Stunning Vintage Coticule Natural Combo

It's one of the greatest feelings: Finding a dirty grimy stone, recognizing right away that under all the years and layers of surface junk, there is a great stone underneath. I knew right away that while antiquing today I was holding a vintage natural combination coticule; I bought it and almost couldn't wait to get home to lap it and see what was really under there.......

It's already taken place as being my favorite natural stone. I stopped lapping it because I see there is some sort of circular stamp on the surface of one of the yellow ends. I can't make out what it says because it's faint. If/when I completely lap the yellow side, the stamp will most likely disappear.

Now the "blue" side............absolutely stunning. Guys, I can't get the photos to accurately reflect the jaw dropping figuring on that side. It's so pearlescent even when dry.

1 1/4" x 6" (1/16 shy of 6).

The cracks in no way affect the surface and can't be felt even by scratching with a fingernail.

I couldn't see myself selling this stone ever. Hello the start of a permanent collection. I don't want to be a nit, but I'll be mum on what I paid for it just because it's between me and the stone.:ziplip:

Enough already, here are the pics!!

Attachment 9942
Attachment 9943
Attachment 9944
Attachment 9945
Attachment 9946
Attachment 9947
Attachment 9948


Chris L

Oh for heavens sake, Chris. You already have the finest hones Japan can make, you should have no use whatsoever for that grungy old natural hone. I mean, what could mother nature possibly know about making razors hones after all! No, I think it would be best if you just place it in a well padded box and send it to me, your poor northern, lives in an igloo, cousin who probably doesn't know any better and will think it's a fine razor hone. :D

Nice catch, though.


Regards

Kaptain "Sigh..." Zero

Amen! What on earth does a Shapton man possibly need with a mere coticule?? They are so inferior to the Shapton that I feel Chris should rid himself of it immediately:D :D

Fred

Aww, guys, you know you'd have done the same. How could I help myself? And....HAD is HAD after all.;)

Chris L

Glad it turned out so well! I was hoping those black lines would be of no consequence.
It was good meeting you. Hope to see you again soon.

That's a REALLY cool looking stone! The yellow side almost looks like a high quality Japanese natural. It looks like a great addition to the collection, even if you never use it for honing razors. Once a hone addict always a hone addict :tu :D

David

I have six double coticules and all but one have a fairly distinct transition from the yellow to the blue. Yours has a really cool gradual transition from one side to the other. I like it!

Chris, a great eye....
It has lots of character and soul.
I wouldn't have looked twice at it...
Sigh....
Well Done!

I thought it best to research this unique vintage coticule a bit more. I was excited to hear back from Rob Celis, operator of the Ardennes coticule mine he works with his father. I sent him pics and have talked to him in the past.

Rob dates my coticule after consulting with others as 100+ years old. He said at that time and prior there were many many small family mines digging coticule veins some of which were only a handful a meters below ground. It was common back then for the bigger family businesses to stamp their stones.

Those of us who have vintage coticules that exhibit what look like black cracks but can't be/aren't felt as cracks (sure any stone can have real cracks, but I'm talking about the fine dark lines that appear in the stone that have no affect on honing) may want to know according to Rob, the black lines are manganese oxide. Rob said the pearlescent nature of the blue side of my coticule is also composed in part of manganese oxide. The mine has a resident geologist on site.

He was very impressed with this stone and congratulated me immensely on my find. Very cool indeed!

Chris L

You are enjoying a rare pleasure Chris and I am pleased for you. I have a collection of vintage coticules as well as other stones and it's amazing to reach back into the past through a well used hone. The magnesium oxide lines probably aren't cracks so much as veins - big difference! I love "figure" on my stones and I have customers who regularly buy well figured coticules for their collection. It's ironic that today people often expect coticules to be a pure cream yellow and will complain about figure or veins. There is no difference relative to the honing outcome if a stone is figured or has MgO in it. Figure makes a stone more interesting.

I have seen the opalescent effect (pearlescent is a new word to me) and doubt it is MgO that is causing it. I would guess mica or some other similar sodium/potassium magnesium aluminosilicate which is what makes up many minerals including garnet and mica which are fairly common. MgO is just dead black with no refractive properties. I have a wonderful table made of red sandstone from Arizona with MgO dendrites on it. I bought it from the hotel at Pagosa Springs where they were using it as a stepping stone at the bottom of a set of stairs. Yikes!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Howard

You are enjoying a rare pleasure Chris and I am pleased for you. I have a collection of vintage coticules as well as other stones and it's amazing to reach back into the past through a well used hone. The magnesium oxide lines probably aren't cracks so much as veins - big difference! I love "figure" on my stones and I have customers who regularly buy well figured coticules for their collection. It's ironic that today people often expect coticules to be a pure cream yellow and will complain about figure or veins. There is no difference relative to the honing outcome if a stone is figured or has MgO in it. Figure makes a stone more interesting.

I have seen the opalescent effect (pearlescent is a new word to me) and doubt it is MgO that is causing it. I would guess mica or some other similar sodium/potassium magnesium aluminosilicate which is what makes up many minerals including garnet and mica which are fairly common. MgO is just dead black with no refractive properties. I have a wonderful table made of red sandstone from Arizona with MgO dendrites on it. I bought it from the hotel at Pagosa Springs where they were using it as a stepping stone at the bottom of a set of stairs. Yikes!

---

Pearlescent. If it sounds made up......it probably is!;) It sounds good though, doesn't it?

Thanks for commenting on this stone, Howard. Your opinion means a lot to me.

I received word recently from someone at the Ardennes mine in Belgium that prior to and around the year 1900, actual cracks in the surface of coticules were filled with a mixture of beeswax and glue of some kind. "The color of this filler was white to dark yellow/brown.".

Interesting stuff!

Chris L