Tag Archives: Agate

Whimsical Agate.

Lucy gave me an agate cabochon a few weeks ago and wanted a whimsical pendant.

Lucy's Agate on my workbench.  Do you see the face?

Lucy's Agate on my workbench. Do you see the face?

This cabochon had a big smile and little eyes. Lucy saw glasses on the face, as did I.

I thought about this face for a couple weeks and today an idea popped out. I saw the glasses and envisioned little curls.

This will make you smile.

Does this make you smile?

Here is the finished pendant. I hope it makes you smile as it does me. Lucy will really like this piece of jewelry in her collection and enjoy making other people smile.

Worlds Largest Lake Superior Agate

Panera Bread is a great place to have coffee, a pecan roll, and to blog. Everyone likes my blog from Minnesota, and I really appreciate it. People at the Agate Show from all over have told me they follow my blog–how nice!

Wild Crazy Lace

Wild Crazy Lace

Lakers like this are all over here; like they are a common occurence.

Lakers like this are all over here; like they are a common occurence.

More Lakers over a pound.

More Lakers over a pound.

MORE!

MORE!

The excitement was high at the Celebration of Agate Show today. We talked to people that just came to the show on a lark and could not believe what they saw.

World Record Agates appeared at Scott Wolter's booth today.

World Record Agates appeared at Scott Wolter's booth today.

The excitement today was I saw loads of Lakers again that I had not seen before, including both the world record Lake Superior Agate and the world record Fairburn Agate.

How about these north shore Thomsonites?

How about these north shore Thomsonites?

The show attendance was around 1100 today. I had good fun just talking to rockhounds from around the U.S.

Tepee Canyon Agates

Tepee Canyon Agates

I’m just going to show you some of the amazing things I saw today, I hope you do not get bored with great agates.

You would think Fairburn Agates were common looking at this display!

You would think Fairburn Agates were common looking at this display!

Celebration of Agates-A Giant Venue

Taken from the running track above the show.

Taken from the running track above the show.

Nice assortment of Petrified wood.

Nice assortment of Petrified wood.

lind

The Celebration of Agates opened at noon with a rush of customers standing in line anticipating all the goodies enclosed in this giant gym. All the dealers here were invited to participate, so the best agate dealers from around the world are here, especially popular are the Lake Superior Agates, the State Stone of Minnesota.

Kentucky Agate-gotta love the red & black.

Kentucky Agate-gotta love the red & black.

One of Scott Wolter's Lakers. This one maybe three pounds?

One of Scott Wolter's Lakers. This one maybe three pounds?

The Lindbergh Center is huge! There’s a 1/8 mile track around the top of this facility. All the display cases are filled with wonderful agate displays. The tables are piled heavily with rock goodies, rough, slabs, jewelry, and specimens. If you have the cash you can score big time. I am actually blogging from the show as the crowds have thinned at 6:15pm. The show closes at 7pm, and I believe that the big crowds will come tomorrow.

More huge Wolter' Lakers.

More huge Wolter' Lakers.

The only things I captured today were a slab of Luna Agate, a small Moroccan Agate, and a new pinpoint metal detector. I am sitting across from Scott Wolter’s booth, and he is busy signing his wonderful books on Lake Superior Agates and his new book on the Kensington Ruin Stones.

Scott brought probably the most fantastic Lake Superior Agate collection in the world. He has filled three cases with BIG agates. Picture all of them over a pound, with one named the “Bowling Ball Agate”, that is as big as a bowling ball at 15 pounds!

Brian Costigan's rock pile.

Brian Costigan's rock pile.

The display cases were arranged down the center of the Lindbergh Center. They were all wonderful and amazing.Other Lake Superior Agates were displayed by Brian Costigan and others. Bonnie and I took photos for you.

Crazy Crazy Lace.

Crazy Crazy Lace.

Enjoy the pictures, if you can’t be here!

Luna Agate.

Luna Agate.

Our display of (from right) Arizona Green Petrified Woos, Peanut Wood from Australia, and Thunder Bay Seam Agate.

Our display of (from right) Arizona Green Petrified Woos, Peanut Wood from Australia, and Thunder Bay Seam Agate.

Bob & Jeff Anderson.

Bob & Jeff Anderson next to their massive agate shopping center.

Miles of rough rock.

Miles of rough rock.

Gene Mueller's Agua Nueva Agate.

Gene Mueller's Agua Nueva Agate.

Lake Superior Agate Jewelry

lsa-on-bench

Attendees at the Celebration of Agates Show in Hopkins Minnesota will be happy to see my Lake Superior Agate Jewelry.

Since 1969 the Lake Superior Agate has been the Minnesota State Stone. Glaciers deposited Lake Superior Agates throughout Minnesota, as well as south as far as Kansas.
Many of you know that Laker’s are my favorite gemstone. I am amazed at the variety of colors, types, and patterns. No two are ever alike.

The multi-pattern was amazing on this Laker.

The multi-pattern was amazing on this Laker.

Moons and stripes.  I liked this one.

Moons and stripes. I liked this one.

The trick is finding those extremely rare flawless, or nearly flawless Lake Superior Agates to use in my jewelry. Remember Laker’s moved vast distances from bedrock in the Keweenaw area. Most of them were ripped from bedrock. Lake Superior Agates are also tumbled on the Lake Superior shoreline. It is really amazing that any Laker’s can be found that are not cracked.

Three Lake Superior Agates were selected from my stash of slices, cut into cabochons, and hurried to my workbench. These were all distinctively different, as you can see.

An unusual seam agate.

An unusual ledge agate.

Each agate talked to me, and I was able to make some exceedingly fine pendants, don’t you think? Let me know which one you like best. I sell many Lake Superior Agate Pendants to Minnesotans. I expect when they see these agates, and well over 100 more Lake Superior Agate Pendants, this jewelry will make them ecstatic!

The “Mole” Rock

“THAT ROCK LOOKS LIKE A MOLE!” This is the comment Bonnie made when I bought a few rocks from the guy at the Boy Scout Camp.

The outside of the "Mole" looked very ordinary.

The outside of the "Mole" looked very ordinary.

I am a long-time friend to the Ranger at a local BSA camp. I got a call the other night that one of his volunteers had a few rocks he wanted to sell. If I’m available, I will always look at rocks, especially from an inherited collection. Treasures are often found.

Bonnie was bored so we jumped in the truck and drove to the camp where we found George with a few rough rocks in his pickup bed. He had some good stuff, but much of his material was a duplicate to what I have already. I did find a few interesting pieces and after a bit of bargaining a mutual agreement was made.

The inside of the "Mole" was extraordinary, proving you really cannot judge a book by it's cover.

The inside of the "Mole" was extraordinary, proving you really cannot judge a book by it's cover.

Much or the time I know exactly what I am buying, but not with the “mole” rock. I knew it was an agate, but had no idea what kind it was. As you can see there is no indication of what lurks inside of this “mole”. WHAT A SURPRISE when I cut this ugly rock in half.

It turned out to be a wonderful Botswana agate. I cut out a crystal section from the rock and ended up with perfect Botswana Agate of classic Grays and white. Making beautiful gemstone jewelry from a really bland rock is so satisfying! This should make a great piece of jewelry for the upcoming Celebration of Agates show in Minnesota.

Pretty nice for a "Mole" rock, don't you think?

Pretty nice for a "Mole" rock, don't you think?

So, blog fans, here is the Mole to Gemstone transformation.

Celebration of Agates Jewelry

I have been working on several cabochons for the upcoming Celebration of Agates Show at Hopkins, Minnesota in July. There is a lot of buzz about this show already, and it is building up to be a well-attended and exciting event. I will be exhibiting at this special rock show, and

Amazing Royal Imperial Jasper.

Amazing Royal Imperial Jasper enhanced with a Mystic Topaz.

Sea Scene Jasper. I think this is quite tranquil.

Ocean Scene Agate is quite tranquil to look at. This wonderful rock is from British Columbia.

am striving to bring some unusual agates to this show as well as many unique Lake Superior Agates and other rare stones.

Lets just have some fun and see some of the stone jewelry I have made thus far. Which is your favorite?

Chevron Amethyst

Chevron Amethyst

Great colors in this Kentucky Agate!

Great colors in this Kentucky Agate!

My favorite-The Lake Superior Agate in classic "Candy Stripe".

My favorite-The Lake Superior Agate in classic "Candy Stripe".

Agate/Drusy with Calcite.  WOW!

Agate/Drusy with Calcite. WOW!

A Celebration of Agates

Before and after

Before and after

We were pleased when we received an invitation to sell our agate jewelry at the Celebration of Agates Show at the Lindbergh Center at Hopkins High School in Minnetonka, Minnesota.

The show is July 26-29 2012, and is likely to be the largest celebration of agates ever. There will be displays, sales, and seminars. Check this all out at http://www.minnesotamineralclub.org/2012show.htm

Everyone interested in my favorite agate (Lake Superior) or any other species of agate has to get to this show.

More about this later.

I’ll see you there!

The Hottest Item in the Keweenaw

Most rockhounds flock to Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula to find copper, but there are many other rocks and minerals that are much more rare. Any rocks and minerals that were not native silver or native copper were thought of as “Trash” and ended up on the mine rubble piles. Today we are aware of these rare treasures and dig through these old piles to find them. Unfortunately many of the spoils piles have been hauled away for fill or crushed and put under roads. Just imagine the treasures that could be found under the pavements in the Keweenaw!

I found this one inch beauty within minutes of sitting down to dig.  I just had to pluck it out with my fingers.

I found this one inch beauty within minutes of sitting down to dig. I just had to pluck it out with my fingers.

The current hottest gemstones in the U.P. are copper-included agates. Copper has replaced some of the banding in these agates. They are generally pink and often include green. These agates are found only in a few of the mine spoil piles here in the Keweenaw, and I do not know of any other place in the world where you can get them. They generally sell at premium prices (if you can find them). Some of these agates do not include copper, but are rare none-the-less just because they are associated with the copper mines.

Chris "slams" a rock containing agates.

Chris "slams" a rock containing agates.

The business end of Chris' slammer.

The business end of Chris' slammer.

There are two ways you might find these rare beauties. One is finding a “floater”, or an agate nodule that has broken free of any matrix. On a huge pile of rock, you could wish for a better strategy. The second way to find these agates is to find a rock with nodules and break the rock open to expose the usually small agates. The agates can be easily fractured, so care and a lot of finesse are required to extract them. Yes, they do show up on a sensitive metal detector.

My friend Chris has a custom built “slammer” that has a chisel on the end and virtually “slams” the rock apart. However, most of us break the rock with a heavy hammer and a strong arm. One rock I found and Chris broke open contained several copper agates, but it took some time and effort to get them out. A couple agates were sacrificed in the extraction, and Chris somehow bisected one agate perfectly in half.

Those that know (me) know that if I cannot make a piece of jewelry from a rock, I probably don’t need it. I am not a specimen collector, but I sometimes find specimens, and usually keep them for barter. I found a few “traders” already and look forward to a few more as the week goes on. I think that another Copper included agate hunt may happen tomorrow. I really had fun today.

Two perfect agate halves.

Two perfect agate halves.

They used to have convicts break rock as punishment, and we were out there doing it for fun. But we did get to leave at our choice, just about lunchtime! Smashing with the crack hammer is serious work, and Bonnie’s arm is still sore. I think IF I can keep her hammering for a few more days, perhaps her arm muscles will strengthen (good luck with that, Don).

By the way, Chris found the largest agate today, but Bonnie was a close second.

Druzy (Drusy) Quartz

While in Tucson we purchased a substantial quantity of Druzy Quartz, both treated and untreated. Treated druzy is very popular right now, both because of its fantastic play of color and its “flashy-ness”. You just cannot wear one of these treated druzy pendants without being noticed. We sold every piece we had last year so it was time to re-stock.

Both treated and natural druzy Quartz

Both treated and natural druggy Quartz

It is amazing how an ordinary piece of druzy quartz can be vapored with Titanium or other substances and magically turned into something extraordinary with such exciting results; each piece different than the next.

Some other druzy pieces that we found were wonderful natural druzy, not treated in any way. These natural pieces are generally higher, some much higher then treated druzy. I got so excited about this material, that I immediately made three pendants that are now for sale on this website.

Treated druzy

Treated druggy

Natural Druzy

Natural Druzy

On another subject, if you recall I talked about the double trilobites from Utah we found. I cleaned them up and here is a fine photo of a few of them.

Let me show you a couple other pendants I just made also. It is very difficult to photograph these treated pendants because of the color-changing properties of the coatings. I’m fairly pleased with how they came out, but consider that these Titanium units are much flashier and brighter then shown.

Trilobites (Elrathia Kingi)

Trilobites (Elrathia Kingi)

Yawah Opal

Yawah Opal

Blue Treated Druzy

Blue Treated Druzy

Paint Brush Jasper

Paint Brush Jasper

Roadrunner

Snob Blog fans seem to like the unusual rocks I often make into jewelry . Here is a way cool Lake Superior Agate that I call “The Roadrunner”. Do you see the bird? roadrunner1

The agate is a somewhat unusual color for a fortification agate and when I cut it, I was surprised by this great picture in it.

Sorry this was sold to Beth (the same Beth that owns the fantastic Isle Royale Greenstone that I previously Blogged about). Take a look at my rhyolite Owl which is very unique, or The Parrot. I have wire wrapped other Lake Superior agates into slides or pendants. You also might enjoy the Crazy Lace agates pendants/slides.

If you are looking for a particular animal in a rock, you can E-mail me and I’ll keep an eye out for it. You will have to be patient as these pictures do not appear commonly. No guarantee on these requests!