Hello! I was wondering if anyone has found agates in Central NJ near the Raritan/Hillsborough area. I've found mixed information online but nothing particularly conclusive (i only know of carnelian creek over in warren)

Hey all! I’m a newb and am interested in learning about rock hounding. I live in central Pa near the Appalachian trail and would like to start getting out. What basics do you think everyone needs, and anyone have recommendations on good starting points around me?

Partner: Do we have some agates I could use in a craft project?

Me: You've come to the right place

Hi everyone, just checked with the mods and they said it would be okay to post a link to a 3d printed file to replace a worn belt on a Thumler’s tumbler. It’s a free file I designed I hope someone finds it useful! Here’s the link

Going on a road trip to dig for opal. But I only have time for one mine. Which mine do you think has a better pay off? Bonanza or Royal peacock?

There is a very large deposit of rainbow chert close to my home. It’s absolutely spectacular but the fingers tend to be monotone with few inclusions so finding large boulders with so much variation is rare. Ran into some other rockhounds on the beach and I’m sure this specimen was their discovery so credit to them for leaving it where this less than eagle eyed noobie could find it. I’m not sure why they left it, but it’s a beauty! (It’s also at least 200 lbs so getting it out to the parking lot would be no small feat!)

Help please I'm on my way to home Depot to buy one right now so need suggestions fast or any info at all please

I made this during a couple Zoom calls this morning, and I'll wear it to a party on Friday. Nothing fancy but it's a rock I really like, so I'll enjoy wearing it. The wires are stripped from old extension cords and phone wiring that I have lying around.

In the past, someone recommend cutters from Thailand?

Im looking for suggestions on getting a few gemstones faceted. Any input is helpful! Thank you

Just spent a week in Central Oregon rockhounding around Prineville Reservoir, Fischer Canyon, and Bear Creek - the places I thought agates and jaspers were plentiful - and it was a bust. I continually collected crusty lumpy, bumpy rocks with faint circles and swirls that looked promising, but that would just break into smaller fragments of lumpy, bumpy rock when cracked, or they would be solid basalt. Meanwhile, I’m almost certain I missed agates by looking at the surface and concluding “Ah, it’s just rhyolite porphyry with some veining.”

I’m very discouraged. I have no idea what to look for at far as cortex/matrix. Unless chalcedony/agate is visible on the surface, I’m lost. I’ve studied lots of pictures of rough Oregon agate and thundereggs, but many don’t show close up detail of the outer surface. And there aren’t many resources I’ve found that show pictures of the matrix/cortex I should be looking for. Many will say “rhyolite,” but my god, there are like 16k different varieties of rhyolite.

I don’t want to give up, but it was pretty depressing to spend so much time and come up empty. If anyone can direct me to pictures of the kind of matrix material they look for, or the pics of the type of host outcroppings that are promising, I would be grateful. Or pics of cortices from their own Oregon/Western State specimens.

Thank you in advance for any guidance you can offer!

Look at all the pretty colors!!! All found in southern Utah!

I'll be moving to Cedar City in late May. Looking for places to go rockhounding. Doesn't have to be by Cedar City. Potentially people to go with. I've checked out the maps people have posted. Just hard telling what is claimed and what's not, or what has current mining operations going on. Bringing a good amount of Arizona/Mexico fire agates with me.