Snakes and Stones

Photo #15
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kMjIEG3.jpg
Some local granite-esque rocks from area. There is a quarter in the photo for scale.

At the time this photo was taken: This male is at ~1.5 years old. He has grown significantly larger since the photo and outmatches some of my older females in size.

Photo #16

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Jy5Xe4A.jpg
ROYGBIV
Red - Red Jasper
Orange - Tiger Jasper
Yellow - Yellow Chert
Green - African Green Opal
Blue - Sodalite
Indigo - Iolite
Violet - Amethyst

Love it! The world's first "rainbow python"! :D

Photo #17

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/e5pQKDS.jpg

Photo #18

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bkDrGCu.jpg
Some more local granite. Not the fanciest rocks in the world, but, definitely the right price for me: FREE! ;)

Photo #19
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/e5ZG6S4.jpg

Very pretty combination! :gj: Is that his allowance for not messing up your rock circle? :D

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Very pretty combination! :gj: Is that his allowance for not messing up your rock circle? :D

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Thanks! I would give him the quarter, but, he prefers the rodent equivalent. ;)

I did experiment with really complex designs/patterns: One of them involved over 100 well-tumbled garnets (about the size of a dime), a few pieces of sea jasper and imperial topaz. It took me about 2 hours to setup the design, and when I put the snake in the center she flailed wildly and knocked all the stones onto the floor erasing all my effort in less than three seconds. Disheartened I just formed all the stones together in a circle again (my default) to make a photo (which is #22).

I do have a relative who glues small stones of different colors to a background to create landscape scenes. She would love to acquire my rock collection. I would love to photograph my snakes in her artwork. Maybe someday we will have an artistic team-up....

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

... It took me about 2 hours to setup the design, and when I put the snake in the center she flailed wildly and knocked all the stones onto the floor erasing all my effort in less than three seconds. Disheartened I just formed all the stones together in a circle again (my default) to make a photo (which is #22).

I do have a relative who glues small stones of different colors to a background to create landscape scenes. She would love to acquire my rock collection. I would love to photograph my snakes in her artwork. Maybe someday we will have an artistic team-up....

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In that case, you can keep the quarter. ;)

As for your artistic team-up, it sounds like a win...:sweeet:

#13 is my favorite so far.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Trinityblood

#13 is my favorite so far.

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Thanks! Working my way up from Het Axanthics to the combos over time. Should reach a few of my project goals in 2-3 years. :)

Photo #20
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bD3dmpv.jpg

Iolite is Pleochroic which means it can absorb different wavelengths of light and appear different colors at different angles.
Camera flash gives a vivid blue reflection on this piece.

Photo #21

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/GnwKhvZ.jpg

Alternate view under a LED flashlight below.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9CJjgT3.jpg

Eerily beautiful, almost like it's alive & thinking? Keep 'em coming! :w00t:

Photo #22


https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/zMessIt.jpg
A lot of the translucent stones aren't the easiest to photograph as a group--you can usually see the inclusions in them which makes some weird images. :)

Photo #23

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bB3hHjj.jpg
She was asleep when I took her out and she woke up while I was taking photos and was like 'Whoa!' :P

You shouldn't scare your poor widdle snakes like that, hee hee...:D Maybe she'll pay you back someday?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Maybe she'll pay you back someday?

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I sure hope not. A few photos is a small price to pay for free room and board and an all-you-can-eat rodent buffet. ;)

Photo #24
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/bgVEJt5.jpg
Short video below to show reflective polish on rock. :)
https://youtu.be/SzJUAOBjadw

Photo #25
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/Ltr61gJ.jpg
Some local quartz and a crazy snake face.

Sorril I know you're doing this just for fun, but have you considered looking into doing a coffee table book or something with some of these photos? I think these are perfect for it and would be a great medium to showcase these animals as well as your hard work with the stones.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

Sorril I know you're doing this just for fun, but have you considered looking into doing a coffee table book or something with some of these photos? I think these are perfect for it and would be a great medium to showcase these animals as well as your hard work with the stones.

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Thank you for the compliment, but, nah, I think my photos will reach more people online in a digital format as opposed to a printed one. Besides....there are many beautiful coffee table books that are in the local bookstore clearance bin. :)

Most of the snakes shown with the 2020 image copyright are holdbacks that are currently in my collection. I will begin taking photos of all my ball python hatchlings with stones starting this year (2021) prior to rehoming. I expect my photo collection to grow significantly in a relatively short time and the plan is that each year (ideally) the morph combos will become more interesting over time...

Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick. ;)

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Not a bad idea I'll be keeping my eye out for snakes&stones.com!

Photo #26

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/9pUQTZw.jpg4
Pastel Het Axanthic - Often confused with a Super Pastel. :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Thank you for the compliment, but, nah, I think my photos will reach more people online in a digital format as opposed to a printed one. Besides....there are many beautiful coffee table books that are in the local bookstore clearance bin. :)

Most of the snakes shown with the 2020 image copyright are holdbacks that are currently in my collection. I will begin taking photos of all my ball python hatchlings with stones starting this year (2021) prior to rehoming. I expect my photo collection to grow significantly in a relatively short time and the plan is that each year (ideally) the morph combos will become more interesting over time...

Maybe if I decide to become a business or surface as an official breeder in a decade or two I can use the Snakes/Stones as my gimmick. ;)

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If not a coffee table book, how about a calendar? :cool:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

If not a coffee table book, how about a calendar? :cool:

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Hahaha, maybe someday in the far future I will include a free calendar with each snake purchase...
Currently my rock tumbling skills continue to grow, and (for better or worse) I'm becoming increasingly ambitious with my 'stone shaping' projects in 2021. :)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...swomaieozi.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

... I'm becoming increasingly ambitious with my 'stone shaping' projects in 2021. :)

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...swomaieozi.jpg

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Is this really a rock? Or where did you find my brain, & can I has it back? :rolleye2:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Is this really a rock? Or where did you find my brain, & can I has it back?

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Hahaha, Labradorite is always neat. It is not unusual for one to lose their mind. It is unusual for one not to find it again though. :)

Photo #27

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/BMOMQS0.jpg
These stones were found in Massachusetts as well. They were part of a 5lb. rock nodule that looked interesting so I broke it up and tumbled. I was disappointed that I had only found one of these nodules in my travels up to that point.

Last year I was thrilled to find another nodule...it weighed about 40lbs.--Unfortunately it was about 3 miles from my car on a deer-fly/mosquito infested hiking trail (and I had no tools with me). I really wanted it though...and paid the price in blood to carry it out...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

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Last year I was thrilled to find another nodule...it weighed about 40lbs.--Unfortunately it was about 3 miles from my car on a deer-fly/mosquito infested hiking trail (and I had no tools with me). I really wanted it though...and paid the price in blood to carry it out...

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Snake-lovers & rock-hounds have a lot in common- we all insist on collecting & carrying things that fight back. :rofl: You did good though.

Photo #28

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/SyzN0aA.jpg
Rhodonite: My state gemstone.
I divided the material I finished into the lighter and darker stones. These are the lighter colored ones.

Photo #29

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/0wHOaZa.jpg
These are the darker stones.
Note: I have no 'normal' ball pythons in my collection--everything is 'something' even if just Het for recessives. :)

Photo #30

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/v7n6ACG.jpg
Petrified wood always takes a nice polish.
I'm sure many breeders can probably recognize the 'new snake sheen' on some of the hatchlings in this photo series.

Photo #31

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/kFifHnP.jpg
This is the first pastel axanthic I produced. The odds were 1/8 that season and I had 24 eggs, this was the only one.
Over time he has held his coloration nicely.

Photo #32

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/xT7WA9y.jpg
Stones are an interesting material. Agate with Marcasite inclusions collected in Nipomo California (in the 60's).
I have both blue and red versions of these stones.
A skilled lapidary artist can turn these stones into spectacular jewelry.

Photo #33

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...om/PVNjuOg.jpg
The red stones.

Love all these pictures.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kam

Love all these pictures.

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Thanks!

People think that rock tumbling is a hobby that requires patience. Breeding ball python morphs: That is a hobby that requires real patience...:)

Photo #34
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m6xmk0plsf.jpg
Super Black Pastel Spider

The stone is interesting as well...my gf gets mad when I do this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EnU-ctGGxc

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Photo #34
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...m6xmk0plsf.jpg
Super Black Pastel Spider

The stone is interesting as well...my gf gets mad when I do this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5EnU-ctGGxc

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I LOVE singing bowls.

There's a book shop up in the Atlanta area that carries a lot of them, as well as an assortment of other spiritual/religious items and books. I've always wanted to pick one up but the world became the world and I never did. Thanks for reminding me about them! Time to do some online shopping.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Hugsplox

There's a book shop up in the Atlanta area that carries a lot of them, as well as an assortment of other spiritual/religious items and books. I've always wanted to pick one up but the world became the world and I never did.

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Yes, it is neat! There was a small shop in my college town that sold imported goods. The singing bowl pictured was the first one I was ever introduced to: I thought it was neat on a science-y level and had to have it...I remember buying a lot of eclectic items as an excuse to visit that store before I asked the shopkeepers daughter on a date, but, that is a completely different story. ;)

Photo #35

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...fzt74gujcu.jpg

Photo #36
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...kwur8xoyvd.jpg

Photo #37

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ns4dmm7ie4.jpg
I don't see very many people tumble and polish emeralds...tricky material to work with.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Photo #37

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...ns4dmm7ie4.jpg
I don't see very many people tumble and polish emeralds...tricky material to work with.

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Aren't emeralds supposed to be green? Those look more like turquoise (color-wise)...:confusd: Nice though, whatever, lol.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Aren't emeralds supposed to be green? Those look more like turquoise (color-wise)...:confusd: Nice though, whatever, lol.

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Facet grade emeralds are usually green. These are from Brazil (cheap) and they do have a little bit more blue tinge in them. These are not solid emeralds: the grey stuff is a smokey quartz matrix holding the emeralds. I don't think these stones are clear enough to see dichroism (which emeralds have), I think it is just the lighting in the photo.
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...j9jknn3t30.jpg

Image above is of the same material: the first image has an LED light pressed up against it, and the second is at ambient room light. :)

Gotcha! :gj: Thanks-

I had bought a piece of slag glass off of Ebay to tumble it.
I thought it looked pretty clean to start with.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...odu2fm2xjg.jpg

Slag Glass is considered one of the more 'advanced' materials to tumble because it is softer than many types of rock (and even many forms of obsidian).

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...t3tcd6m9na.jpg

Shining a LED flashlight through the finished piece gives a crazy photo (below).
Photo #38A
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...qinitltczk.jpg

As with all translucent tumbled stones/gemstones you are able to see just deep enough into them to spot the imperfections. Camera flash doesn't help: makes a bit of an odd photo.

Photo #38B
https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...iueewt88mw.jpg

A video is better to show under normal light.

https://youtu.be/ym17B3xC-y0

That blue glass is an amazing colour
Snakes awsome too
Sent from my ELS-NX9 using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by richardhind1972

That blue glass is an amazing colour
Snakes awsome too

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Thanks! The chunk of glass was a tricky one: I could not polish it in the tumbler because the glass was too heavy and soft and the plastic pellets I normally use as cushioning could still scratch the surface at the final polish stage. Eventually I prepared a 2 micron Aluminum oxide paste on a cloth and finished it by hand over the course of a few hours...tedious work, but, not bad to pass the time if you are just watching D grade horror movies on Netflix. :)

Photo #39

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0fgvbcr3cq.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Lord Sorril

Photo #39

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...0fgvbcr3cq.jpg

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Rock python? :rofl: