A few agate finds

[EricTheCat]

Hi,

After enjoying photos of many great finds of many members here I felt it was time I share a few of my favorite agate finds.

The first 8 are all from some gravel in my yard. Most of these are just around an inch in diameter. I will include a simple "name" for each so they can be referenced.

Small white. This one is lightly ground and polished with a dremel tool. Before doing so you could barely tell it was an agate.


Light. This one was also lightly ground and polished with a dremel tool.


Clear. Anyone know what this might be? Looks like a Montana agate to me. Not sure how it ended up in my gravel in Southern MN.


Shaped.


Circled.


Eyes. Very lightly polished with a dremel tool.


Red. Ground and polished with a dremel tool. Before that it was chipped up and quite rough.


Red Colored. Very lightly ground and polished with a dremel tool.



The next two were found along the shore of Lake Superior.

Superior eyed.


Superior red.



Thanks for looking. I welcome any comments or questions. Also a reminder, search gravel. You may be surprised what is in there.

 

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[tncreeker]

These agates are ssssooooooooooooooo pretty. They say that we have them here in Tennessee but I`ve yet to see one in my hand. Maybe with luck one day I`ll find them, then I can use my dremel! Thank you for sharing these photos,,,I enjoyed them.
Lori

 

[Bajahunter]

Nice stones and lapidary work.
I don't think it is fair that you find your agates in gravel in your yard and I have to hike steep rocky hillsides to find mine.
I hike into dry rattlesnake infested desert where if you run out of water you might die. You only have to face down your dog and your fridge is always just a few steps away. Nope not fair at all.
Rob

 

[EricTheCat]

These agates are ssssooooooooooooooo pretty. They say that we have them here in Tennessee but I`ve yet to see one in my hand. Maybe with luck one day I`ll find them, then I can use my dremel! Thank you for sharing these photos,,,I enjoyed them.
Lori

I'm glad you enjoyed these. Keep looking and I hope you will eventually start finding them. If you do find some and decide to work them with your dremel make sure you research it first if you haven't already. First you need to find them though so I wish you the best of luck!

Nice stones and lapidary work.
I don't think it is fair that you find your agates in gravel in your yard and I have to hike steep rocky hillsides to find mine.
I hike into dry rattlesnake infested desert where if you run out of water you might die. You only have to face down your dog and your fridge is always just a few steps away. Nope not fair at all.
Rob

It doesn't sound very fair. Rattlesnakes are extremely rare in my area. The worst thing I've run in to here is poison ivy. I hope your efforts there are bringing you some nice treasures. It sounds like an interesting place to search. Good luck on your searching and stay safe.

 

[franking]

Nice Agates.. I am learning, rather trying to learn how to ID these stones. I hear they are around my area but really dont know what to look for.. I have a pretty good mineral collecting site(s) though.
Happy collecting!

 

[EricTheCat]

Nice Agates.. I am learning, rather trying to learn how to ID these stones. I hear they are around my area but really dont know what to look for.. I have a pretty good mineral collecting site(s) though.
Happy collecting!

To find agates look for rocks which are transparent. Facing yourself toward the sun helps make transparent rocks stand out. It also helps make them stand out if the rocks are wet. Some of them don't even look transparent if they are not wet. When I got back from Lake Superior a few weeks ago I was sorting my finds and some of them I was wondering "Why did I keep this?". Then I got them wet and realized they were agates.
For an idea of what might be hiding in an almost ordinary looking rock, here is a before and after pic of a light grind and polish with a dremel.
Good luck!

The above rock is now in my tumbler on day 5 of my first tumble. Crossing my fingers...

 

[lamplighter36]

beautiful agates. while I cant find these in my yard, I can go to the beach nearby and find sharks teeth or a nearby river and find agatized coral. so I guess it all works out : )

-Thomas