Question regarding skin from a beginner

[FairfieldOH]

I apologize if this is a basic question, but it has intrigued me for a while. Julie and I have each found an artifact that appears to have grown it's skin back. The flint we find in this field has a brown outer layer, and a gray or light tan inside when flaked. The two pieces we have found seem to have grown the skin back. I don't have a picture of Julie's, but mine seems to have a lot more of the skin grown back. There is obvious flaking on this piece, but it is not what it should look like after flaking. It appears to have the skin of an unflaked piece, and is really smooth. Has this piece grown the skin back? If so, how long would something like this take? Or is this just a natural piece with no flaking yet? This was found in the field, not the creek. Thanks for looking!

[DesertWalker]

Hmmm...good question..?

[Cannonman17]

It's not really growing per say, think of it more like rusting. AKA Patina. Many types of rocks "rust" over time. Some faster than others. A lot of perfectly good artifacts would, if broke in half, be found to be made of a different looking shade or color completely. Don't go breaking stuff now, just take my word for it.

Flake scars smoothing over however are not a part of this "rusting" process, that comes from abrasion with sand, dirt, rocks, etc over long periods of time (or much faster in a river or beach setting). It takes so long in most typical ground environments that it is often times not even really visible to the naked eye (though sometimes it is).

Natural processes can cause flint to flake, just by the nature of the material as well. Sometimes nature can even simulate intentional flaking. Of course, in other settings, with really old artifacts in particular, they can be worn down by natural processes to look like what you have as well.

In some cases, it can be difficult to tell the difference.

A good rule of thumb to follow IMOO is this:
If you're questioning whether or not it's a really really old and super worn artifact or a natural piece it is most likely a natural piece. Old artifacts with high degrees of patina and flaking scar abrasion or smoothing still are obvious artifacts in most cases.

I'm not very good at trying to explain things sometimes but I hope this time it helps-

[John G. Scoggins]

Even though you found it in a field, I still think that piece was in a stream for quite a while.Maybe a creek used to flow where the field is or it might have been deposited during a flood.

[FairfieldOH]

Thanks Cannonman, that definitely helps. And don't worry, I'm not going to break any of my artifacts . I'm surprised to hear this kind of flaking can happen naturally, but it would explain why it doesn't have the patina removed. And John is right, it could have been put in the field by a flood. This farm is surrounded on three sides by a river and creek, and I know a huge flood hit the are in the 1990's. Thanks for the input guys.

[joshuaream]

That kind of flaking isn't natural, you clearly have an artifact that has been subjected to some extreme natural polish. My guess would be creek/river/beach polish, but I've seen some desert artifacts that are polished almost smooth from being covered and uncovered by sand (sand blasted) for thousands of years. There are also several examples of points coming from commercial turkey farms that have become gizzard stones (gastroliths), and ancient points that appear to have been gastroliths collected by natives.

[FairfieldOH]

Thanks Joshua. Given it's so close to the river and there was a flood, I'm going with river polished. The two pieces I mentioned are two of my favorite finds, even though the flaking on this one has been polished. Not sure what the one above was, probably a scraper or an unfinished piece.

[Buckeye]

Another way that artifacts acquire 'polish' is by extremes of temperature and humidity.

Ever notice how most of the Texas pieces posted look "fresh"?
They incur natural polishing over time as well, but aren't subjected to the more volatile ( at least with respect to stone) weather patterns of us up north.

Because of seasonal freeze,thaw and rapid humidity changes, many older northern points loose most of their hinges and fragile structres...then exposure to sunlight causes the crystalline structures ( silica) within the cherts to fade and break down as well...giving us a patina (your 'skin').

[tomclark]

I've found several worked pieces, fiinished and/or just flaked, that were ground all over, not from a river or beach, some sort of tool or just an "object"... That piece is definitely worked and does look river polished. I would think that field would have many such pieces....if not you have a mysterious thing.
River patina does change over time:
Fresh from the river it was sweet.


Over a year later after being in a casebox in a drawer it looked meh.

[FairfieldOH]

Thanks for the extra input guys. I definitely think it is river polished and we will probably find more. The area is prone to flooding, and I'm sure has had a lot over the centuries. Hopefully mine stays the same color Tom, although that piece is a beauty with both finishes!