copper and its early alloys of bronze and brass have been made into pieces of jewelry. (The following samples are from Morocco and can be seen at Epcot.)

The main property of copper that associates it with healing, is that copper is ‘biostatic’.  This means that bacteria will not grow on its’ surface. The ‘ancients’ realized this feature and made drinking vessels of copper to drink water from as a healing method.  Modern man uses copper in garden sprays to dispel mildew and other bacteria from plants. Copper tubing is used in air conditioning units to prevent the spread of bacteria. Copper-impregnated fabrics have many uses as socks, uniforms and underwear for the sports industry; gauze bandages, wound products and textiles used in healthcare such as gowns, masks, towels, etc; household pillowcases, mattresses and carpeting; and for military and industrial clothing. Did you know that some hospitals use copper doorknobs to prevent the spread of germs? I realize now that what I though were just gorgeous older elevators, they were actually made using copper and brass as disease resistant decor! (This example is found in a bulding on Liberty Ave in Pittsburg, PA.)

Copper is very important to the human body too. We all consume copper in the form of vegetable, nuts, dried beads, seafood and (thank goodness) chocolate! Copper is also present in the air we breathe and in the water we drink. A copper deficiency in a humans diet can be associated with many stomach diseases, chronic diarrhea and premature birth, as well as high cholesterol levels. So enjoy your chocolate desert!

I’ll bet you have more copper in your personal home than you think (I know I do). One of coppers alloys is brass. Look around your home. Do you see brass andirons and tools near your fireplace or woodstove? How about any brass lamps, bells, a Grandfather or antique clock, a brass bed frame, silver plated flatware or tea set?  Ok, now how about the construction of your home. Did you know that an average single-family house in the United States contains more than 400 pounds of copper? Think about the builder’s hardware, plumber’s brass fittings and goods and the electrical wire. Now look at all of your electronic devices (computers, game players, stereo) and regular appliances like the heat pump or furnace and AC unit, stove, refrigerator, washer and dryer, etc.  Amazing when you think about this, isn’t it. (And I’m not even going to detail all of ways that copper is used within the transportation industry!)

Native or natural copper is a lovely pinkish color, however most of what we are familiar with has a reddish/orange/brown tone due to the fact that when copper is exposed to oxygen it develops a layer of tarnish. Copper also forms within several other minerals like chalcopyrite (fools gold), covellite, malachite and azurite. Copper is also the responsible color pigment for the mineral turquoise. Most copper findings produced today are polished, and most copper jewelry is coated with a lacquer both of which are temporary protection from tarnish. Copper will eventually turn a human’s skin green due to the reaction of the copper with the chemicals present in the human body.

 This is a photo I took of a basket of malachite in various forms. The specimens in the center show copper inclusions.

All of the pictures included in this article are from my private collection. The following picture is of a piece of ‘flow’ from a copper mine in Arizona. When it was given to me, it was explained that as copper is smelted to remove all impurities, all types of ore emerge, such as silver, gold and platinum. Taken in the morning sunlight, this piece clearly shows all of those metals!

This copper ‘drip’ is part of my outdoors collection as it weighs about 5 pounds and has very sharp edges. It is a solidified ‘drip’ from a smelting vat. The ’sheet’  and freeform mass are just more of my copper collection.

The only serious way to release deadly chemicals such as arsenic from copper is by heating it. Therefore all copper cookware is coated with a protective shield and anyone who uses any type of heat when working with copper needs to work in an area with adequate ventilation as well as wear personal protection such as a respirator. My husband is a boilermaker who is occasionally in situations where deadly fumes are present; such as repairs in the copper mines of the SW United States, and all workers there are required to wear respiratory protection. 

 All of the above information and facts are scientifically proven and true. Now let’s look at some healing theories associated with copper.

Many different cultures through the ages have used copper as a healing agent. Most of these cures were based on the fact that copper is biostatic or an antibacterial material. Second only to silver, copper is the best conductor of both heat and electricity therefore it is presumable that it would also help to conduct the flow of oxygen, energy, blood and other bodily fluids. 

Many people swear by the use of copper as an assistant with arthritic pain, however there is no scientific proof of this to date.

Based on scientific facts, it can be concluded that copper is a very important part of the human body and without it our entire circulatory and digestive systems suffer, and that copper peptides assist in cell regeneration that quickens wound healing.

I leave the rest up to your own individual judgment.

‘Stay Twisted!’

Dale/Cougar 

Over the past several months I have spent quite a lot of time in Utah, most of it between the Wire-Sculpture offices and warehouse.  As a serious rockhound and ‘outdoors person’ this has been extremely difficult for me, because I have had no time off to explore the beautiful countryside or to look for rocks!  During my most recent trip an opportunity arose and I was able to draw one of the staff and his family into a small adventure.  Wire artist ‘inspiration’ has been one of the themes around the office this summer, so we are pleased to present the first:

Wire-Sculpture’s Side Trip Adventure!

For Inspiration and Education

Located at Rozel Point of the Great Salt Lake in Utah, the Spiral Jetty is an earthwork sculpture that was created by American sculptor Robert Smithson in 1970.  In a previous post regarding inspiration, I mention folks who use mathematical formulas to create physical art, as Robert Smithson did when designing the Spiral Jetty.  Read more about this amazing artist:  http://www.robertsmithson.com/index.htm

The Spiral Jetty is a form of art known as Earth Art, Earthworks or Land Art.  From other examples found around the world, Land Art has been a practice for thousands of years but became a recognized ‘movement’ of the art world in the 1960’s, led by Americans.  What I find so cool about this art form is that it uses only materials native to the natural area in which it is created, and over time the art is actually meant to erode back into the earth from which it came!  (Talk about recycling.)  This is a great video clip that shows Smithson planning this sculpture, as well as its’ creation by heavy equipment: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTx4Pp4aPXA

The only Sign that told us were we headed in the right direction!

Our travel to the Spiral Jetty was enjoyable and it is ‘out there’!  As we rode through the terrain I thought of the first settlers traveling through the Utah prairies in covered wagons; women wearing all those cumbersome, hot clothes and what a challenge it had to be to find drinkable water.  Our first stop turned out not to be our end destination, but we were all glad to get out of the van and walk around on the salt flats, which seem to go on forever!

During our exploration of these flats, we checked out what appeared to be puddles covered with a thin layer of ice.

Ice in August in Utah??

Upon closer examination, the ‘ice’ was really a layer of salt crystals in the process of forming as the water evaporated.

Nope - Salt crystals!

The challenge for everyone then, was to find a formation of salt crystal that was different from anything we had already seen.  There were so many, really cool examples!  Although tempted to remove our shoes, as it was rather hot and we were in a wet location, I do not recommend it because these crystals can be razor sharp and some of them are as big as a dinner plate!  (Find out more about salt/halite crystals: http://www.galleries.com/Minerals/HALIDES/halite/halite.htm )

Loading everyone back into the van, our driver expertly maneuvered around not just rocks in the roadway, but miniature monoliths!  Continuing on to the Spiral Jetty location, we stopped to leave some water and fruit with a young couple that had not been as careful and had cracked the oil pan of their little car.  (Warning!  If you venture out to any remote location be sure to take along plenty of water and a few high carb snacks, as in some places cell phone reception is non –existent!)

The Jetty is awesome!

August 30, 2009

Talk about an ‘inspiration’ for everything beyond jewelry making, from: ‘we need to take care of the earth because it takes care of us’ to ‘one person can make a difference’.  Yes, we all walked the entire spiral and then explored the salt formations on the local basalt rocks that had been used to create it.

My only wish now would be to see this Earth Art sculpture when the water is up because the salt here is tinted pink with the salt tolerant algae that lives in this lake, and when the water level is up the black jetty jumps out of the blood red water, aligned with the bright white salt encrusted shoreline.

Leaving for the long drive back to Ogden, we each felt just a little closer to Mother Earth, and everyone has a nice salt crystal to remind us of this wonderful ‘Side Trip Adventure’.

Moral of this article: take an occasional ‘Side Trip’ in your local area and see what you didn’t realize was in your own backyard that may just be transformed into an inspiration for both your life and your art!

Stay ‘Twisted’!

Dale/Cougar

Searching for rocks and minerals can be an extremely gratifying pastime with many benefits such as: enjoying all that Mother Nature has to offer in her great outdoor arena,  (including rain, mud, and creatures); healthy treks through various terrains, (both above and under ground); quality time either alone or with family or friends; and re-experiencing the simple joy of discovering something ‘special’ ~ be it an amazing ‘find’ or a simple treasure.

There are many different categories for a rockhound.  Some folks are into the very broad field of minerals, and focus solely on finding the perfect specimen for their collection, (my personal obsession is wulfenite).  Fossils are fascinating and can be found all over the world, (in one form or another).  The connection to the Earths past, that one feels when they find or hold a fossil, can become a rockhound’s favorite reason to hunt them.  As children we are all drawn to shiny things; some folks retain that passion and collect nothing but crystals!  The lapidary rockhound is always hunting for cutting rough, to grind, cut, carve and form into new items of beauty.  There are as many different ‘types’ of rockhounds as there are rocks.  Walking through your own backyard and picking up a shiny stone that you search to identify is a ‘rockhound’ experience!

To begin, there are several things you need to know.  First of all is safety.  Always carry a well-stocked first aid kit, bug spray, a pocket knife, waterproof matches, plenty of water to drink, energy bars and a bandana or two, (I have no idea how many ways I have used a bandana while in the field).  These days, a cell phone is about indispensable, but may not always work in remote areas.  Be sure to tell someone where you are going and when to expect you back.  If you will be in a remote area, leave a note in your vehicle saying where you are and when you should be returning.  Be aware of your surroundings, will you need sunscreen or a hat too?  Never go alone!!

The equipment you will need depends on where you are going and what you are collecting.  Sometimes a couple of five gallon buckets are all you need, one to carry your supplies and equipment and the other to haul your booty.  Other times, a pack basket or stout backpack will do.  In addition to the items listed above, the equipment I carry may include: an Estwing medium weight hammer, a short handled 2-pound sledge, two chisels, a jeweler’s loupe, a pick-axe, plastic spray bottle of water, (yes, I have been known to lick rocks but this is a safer way to see the ‘real’ color of a rock), a 35 foot length of nylon rope, a potato rake or a small hand-held garden rake, leather gloves, a couple of small plastic bottles, (for tiny finds), and a partial roll of paper towels, (to wrap delicates in).  Sometimes I carry a rock and minerals field guidebook and my camera as well.  I know this seems like a lot of stuff to carry, but as I said before, what you need to carry depends on what you are searching for and where you are going to search for it!

One of my past excursions was with Ed Davis, (previous owner of The Purple Passion Mine), who had asked what level of rockhound I thought my husband and I were, with the number 1 meaning ‘open the car door, reach out and pick it up’, and the number 10 being serious, hard rock mining.  I told him we were probably around an 8.  Well after spending 12 plus hours together, that included hauling a gas power generator miles through the desert and into a tunnel, exploring four different locations, and then spent four hours digging out an amethyst chunk, (that BTW included some awesome amethyst phantom crystals), Ed said we were definitely number 13 = Serious Hard Core.  (Please remember that I have been raised in this hobby and have more than 35 years of experience!)

You will also need a good rock and minerals field guidebook that will help you identify what you find.  I like the Golden Guide to Rocks & Minerals, which is a small paperback I often throw into my pack.  For home use, I recommend, ‘Peterson First Guide to Rocks and Minerals’, by Frederick H. Pough.  This book will get you started and as you advance, you will discover your personal favorites among the many resources available today.

You can begin basic Rockhounding on your next trip to the beach or walk in the woods.  Pick up any rock that looks interesting.  When you take it home and begin looking through a book or two to identify it, you will begin reading and learning about all of the wonderful materials that are beneath our feet.

The next step will be deciding how you want to label and display your treasures.  A small collection can easily find a nice home in a bookcase, with each specimen labeled with its’ name and the location where it was found, maybe even the date.  After collecting a lot of material, your may wish to progress into lapidary work by purchasing a good tumbler, followed by a small saw, then a flat lap, cabbing machine, grinders, faceting machine. . . and soon your hobby takes over the back kitchen, or the basement or the garage; rocks begin to pile up both inside and outside of your house, and one day you realize ~ you are a rockhound!

Rockhounding can be a wonderful ‘family adventure’ with something for everyone!  Small children like crystals, teens love fossils and adults can either choose a specific area of interest or just collect everything, (like me).  An easy way to get your family involved is to take them to a paid location such as a gem sluice.  Yes, some of the buckets you may choose to buy have been ‘salted’ with materials from around the world, but finding colorful pieces of quartz, crystals and other colorful rocks is even fun for me!  The friendly folks at these locations will be happy to tell you what you have found after washing away the dirt.  (Sometimes I go and let my daughter sluice a ‘rainbow’ bucket because I find some great pieces of facet-grade rough!)

To plan your own rockhound excursions, I recommend that you pick up a ‘Gem Trails’ book, written for your region of the country.  These books are wonderfully complete, listing not only what you can expect to find, but many also include the equipment you may need, road conditions, hiking requirements, and pictures!  The authors have also written about their personal experiences at most locations and tell you what you may expect.  Due to the fact that land often changes hands, please read all of the warnings in the books as well, because new landowners may not want people to trespass!

This brings me to the part where I need to tell you about rules.  Legal rules and Moral rules.  Let’s begin with Legal rules and laws.  Of course, you should always check with the owners of private property to receive permission to dig on their land.  You also need to know if a miner’s claim has been filed, which gives all of the mineral rights to the person who has registered such a claim.  A visit to your local county clerk’s office and a call to your state’s Bureau of Land Management, (BLM), office will give you all of the information you may need.  Use common sense.  If an area is posted “No Trespassing”, that means stay out!

You also need to know where and what you cannot hunt.  It is against the federal law to remove rocks, fossils, artifacts, minerals etc. from any and all United States Parks Service properties, including parks, Monuments and Wilderness areas!  For full details please check out these government websites:

United States National Park Service
http://www.nps.gov/

U. S. National Parks Geology
http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/

U. S. National Parks Paleontology
http://www.nature.nps.gov/geology/paleontology/

Bureau of Land Management
http://www.blm.gov

U. S. D. A. National Forests
http://www.fs.fed.us/

U. S. D. A. National Grasslands
http://www.fs.fed.us/grasslands/

There are also specific rules for collecting petrified wood.  For personal use, you may collect up to 25 pounds per day, plus one additional piece, but no more than 250 pounds in a year.

Hunting for fossils also has its limitations, as you cannot collect any type of vertebrae fossil without a written permit from the BLM, however there are many, very cool, fossil specimens of non-vertebrae life forms that you can keep!  The best advice is to check the rules before planning a serious excursion.

Now for my personal favorites, the ‘moral’ rules.

•    Always fill any holes you dig back in and tamp down, especially those dug under and around tree roots.  (While you’re at it, fill any holes left by folks who came before you too!)  This can help to prevent damage to both your and other people’s lower extremities, as well as to any animals who live there.
•    Do not leave your non-organic trash.  If you carried it in, carry it out, along with any left behind by less conscious people.
•    Do not purposely cut, scar and or damage trees!  One can always find dry wood around if a small fire is needed, or a hiking staff.
•    If a fire is desired on a cold day or a long dig, build a small fire ring away from any shrubs or trees and be very sure to put out every ember and then cover the fire area with dirt when you are finished.
•    If needed, dig a small latrine and fill it in before you leave!
•    Do not harass local creatures ~ they were there first.
•    Do not allow children to run amuck!
•    At the end of the day, gather all of your finds and carefully sort through them, taking only those you really like/need for your collection or lapidary needs.
•    Leave only footprints behind.

And last but not least, my personal favorite rule:  ‘If you want it and you can haul it, you can have it.’  Just remember that heavy rocks get even heavier as you carry them back to your vehicle!

Here, I have given you just a taste of the information available; there is so much more to learn about collecting rocks and minerals!  Visit your local library and see what they have to offer.  Spend an afternoon at a local museum and check out their mineral display.  Use your favorite search engine to find the closest rock and mineral club to your hometown and pay them a visit.

Be safe, have fun, and remember the words of Chief Seattle:  “The Earth does not belong to us, We belong to the Earth!”