iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Quick #MineralMonday from me! Have a few hematite included quartz and smoky crystals! Also congratulations to quartz winning the mineral cup!

Quartz crystal with small red hematite specks.

Quartz crystals with small red hematite specks. A smaller crystal grows perpendicular to the main crystal.

Smoky quartz crystal point on some orange microcline feldspar.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

For this #MineralMonday I am getting an early start on the Mineral Cup! First match up is Azurite vs. Smithsonite and my vote will be for Azurite! The specimen I chose is a sample I collected a few years back! #MinCup26 #TeamAzurite

Photograph of a mineral specimen. The mineral is a deep blue Azurite crystal from Utah. Self Collected.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

It's #MineralMonday and today I have some hematite for y'all! A classic iron oxide. I was able to get some beautiful micro photos of this specimen!

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystals. Note the growth lines on the crystal face. This specimen is from Switzerland.

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystals. This specimen is from Switzerland.

Micromineral specimen of Hematite. The Hematite is the dark metallic crystal. This specimen is from Switzerland.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! I know I have been slacking, but I hope you will take some Gypsum (var. Selenite) as my apologies. This specimen is curled into a "ram's horn" shape!

Photograph of a mineral specimen. The white elongated crystals are the mineral Gypsum var. Selenite. The curved shape is referred to as a ram's horn. This specimen comes from Mexico.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Phonolites are definitely up there as some of my favorite rocks! Due to the low silica content, you get some especially wacky minerals! Here is a sample of tuperssuatsiaite (brown needles) and villiaumite (red gemmy clusters) in phonolite!

Photograph of mineral specimen. Green-brown needles of tuperssuatsiaite and red transparent crystals of villiaumite in a phonolite vug from Namibia.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

Psss... it's #MineralMonday... I got you a nice little Galena crystal cluster. I hope you enjoy and have a nice day!

Lead-grey galena crystal cluster with minute quartz and sphalerite crystals. The Galena shows a cubic crystal habit with bevals along {111}. This specimen comes from Bulgaria.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! I was able to pick up a few new specimen this weekend! One of my favorites it this bournonite crystal, a sulfosalt mineral. Hope y'all have a great day!

Dark lusterous crystal of bournonite against a white background. The main crystals is striated and has smaller bournonite crystals growing off of it. This specimen is from Yaogangxian Mine in China.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 13/07/2026

For #MineralMonday I got y'all a classic specimen! Pyrite from Navajún, Spain which produces some of the best specimens in the world. These specimen are textbook pyrite cubes with sharp edges which clearly illustrate pyrite's cubic crystal system.

Photograph of a mineral specimen. Two excellent metallic yellow cubes of pyrite in a buff color marl. The edges of these crystals are sharp and well defined. This specimen comes from Navajún, Spain. The edge of the largest cube is 1.1 cm in length.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

Heyo! It's #MineralMonday again! Today I have a cool crystal for y'all, Red Beryl in rhyolite from Utah. It is a rare variety of beryl which is colored red from trace amounts of iron and manganese!

$Mineral specimen of Red Beryl in a rhyolite tuff. The Beryl crystal is a purplish red color and forms hexagonal crystals. This particular crystal is largely fractured into three separate parts and is 8 mm in length. This specimen comes from Beaver County, Utah.$

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

First #artfight attack of the year for @leafora.bsky.social and @sushiikando.bsky.social! I had a blast drawing these two and I apologize for any trauma I inflicted. #TeamMystery #Furry #FurryArt

Traditional artwork of two characters, a minotaur and sheep lost in a labyrinth. The minotaur has brown fur and dressed in a plaid shirt, blue jeans, and a tan sun hat. She has a look of fear upon her face which shows her paralyzing fear of becoming lost. Next to the minotaur is a smaller anthropomorphic sheep sorcerer dressed fine black clothes with a red cape with serpent imagery. She is looking up at the minotaur in an attempt to comfort her.

This is a traditional piece done with ink pens and color pencils.

Adelaide the Minotaur belongs to @leafora.bsky.social
Lillith the Sheep belongs to @sushiikando.bsky.social

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Happy #MineralMonday y'all! Today I got a fairly new specimen of Cuprite from Arizona! Cuprite is a simple oxide with a cubic structure which is evident in the octohedral red crystals you see in this specimen!

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken by a digital microscope. The lustrous red crystals are the mineral Cuprite, a simple copper oxide. The small crystals display an octahedral habit. The largest crystal seems to show a modified octahdral habit. This specimen comes from Arizona.

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken by a digital microscope. The lustrous red crystals are the mineral Cuprite, a simple copper oxide. The crystals are timy adorable octahedrons. This specimen is from Arizona.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 22/06/2026

It's #MineralMonday! You know what that means. I get to show you a cool rock! Today I got some native copper with some absolute gorgeous oxidation! I had to get a few pictures! This specimen comes from Michigan!

Mineral specimen under a microscope. It is native copper with red, blue, and green oxidation on the surface. It is associated with green epidote. This specimen is from Michigan.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

I am happy to report that I will be participating in #artfight this year! Y'all better watch out! >:3 #teammystery #furryart #dnd

Team Mystery character card for Artfight 2026. In the top corner is yours truly, a grey anthropomorphic cat in herringbone cap and red bow tie. He is holding a magnifying glass on his right paw. He is meant to be dressed as a detective. Snapshots of four characters of mine are in the lower boxes. Moving left to right:

Landon - A grey anthropomorphic house cat leaning over two boxes and staring at a shiny green rock. He is my main fursona and the self proclaimed "cat with rocks".

Aaz - A green vampire lizard with brown hair and red eyes. He is dressed in a classic gothic vampire outfit.

Dur (De'err) - An Aarakocra Ranger based off an American Kestral. They are a bit stupid, in an endearing way, denoted by the ellipses above their head.

Kuzu Elahorn: A Fey Wizard. He is a homebrew D&D 5.5e race called a sheepkin which is a shapeshifting sylvan creature. He is dark skinned with white wool-like hair and rose colored eyes.

The card includes several other details about myself and how I intend on playing which I will summarize below.

User - CatWithRocks
I Attack - Anybody! (Especially if you have cool rocks) >:3

Friendly Fire: Yes
Revenge: Yes
Mass Attack: No

Characters I Have: Human, Anthro, D&D OCs

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 08/06/2026

Today for #MineralMonday I got a small piece of Celestine from Turkmenistan! It is only 3 mm in size but with a microscope you can see excellent little crystals.

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken from a digital microscope. The specimen is the mineral celestine, a strontium sulfate, which are the clear double terminated crystals. This specimen is from Turkmenistan.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

A throwback specimen for #MineralMonday today! I got this specimen of Microcline var. Amazonite and Smoky Quartz back in June of 2021. Crazy how time flies!

Photograph of mineral specimen. Blue colored amazonite which is a variety of microcline feldspar. It also has a light grey smoky quartz crystal grown with it. This specimen is from Park Co., Colorado.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 26/05/2026

Sunstone have an optical property known as schiller, which is an silky looking sheen of color within the stone. In Oregon Sunstones this can be anywhere from red to orange to green. Schiller often occurs along the crystal lattice, you can see this in the parallel planes of schiller in mine.

Red lines showing where the planes of the crystal lattice are. These are where the schiller is occuring. The schiller in this specimen is copper colored.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

I once again fashionable late to #MineralMonday. Today I have an Oregon Sunstone which is not only the state's gemstone but has a high concentration of copper in the crystal structure! Not to mention all the optical properties!

A photograph of a mineral specimen. The image is of a rough yellow gemstone of Oregon Sunstone with planes of copper schiller parallel to each other. This specimen is from Oregon (if you can believe it!)

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

I recently got a new microscope which is a huge upgrade for me! I took a photo of a Mordenite I shared several weeks ago for comparison. I'm excited to play around with it some more!

Microscope photo of the mineral Mordenite which are the white acicular crystals. This image was taken with my new digital microscope.

Microscope photo of the mineral Mordenite which are the white acicular crystals. This image was taken with my old digital microscope.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

Sorry for a bit of a hiatus. I recently moved, but I am back for another #MineralMonday! Today I got a very interesting fluorite specimen with beveled edges! This contrasts with the typical cubes and octahedrons crystals you typically see.

Photograph of a mineral specimen under a microscope. The mineral is a lavender colored transparent fluorite crystal. It resembles a cube however the edges are beveled in. This is a result of a modified crystal growth. This specimen comes from Arizona.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 03/05/2026

Been awhile since I've shared some lapidary work. So have a pretty little moss agate cabochon! #lapidary

A photo of two objects. On the right is a orange and green moss agate cabochon. This cabochon was cut and polished by myself. On the right is a penny for scale.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Sharing some of my personal finds for #MineralMonday today! Quartz crystals with a vibrant red hematite coating. I collected these in July of 2024 from the Pikes Peak Batholith region.

Mineral specimen against white background. Quartz crystals clusters covered in a bright red hematite coating. The specimen is from the Pikes Peak Batholith, Colorado. Self Collected in July 2024.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

I bestow upon thee a cute little Axinite crystal cluster for #MineralMonday. Have a wonderful day y'all!

Photograph of a mineral specimen in an acrylic box with foam. Brown to purple Axinite crystal cluster with tabular triclinic crystals.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 13/04/2026

Happy #MineralMonday everyone! Today I got for you a excellent Cinnabar crystal on Dolomite with Quartz from Hunan Province, China. Cinnabar is toxic from it's mercury content so it should be stored safely.

A photo of a mineral specimen. The dark red translucent crystal in the center of the photo is Cinnabar and it is sitting on white rhombohedral crystals of Dolomite. Two clear Quartz crystals are also growing on the Dolomite and can be seen in the top right of the photo and directly beneath the Cinnabar. This specimen is from Hunan Province, China.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 06/04/2026

Y'all know what day it is! It's #MineralMonday! Today I got another zeolite mineral for you, a spikey balls of Mordenite!

A microscope photo of a mineral specimen. The fine white needles are a mineral called Mordenite and it is in a pocket of the mineral Heulandite. Both of these minerals are in the zeolite group. This specimen comes from Skamania County, Washington.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 30/03/2026

It's #MineralMonday! Today I got a recent acquisition of Lévyne-Ca. I absolutely adore zeolites and this is probably my favorites! This specimen comes from Oregon (I'd love to find some there one day).

A microscope photo of a mineral specimen. The central clear tabular hexagonal crystal is Lévyne-Ca. This specimen comes from Grant County, Oregon.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 24/03/2026

It's #MineralMonday (and I am fashionably late). Today we have a stunning little specimen of acicular Malachite crystals with such a rich green color. I've recently acquired many more microminerals so they will soon be shared!

A photo of a mineral specimen. The bright green needle-like crystals are Malachite, a hydrous copper carbonate. The Malachite is on a dark grey host rock. This specimen was collected in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/03/2026

A quick #MineralMonday from me today! I present black balls of Todorokite on clear acicular Tiptopite! Very obscure and weird friends for y'all!

Microscope photo of a mineral specimen. It consists of black spheres of Todorokite on clear needle like crystals of Tiptopite. This specimen is from Custer Co., South Dakota.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

Happy #MineralMonday from a particularly exhausted cat! Today I am showing off another old one of mine, an excellent crystals of Vivianite! It is pleochroic and a phosphate so I am naturally a huge fan!

A mineral specimen of dark green translucent Vivianite crystal with excellent faces.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 04/03/2026

I got a catto you can doodle if you like!

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

Happy #MineralMonday y'all! I bestow upon thee a fine micro specimen of vibrant blue Clinoclase on green botryoidal Cornwallite. Both minerals are copper arsenates so don't lick them!

A micro mineral specimen of dark blue lustrous Clinoclase forming prismatic crystals on a soft botryoidal green Cornwallite. This specimen comes from Pershing County, Nevada.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 23/02/2026

Happy #MineralMonday peeps! Today I got an oldie from my collection, purple and blue Fluorite cubes on Muscovite with Quartz.

A mineral specimen of blue to purple Fluorite cubes sitting on grey Muscovite with a little bit of orange iron staining. White Quartz crystals are also growing on the Muscovite. This specimen is from China.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/02/2026

Y'all know what today is! It's #MineralMonday! Today I have a funky little geode with golden needles of Millerite (NiS) inside!

A mineral specimen of a small geode with white Calcite and golden needles of Millerite in the cavity.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

For this #MineralMonday I have a little fella! The weird "navel mine" crystal is Whitmoreite, an iron phosphate! This specimen comes from New Hampshire.

A mineral specimen of Whitmoreite under a microscope. The Whitmoreite is the brown and yellow crystal in the center. It is made up of a brown sphere with yellow needles extending from the sphere. It's shape resembles a navel mine. The rest of the rock is made up of pale green Ludlamite. This specimen is from Grafton County, New Hampshire.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This specimen in particular also has a mineral known as Zinkenite which forms these metallic, acicular crystals. I've circled the Arsenopyrite in red and the Zinkenite in blue.

An alternate view of today's specimen showing a wider range. Several dark metallic crystals of Arsenopyrite can be seen with thin metallic needles of Zinkenite on the clear Calcite matrix.

An alternate view of today's specimen showing a wider range with digitally added lines to differentiate minerals. Several dark metallic crystals of Arsenopyrite (circled in red) can be seen with thin metallic needles of Zinkenite (circled in blue) on the clear Calcite matrix.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

This #MineralMonday I got a lovely little crystal of Arsenopyrite from New Jersey! It has got such an interesting crystal habit in my opinion!

Photograph of a mineral specimen taken with a microscope. The image is focused on a dark metallic, tabular crystal of Arsenopyrite on a matrix of clear and white calcite. This specimen is from Sussex County, New Jersey, USA.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 19/01/2026

I have used this image as my banner, but never showed it off properly. So for this #MineralMonday, I proudly present this spectacular specimen of Malachite!

Mineral specimen of rich, crystalline Malachite with a green-blue color on the face of a light grey rock.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 12/01/2026

Today is going to be a micro #MineralMonday! I have some stunning orange Montgomeryite crystals on fuzzy white balls of Englishite!

A microscope photos of a mineral specimen. The orange transparent prismatic crystals are Montgomeryite and the fuzzy white spheres with small acicular crystals are Englishite. This specimen is from Custer County, South Dakota.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Psst... Hey... It's the first #MineralMonday of 2026! Today I have a specimen of Staurolite showing off it's classic twinning!

A mineral specimen of several long, dark brown Staurolite crystals in a white matrix. Some of the Staurolite crystals exhibit penetration twinning at 60 degree angle.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 29/12/2025

Got a spicy specimen this #MineralMonday ! The tabular green crystal is Zeunerite which is altering to Metazeunerite. Zeunerite contains copper, uranium, and arsenic so it is both radioactive and toxic!

Mineral specimen of Zeunerite and Metazeunerite which are the tabular green crystals on the brown matrix. This specimen was collected from Majuba Hill, Pershing Co., Nevada, USA.

Zeunerite alters to Metazeunerite through the process of dehydration. Although there is no major visual difference between these minerals, the alteration happens in the chemical structure at the molecular level.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

I was able to get some holiday polishing done. This is Teepee Canyon Agate from South Dakota!

A cut and polished mineral specimen. The exposed face shows an agate with red, orange, black and clear banding. The agate is in a oblong chert nodule, and was photographed in natural lighting. This specimen was self-collected in 2024.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

I had a tough time deciding on what specimen to choose for today from the Christmas Mine, so as an extra little treat have a tiny Dioptase.

A micromounted mineral specimen of transparent green crystals of Dioptase on what is most likely clear to white Apophyllite(?). This specimen is also from the Christmas Mine, Gila County, Arizona

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 22/12/2025

This festive #MineralMonday is brought to you by Kinoite and Apophyllite. This sample is from the Christmas Mine in Gila Co., Arizona. A fitting specimen for the holiday season!

A mounted mineral specimen from Christmas Mine, Gila County, Arizona. The specimen has sharp, deep blue crystals of Kinoite and clear crystals of Apophyllite. The Apophyllite is transparent making it difficult to see many of the crystals. The crystals are on a buff colored sandstone.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

This #MineralMonday we got one of my personal favorite minerals Boleite! It's a fun little halide with lead, silver, and copper and forms nice deep blue cubes.

Several dark blue cubes of the mineral Boleite on matrix. This specimen comes from it's type locality of the Boleo District, Santa Rosalia, Baja California, Mexico. Boleite gets its name from the Boleo District.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Happy #MineralMonday y'all! Today I got a piece of Wavellite from Arkansas. It is sadly not lime flavored...

Acicular crystals of light green wavellite forming intergrown balls on a dark grey matrix. The balls to wavellite resemble limes.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

It's #MineralMonday and today I got the winner of the first ever #OreCup, Native Copper!

A specimen of metallic crystalline native copper with elongated, intergrown crystals .

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 25/11/2025

A last minute #MineralMonday for y'all! Some gorgeous cacoxenite from Alabama.

Golden yellow needles of cacoxenite forming little spikey balls. The specimen is from Calhoun County, Alabama.

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CatWithRocks @catwithrocks.bsky.social · 01/07/2025

I am going to try my hand at #artfight this year! Expect some silly little drawings #teamcrystal #artfight2025

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