Blue agates found in Ellensburg Washington

[tamrock]

Not sure these rocks are worth as much as they claim, but they are pretty.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kg...stern-washington-town&contentId=283-582979141

 

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[Kray Gelder]

Thanks for the post, Grant. I actually know a little about the Ellensburg Blue agate. When I was a kid, we had a river front summer cabin on the middle fork of the Teanaway River NW of Ellensburg. The woman in the video says it's the third hardest gemstone. It's actually an agate, with minerals that make it harder than quartz, sometimes as hard as a sapphire. We found a few, two outstanding ones, which my parents made into a large men's cabochon ring, that was later stolen, and a large women's cab ring, that now belongs to my oldest daughter. Both were bluer than a robin's egg.

These two, when looked at under a 10X loupe, had tiny red spots in them. They can be found in the river, local dry washes, but I have heard the best way to find them is to walk the hay fields after plowing in the spring, after some rain has fallen. There used to be a number of rockshops in Ellensburg, and one in the little watering hole of Liberty heading up Blewett pass. They are unique, and rare.

 

[tamrock]

I was looking at a few specimens online and yes they are a beautiful stone. I know I've seen antique jewelry out there with what I now believe was possibly set with a stone that looked very similar to an Ellensburg agate, but I was unaware of what I may have been looking at. I'll have to keep my eyes open for anymore jewelry I may come across set with a stone such as these or maybe take a trip up that way someday?

 

[Blak bart]

I want one !!

 

[Kray Gelder]

I mentioned we had a cabin on the Middle Fork of the Teanaway, and I found a couple of pics. This river used to be full of agates, a few blues, and also a cool purple banded agate. This was back in the 60's, and I have no idea what happened to our finds over the years.

The cabin was right by the river, and was actually completely washed away in a flood in the 90's. The 12 year old with the Savage .308 is me. Don't see that today much. The trout fishing was pretty good.

 

[tamrock]

The good old days. There's a Savage lever action in the pawn shop uptown I noticed a week ago. Boy you could pick those up pretty reasonable 30 years ago, but like all firearms today they ain't cheap anymore. I think the pawn shop wanted $395 for it and just about any gun around here they don't remain long enough for the price to go down, as someone always pays the what they're asking, before it becomes long lasting inventory.

 

[mollyk927]

Maybe you've seen this, Tamrock, but if not, this video of geologist Nick Zentner describes exactly where the blue agates can be found (and also how they were formed):

His lectures are most interesting, informative and funny as heck (at least I think so--but then I've got rocks in my head

 

[Kray Gelder]

Thanks Molly, that was an excellent video, and answered a lot of questions I have had for years.

 

[CoinFetcher]

If you look on eBay there are a lot of false Ellensburg blue ads.

I have always meant to go to Ellensburg and look for these. I have heard to look off Highway 10 between cle elum and Ellensburg.

 

[mollyk927]

Thanks Molly, that was an excellent video, and answered a lot of questions I have had for years.

My pleasure, Kray. Really glad you enjoyed it.

 

[tamrock]

My pleasure, Kray. Really glad you enjoyed it.

I've not seen that. Thank you !

 

[A2coins]

that's wierd