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Cold and Snowy January and February = Lots More Cabs!

Cold and Snowy January and February = Lots More Cabs!

By /February 17, 2025 /4 comments /Cut Rocks

The first half of January 2025 was cold with not much snow, and then it started snowing, and it’s been snowing more or less constantly thru today, February 16, with more on the way in the coming week! So outside activities, other than bringing in firewood for the wood stove, have been very limited and therefore this is a great opportunity to cut and polish stones. This posting is just about the cabs I have cut recently. The next one will feature the polished rock specimens recently cut. There are 14 rocks in this set of cabs I’m presenting today. I hope you enjoy the variety of the new cuttings, it was a hoot for me to cut them! Texas-sized Icicle, but in Maine! Cut wood, then cut rocks . . . Rock #5892Bullfrog Agate Geode Rock #5903Plume Agate Rock #5906Paisley Agate Rock #5880 Rock #5884 Rock #5886 Rock #5887 […]

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How I Selected These Stones for This Post

How I Selected These Stones for This Post

By /January 29, 2025 /3 comments /Cut Rocks

Note: Please click on each photo below to see an enlarged version! Two of my favorite selections, Rock #5801 and Rock #5782 pictured below, are unique but different plume agates. The featured stone, Rock #5801, is just plain interesting when enlarged, as you can see: Rock #5801 Rock #5801 Enlarged Rock #5782 The next cab, Rock #5799 below, is a geologically rare rose quartz geode. Rock #5799 Another selection, Rock #5793 below, was to me reminiscent of a scene from my childhood—a fish bowl agate (named by me). Rock #5793 One of my photo selections below was to me just a beautiful agate. Rock #5758 Other specimens are representative of my favorite type of stone to cut and polish into cabs. The three rocks below are plume/jasp-agates. Rock #5796 Rock #5785 Rock #5784 The last stones I just plain like a lot, are Rock #5777, a brecciated agate, and Rock […]

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Dust Storm Approaching Over a Far West Texas Mesa

Dust Storm Approaching Over a Far West Texas Mesa

By /November 20, 2024 /1 comment /Cut Rocks

The Dust Storm Rock #5740 This dust storm is seen inside a Carver Agate Field geode which I just cut. See the photos above. The other half of the cut geode, shown in the photo of Rock #5736 below, contains within the “mesa brown blob” a cool but quite unusual outline of a blue fortification agate. Rock #5736 Rock #5743 Rock #5743 above is a beautiful plume agate cab I cut yesterday from a Carver agate. Rock #5743 Enlarged In the enlarged photo above, note the fortification agate lurking at 10 o’clock above and to the left of the yellow plume. Another stone cut from this same plume agate is seen in Rock #5742 below. Rock #5742 Rock #5750 Rock #5750 is a geode that looks likes the same yellow material as seen in the plume agate, but without the tree shape. Rock #5745 Rock #5745 Enlarged Above the crack […]

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MORE PICS IN THE Summer 2024 Carver Agate Field Harvest Gallery

MORE PICS IN THE Summer 2024 Carver Agate Field Harvest Gallery

By /October 7, 2024 /0 comments /Cut Rocks

As I previously posted, the apples have been harvested, the garden harvest is nearly complete, and a harvest of Carver Agates cut this Summer of 2024 has been added to a new gallery. And now there are even more! I just added some more great pics to the Summer 2024 Carver Agate Field Harvest Gallery. Click the link above and take a look. These images were added to the end of the gallery, so you will have to scroll down a bit and you will find them. It might be easier to go to the bottom of the gallery and scroll UP to see the new stuff. Please remember to click on the images you want to see in more detail—a new page will then open up and you can enlarge the image for closer viewing. You can also download any image that interests you for later offline viewing. Just right click […]

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A New Harvest of Carver Agates!

A New Harvest of Carver Agates!

By /September 28, 2024 /6 comments /Cut Rocks

Apples have been harvested, the garden harvest is nearly complete, and here is a new harvest of Carver Agates cut this summer. Enjoy this harvest! Rock #5720 Rock #5720 shows a radiating sagenitic formation on the outer surface of a translucent nodule from the “Deep Pit” formation featured in Rock and Gem Magazine. Rock #5694 The yellow crystalline structures seen in this agate nodule are mind boggling. See enlarged photo below. Rock #5694 Enlarged I have no idea how or what formed these yellow sheet like structures. They are very curious indeed. Rock #5698 This red carnelian agate nodule with white radiating formations is related structurally to the radiating pattern seen in Rock #5720, seen up above. Both contain star bursts, but not formed from the same mineral material. Rock #5698 Enlarged Rock #5720 is probably an iron, while the white starburst in Rock #5698 shown here is not. Rock […]

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New Banner Photo(s) Coming

New Banner Photo(s) Coming

By /August 27, 2024 /2 comments /Geology

I have asked my trusted webmaster, Leah, to change up the top banner photo on the homepage 3 times over the next several months. I have recently reviewed, over many many hours, my best and most interesting photos of geodes, nodules, and vein agates. I will compile these photos on this website under three voluminous categories which will be captioned “Best of Galleries,” with one for each category. These galleries are probably too voluminous for the casual or limited interest viewer, but will be of some geologic value for serious rock enthusiasts who will take the time to view these specimens on a computer monitor, not their phones. The geological splendor and formational diversity will serve scientific inquiry about agate formation. This inquiry, though underway for much more than a hundred years, is still ongoing. Recently, I read a new scientific publication entitled, Banded Agates: a Genetic Approach (2018), by […]

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Summer 2024 Treasures from The Carver Agate Field

Summer 2024 Treasures from The Carver Agate Field

By /June 13, 2024 /3 comments /Cut Rocks

I hope you are having a great summer. Here’s what I’ve been working on lately. Enjoy! Rock #5584 Rock 5584 is a “deep pit” blue banded agate with a euhedral quartz center with an odd single white band of fortification agate around a tiny geode cavity. The “deep pit” (so named by me) was the subject of a Rock and Gem Magazine article which you can read on this website. Just click the link. Rock #5580 Rock 5580 is a yellow banded agate with sagenitic inclusions on the right side of the stone. It is interesting how often banded agates appear with the inclusions of sagenitic material. Rock #5598 Rock 5598 is a sagenitic agate which illustrates the considerable amount of sagenitic inclusions to be seen in The Carver agates. Rock #5591 Rock 5591 is a rare stone with a pink banded agate center surrounded by euhedral quartz and an […]

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New Video: The Carver Agate Field Collection

New Video: The Carver Agate Field Collection

By /March 29, 2024 /2 comments /Cut Rocks

Texas Amethyst Agate has compiled a comprehensive video of the amazing diversity and beauty of the rocks of The Carver Agate Field of Far West Texas. All of the rocks in this video were collected, cut, and polished by John L. Carver over a period of 15 years. The cutting and polishing of The Carver Agate Field material is ongoing. The Carver Agate Field was described by my friend, the late geologist and rock enthusiast Bill Halepeska, of Midland, Texas, as “the most diverse, colorful, and unique agate find in Far West Texas since the early 1960’s.” Bill made this observation while exploring The Carver Agate Field with me when Bill was in his early 90’s. At that time, he said that he had been exploring the West Texas agate fields for over 60 years. The photos shown in this video, I believe, conclusively confirm his observation. I hope you […]

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New Carver Agate Field Treasure Trove: Video and Pics

New Carver Agate Field Treasure Trove: Video and Pics

By /March 28, 2024 /0 comments /Cut Rocks

This is the latest joint compound bucket of rocks from The Carver. I have started cutting and polishing this material this week. First up: A rare color (green) agate geode, Rock #5578 A yellow /green/ blue geode, Rock #5572 A yellow banded agate nodule with sagenitic material (on right), Rock #5580 A translucent pink cab with sagenitic inclusions, Rock #5576 Below, you will see a four-band agate cab bordered by green quartz/agate and euhedral quartz, Rock #5569 and #5570, with lava matrix (on right). Click on each image for a larger version. Next, we see a perfect pink/blue/banded agate nodule, Rock #5558, and a cab from the center slab of that same nodule, Rock #5560, which gives a close-up view. Click on each image for a larger version. To my mind’s eye, Rocks #5561 and #5565 below, both from the same perfect pink/blue/beige/yellow agate nodule, represent the most spectacular find […]

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CARVER AGATE FIELD: Winter 2024 Finds and a new Photo Gallery!

CARVER AGATE FIELD: Winter 2024 Finds and a new Photo Gallery!

By /March 15, 2024 /3 comments /Cut Rocks

Following serious health problems in November, 2023, I have this winter gotten back to my ongoing exploration of the stones of The Carver Agate Field of Far West Texas. Be sure to click on each image below to see a larger version! The featured stones above, 5431 and 5432, are free form cabs that really captured my imagination. Here is a close-up of 5431: Rock #5431 Close-up Stones 5434 and 5370 below are red carnelian agates both cut from the same source stone: Stone 5499 is a fancy, free form oddball blue-green agate/jaspagate. The green being the jasper part of the jasp\agate. Stone 5433 is a second stone cut from the same source from which stone 5499 was cut. Stone 5502 is a deeply colored citrine geode with a crystal filled vug leading to/from the ‘fill tube’, so-called by some. Citrine is always difficult for me to photograph. So, the […]

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