Rare denim blue SoCal Baldy Cascade Canyon lapis lazuli pendant. Purchased from Satori Adrian Hendrix Ivy, who shaped and polished this cabochon. I had bought the whole lot of a few polished and rough shaped lapis from his collection, who bought it from a miner personally from the 80’s.
This is one of the very few places in North America with Lapis Lazuli deposits. Not only is the old lapis mine collapsed, it is insanely difficult and extremely *DANGEROUS* to reach due to landslides and old avalanche debris.
I’ve rockhounded up the very gully where this mine was before it was collapsed. Since the mine was closed very little lapis has been recovered unless it washes down the mountain after storms. Along with climbing, sliding, route-finding, bushwhacking, and oh so many ticks. It was completely remote... not knowing if we would run head on with a bear or mountain lion was unsettling. We needed a helmet and being fully covered due to thorns and ticks. It's so rewarding if you can find something that had been washed down, but we left almost empty handed. I’ve been twice with one slab of lapis that was later lost on the way out.
Rare denim blue SoCal Baldy Cascade Canyon lapis lazuli pendant. Purchased from Satori Adrian Hendrix Ivy, who shaped and polished this cabochon. I had bought the whole lot of a few polished and rough shaped lapis from his collection, who bought it from a miner personally from the 80’s.
This is one of the very few places in North America with Lapis Lazuli deposits. Not only is the old lapis mine collapsed, it is insanely difficult and extremely *DANGEROUS* to reach due to landslides and old avalanche debris.
I’ve rockhounded up the very gully where this mine was before it was collapsed. Since the mine was closed very little lapis has been recovered unless it washes down the mountain after storms. Along with climbing, sliding, route-finding, bushwhacking, and oh so many ticks. It was completely remote... not knowing if we would run head on with a bear or mountain lion was unsettling. We needed a helmet and being fully covered due to thorns and ticks. It's so rewarding if you can find something that had been washed down, but we left almost empty handed. I’ve been twice with one slab of lapis that was later lost on the way out.
