Tag: cab

Carver Agate Field Variety, January 2023

Carver Agate Field Variety, January 2023

January in Maine is about keeping the wood stove full, dealing with ice and snow, and best of all, some time to cut and polish remarkably varied colors and types of agates, geodes, and jaspers that continue to come from The Carver Agate Field in Alpine, TX. As a group, these 11 cabochons (cabs), as well as the 7 rock specimens which will appear in the next blog posting, again tell the tale. Individually there are several quite unique and interesting stones for the rock enthusiast. I would recommend you view these specimens as large as possible. You can open each image and enlarge it by clicking on it. Rock # 4972 : Slab from a geode! Notice a portion of the crystal lined geode pocket at lower left side of stone. Rock #4951 : Carnelian (red quartz) fortification agate cab Rock #4937 : I suggest you enlarge this photo […]

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Season’s Greetings with a Red Ribboned Geode!

Season’s Greetings with a Red Ribboned Geode!

A striking new geode and cab is cut as The Carver Gallery and Shop reopens after a two and a half month hiatus during home renovations! Well, that explains why you have not heard from me in a while. Now back in business, the geode and the cab cut from the geode display brilliant red ribbons around the crystal lined geode pocket. If that is not cool enough, how about the sky blue between the dual red ribbons! Red ribbons wrap the “Christmas geode’s” sky blue center surrounding the crystal lined pocket Seems “Merry Christmasy” and a harbinger for a Happy New Year for me and, hopefully, you all as well.

Yellow Fortification Agate Geode Cabochon

Yellow Fortification Agate Geode Cabochon

Rock #4876Click to enlarge This is a beautiful cab cut from a cross cut slab from a Carver geode. The crystal-lined geode center sparkles in the center of the yellow fortification agate. The sagenitic material (green and brown stuff) along the top edge of the stone indicates that this was the bottom of the geode when formed in a lava gas pocket. The sagenitic material likely fell off the inside top of the gas bubble pocket to the bottom of the gas bubble pocket where it was encapsulated by bluish agate (silica) as it filled the gas bubble pocket. See photo 4877 below which is the same stone photographed with the sagenitic material on the bottom of the stone as it would have been formed. Rock #4877Click to enlarge

Lava Breccia in Agate Matrix

Lava Breccia in Agate Matrix

What a unique and interesting cab! Close-up shows lava shard at top centerClick on the image to view an enlarged version Another cab from the same stoneNote the same lava shard (top center) These two cabochons were cut from a single stone. The lava shard (top center in both stones) shows their common origin. Above is another agate breccia with banded agate (top and lower right shards) with a lava shard in the lower center of the stone. Note the eye agate on the left center edge of the cut stone. While this stone is not pretty, it sure is interesting—at least to an old rocker like me.

Two Completely Different Triangular Free-form Cabs from The Carver

Two Completely Different Triangular Free-form Cabs from The Carver

These stones are all Carver agates, but completely dissimilar in their appearance. The First Stone The first stone looks like a deep blue underwater scene with multicolored sagenitic (cool stuff!) that look like underwater plants in an undersea cavern. Put your imagination to work and, if you are old like me, think of Lloyd Bridges and Sea Hunt! Rock # 4727 Click to enlarge Rock # 4727 detail Click to enlarge More Stones The next two stones are blue and white banded agate, one of which is a pyramidal free-form. While I have recently cut several other stones, I like these best. Rock #4711 Click to enlarge Rock #4711 Click to enlarge Rock #4713 Click to enlarge