realrockhound
Cave Dweller 
Chucking leaverite at tweekers
Member since June 2020
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Post by realrockhound on Dec 30, 2021 22:48:33 GMT -5
Are Brazilian agates very sought after? Trying to find an average price range per nodule. I’ve looked online and the prices seem to vary. Are there characteristics more sought after? I was left a 55 gallon drum full of these nodules and would like to learn more about them other than them being pretty cool looking once cut open.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 30, 2021 23:50:14 GMT -5
There are several varieties of Brazilians, hence the prices can vary quite a bit. One type used to be sold as Pirahna Agate and those were exceptionally colorful and fairly expensive. Those sometimes-showed extreme color changes within a nodule and had very nice high contrast banding. The cheapest sort run to gray tones with weak banding and the middle grades are often banded in shades of carnelian. The agate will accept dye and heat treatment and the gray type are often heated for better banding, contrast and more carnelian tones. You've probably seen those dyed too in all kid of unnatural colors.
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Post by HankRocks on Dec 31, 2021 2:40:11 GMT -5
There are several varieties of Brazilians, hence the prices can vary quite a bit. One type used to be sold as Pirahna Agate and those were exceptionally colorful and fairly expensive. Those sometimes-showed extreme color changes within a nodule and had very nice high contrast banding. The cheapest sort run to gray tones with weak banding and the middle grades are often banded in shades of carnelian. The agate will accept dye and heat treatment and the gray type are often heated for better banding, contrast and more carnelian tones. You've probably seen those dyed too in all kid of unnatural colors. One thing I have noticed is that except for what I call "white-skin" Brazilians, there does not seem to be a way to tell what type of banding you have until you cut the nodule. The white-skinned(looks a bit more dull yellow to me) seem to have more of the colorful banding. There is also the geode Brazilians and the water-line Brazilians which again does not seem to be predictable until cut. If I can get my act together (hey, it could happen!!) I will try and get some pictures of the 100 plus pairs I have cut and polished in the last couple of years. |
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Post by MsAli on Dec 31, 2021 8:20:04 GMT -5
Brazilians widely vary in prices and recently they seem to have gone up. Our rock club has them for 3.00 per lb
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Post by Rockindad on Dec 31, 2021 11:11:56 GMT -5
I am not sure if it is reality or just my perception but there seems to be a lot on the market at the moment. Due to our location I buy all of our rough so I am used to paying for rocks so that may skew things. I just bought a bunch of smaller nodules for less than $2/lb. which I consider pretty cheap. A few months back I got a LFRB filled with softball-sized and larger pieces for about the same price/lb.
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rewdownunder
spending too much on rocks
Member since March 2012
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Post by rewdownunder on Dec 31, 2021 11:17:44 GMT -5
Wow $3.00 is a great price for Brazilian agates! I am going to look you up next time I am back in the Midwest. They sell for $6.00 a pound all day long in SOCA.
If he has old stock, 1970s in a 55 gallon drum what a find. In the 1970s you could buy them by the drum for $200.00 in Tucson. They shipped 100s of drums in several years in a row according to the father of one of our club members. He had three drums that he cut polished and made a killing on them when he sold them in the 1990s. Check the drum for markings some will have the name of the city where they were shipped from. Back then they did not ship junk so if they are old they will be good quality.
According to my wife who got a large collection of Pirahna Agates from a childhood neighbor that location is more of less mined out but they are very pretty.
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Post by HankRocks on Jan 1, 2022 11:28:37 GMT -5
One other note about Brazilian agate. I cut mine in half then decide whether the two halves are to be polished, or glued to wood and slabbed. I have found that in most cases with the halves that if there is good color banding showing, it will not hold up to slabbing. The color washes out in a slab as the color is in the depth. If the halves really have attractive color banding I do not slab and polish the halves.
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