Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 26, 2007 15:53:06 GMT -5
Not much going on today, just heating up the old BBQ, so I thought I'd post a few pics. Just a little eye candy for the weekend. Got this rough years and years ago from a dentist who used to got to Mexico and swap rocks for services. These are the leavings from his collecting efforts. When I got this stuff it was 50 cents to a dollar a pound. Most have defects but I love this stuff for cabbing....Mel All Laguna except the black and white one which is a Parcelas Agate Laguna except for bottom center which is a Moctazuma Agate. Sadly, fractured but colorful. Clockwise from top: Agua Nueve. Coyamito, Moctazuma, Laguna, Agua Nueve. All Laguna except for maybe a Parcelas ( Black inclusions may make it a Laguna) on the right. The Parcelas shows an example of " Black Widows". The black inclusions in Chihuahua agates, often in Lagunas, which pretty much destroy the beauty and value of a nodule specimen. Still good cabbing though as you can work around the inclusion.
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firewalker45
freely admits to licking rocks
Member since August 2006
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Post by firewalker45 on Aug 26, 2007 16:06:13 GMT -5
Wow very beautiful Mel and thanks for sharing.
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Post by texaswoodie on Aug 26, 2007 16:50:32 GMT -5
Man, wouldn't that be great stuff without all the crud in the middle!
Looks like nice cabbing material, though.
Curt
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Post by flintfish on Aug 26, 2007 17:21:34 GMT -5
Excellent rocks Mel, thanks for putting up this smorgasbord of gorgeous agates. I've got a small batch of laguna tumbles rumbling at the moment, the first of this variety I have run. Which would you consider to be the most "typical characteristics" of this variety? Many of mine have a lovely red or orange banding in the stripes, normally quite close to the centre, and the remainder are darker types. I'm just wondering which features I should be looking for as "representative" of the type. I will of couse post pics when I'm polished up.
Thanks for going to the trouble of photographing and sharing your agate "pearls", it is greatly appreciated.
Cheers,
Harry.
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Post by catmandewe on Aug 26, 2007 17:34:14 GMT -5
Thanks for posting those cool pics on a slow picture weekend! Think I will make it now...............Tony
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SteveHolmes
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2009
Posts: 1,900
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Post by SteveHolmes on Aug 26, 2007 17:37:52 GMT -5
Yay Mel. Thanks for posting some great looking rocks. Seeing this material makes me want to move to Mexico and start prospecting. I love these sort of agates and the patterns and colors are always so nice. If you want, I'll take any fractured ones you have offf your hands. I don't want the rejects ruining your perfects! Steve
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 26, 2007 18:00:46 GMT -5
Harry: I'd say the best Lagunas are those with multitudes of tight narrow bands in pleasing color combinations and the real well defined holly leaf type fortification patterns. Particularly desirable are those where the banding shows multiple dramatic color changes, Generally, the banding in Laguna seems to be various color themes in a single principal color ie red, dark red, pink, purple etc. Sometimes though, you see dramatic changes like red to yellow or black or orange, red with blue, white, black etc. Those can be really nice! Also those with edge inclusions like nice sagenite or plume are really exceptional and nice.Here's an example of a couple of slabs I cut from one of my favorite Laguna Agates. These actually came off the end cuts from one of those bargain agates....Mel
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earthdog
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Don't eat yellow snow
Member since June 2006
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Post by earthdog on Aug 26, 2007 21:16:36 GMT -5
Those are sweet!
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luv2hound
freely admits to licking rocks
I try & I try, but dang it! Those rocks just keep ending up in my pockets
Member since June 2007
Posts: 890
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Post by luv2hound on Aug 26, 2007 21:48:47 GMT -5
Oh man! THese are gorgeous. Thanks for the pics. Now for a question.
When you tell us the names of all the agates and different rocks that you and others post, do you just know the names (and where they come from) of all these rocks or do you have them in bins or boxes or whatever with the name written on it?
~~Mitzi~~
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 26, 2007 22:03:46 GMT -5
Mitzi: Fortunately I'm blessed with one of those weird memories where I can remember most of what I read or hear. *L* Except I'm bad with peoples names and spelling! When I worked for the AG Dept my nickname was "Mr. Encyclopedia". I am one of those folks that likes to catalog stuff though and am pretty fanatical about keeping track of what I buy or find. I label, keep a notebook with pictures, locations etc, and use bins *L*. *L* What can I say, I'm kinda a big science nerd! *LOL*. Here's a pic of how I set up my notebook. Five volumes, each about 3 inches thick and thousands of color pics, location notations etc. I try to get photos of the best type specimens of each quartz gem and multiple corroborations for each location. Otherwise I list as unknown .Mel
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Post by parfive on Aug 26, 2007 22:14:48 GMT -5
Great post, Mel. Just a few pics and you show umpteen different Lagunas!
Love that pair of slabs you cut.
Rich
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Deleted
Deleted Member
Member since January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Aug 26, 2007 22:30:50 GMT -5
Nice rocks there Mel! I always thought Laguna agate came from Laguna beach. I guess you have to go a little more south to collect. It sure has a nice pattern.
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luv2hound
freely admits to licking rocks
I try & I try, but dang it! Those rocks just keep ending up in my pockets
Member since June 2007
Posts: 890
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Post by luv2hound on Aug 26, 2007 23:04:01 GMT -5
Mel. Thanks for sharing your notebook strategy. Wish I had a memory like yours.
~~Mitzi~~
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Rockygibraltar
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Member since February 2006
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Post by Rockygibraltar on Aug 27, 2007 0:44:30 GMT -5
Lagunas are another stone with a unique color habit. One doesn't see these colors and combination of color in stone very often. I love them.
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Post by rocklicker on Aug 27, 2007 2:41:53 GMT -5
Eye candy is right! Thanks for the nice tour of nodules. Very informative and drool inducing at the same time. Steve
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Post by flintfish on Aug 28, 2007 14:21:05 GMT -5
Ah Mel, thanks for the info Squire, I've definately got the right stuff in my tumbler then! I like to know what the good bits are, it's all so damn subjective! Whats that one about one mans trash, another guys treasure. I've got some nice bat wing / holly edges, I'm thinking it's going to take the tumbler ages to gouge in to those pits on the outside, probably need to trim with the dremmel a bit to speed things along nicely. The colour range in this material is awesome! I've got a wonderful pink champagne type, all white orby in pink matrix, nice and solid, just small bits unfortunately. But I've got some with brilliant colour changes, bright orange banding in gentle white / smoke striped batwings. Also got a couple that were shattered quartzy druze stuff, solid to the middle, with an orange band right at the centre, will post pictures when there finished - I promise The variation of pattern, colour and style is really confusing to the noobie on this stuff. I'm still a little bewildered by it's diversity but I think it could be the start of an addiction! How deep does the vein run on this claim?! Are the prices about to rocket! That'd be my luck for sure lol. Thanks again for all the photos - this thread has been really useful in learning this material - kind of handy as I found a couple of tumbler fulls in a lost rock box the other week, was chuffed to bits I really like your rock file, that's great organisation (my weakpoint), very good idea and superbly executed - kudos Sir, but hey - don't tred on science nerds! I'm one too If you don't experiment - how ya gonna learn a better way? Cheers All, Harry.
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Post by BuiltonRock on Aug 28, 2007 15:18:30 GMT -5
Hey mel, Can you make us all a copy of your 5 volumes?? LOL john
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Aug 28, 2007 15:45:32 GMT -5
Harry: There are veins of Laguna Agate ( according to Cross's book several inches thick) but most the agate from that location is gas pocket nodules in a hard andesite matrix. Very difficult, low yield, mining in a remote location which leads to a lot of the high cost The hills in the picture in his book look to be several hundred feet high and they find different types of Laguna at different levels. According to Cross: La Morita Abujo Alta: Top level , mostly reds, La Aliansa Cerro Las Hemanas: second highest dig that produced vivid banded multi-colors, and El Mesquite on the flats producing vivid contrasting nodules Brad Cross in this Agates of Northern Mexico goes into all the digs at some length ( Great Book!) Real experts can give you a pretty good idea of where all the Chihuahua agate comes from just by it's look when cut. I'm not an expert but I've gotten pretty good through lots of cutting and study. And Harry you are right. It becomes a grand obsession/addiction *L* Some days I'll spend an entire enjoyable afternoon just squirting and sorting my Mexican Agate...Mel
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