Home / Carver agate field

Tag: Carver agate field

More Brand New Geodes from The Carver Agate Field and My Bullwheel

More Brand New Geodes from The Carver Agate Field and My Bullwheel

By /July 28, 2023 /4 comments /Cut Rocks

Through the winter, I have cut many geodes and other cool stuff. You have seen many of the cabs that I have cut and polished but the geodes, while cut open, have not been yet been published here yet. This is because the cabs are small enough to process on my Cabking, but the geodes are in many cases too large for processing and polishing except on my Bullwheel. The Bullwheel Because of the larger size of the geodes, they do not easily polish well on the Cabking, which only has a 2-inch wide polishing surface. The Bullwheel (see photo above) has a 4-inch wide abrasive belt which is much better for the larger specimens. The Bullwheel takes interchangeable 4-inch wide belts in 80, 100, 220, 320, 400, and 600 grits. The polishing of the larger specimens occurs utilizing increasingly finer grits, beginning with 80 and ending with 600 grit. […]

Read More

????????????????????????????????????

Paisley Agate?

By /June 28, 2023 /1 comment /Cut Rocks

The winter storms tree damage is all cleaned up, processed to saw logs and split firewood. Three large fires that I lit burned up all the brush. So, I had a bit of time to cut and polish more of The Carver agates. Rock #5171 : Paisley AgateI found it, cut it, and named it The paisley agate was named by me. It is a bit dark for inclusion in jewelry, but I liked it because the pattern reminded me of the paisley so popular in my childhood. Rock #5161 Photo 5161 is a heel grind of a small agate nodule which yielded ‘sunflowers’ in a pretty blue-appearing stone. The blue color of the stone was enhanced greatly from a pale white to the blue that you see due to my photographing the stone on a very foggy Maine day. When photographed in my shop on a sunny day, the […]

Read More

Five Hot Memorial Day Freeform Cabochons

Five Hot Memorial Day Freeform Cabochons

By /May 29, 2023 /8 comments /Cabochons

While I have been busy getting my garden in and cleaning up the disaster from the last storm that took down over 12 trees, I squeezed in enough time for five distinctly different but super interesting designer freeform cabochons. Cab #5136: Crystal lined dendritic agate geode Cab #5150: Brecciated sunset agate in lava shards Cab #5150: Note the lava shard below the sunset Cab #5141: Crystal filled agate geode—may be in my next bracelet! Cab #5148: Teardrop flower garden agate. I love the shape and pattern of this stone. Rock #5144: An immensely complex agate. See close up below. 5144: Check out the colors, patterns and the very cool ‘blob’ nearly surrounded by the white area of the stone. This stuff really fascinates me. Hope you enjoy it. And have a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day Weekend, too! PS. This is the clean-up project I was working on after a […]

Read More

“Bluest” Agate Bracelet

“Bluest” Agate Bracelet

By /March 31, 2023 /2 comments /Bracelets

This is the first bracelet I made in 2023. It is the “bluest blue” agate so far from The Carver. The stone is 100% natural and is not treated in any way. I was so taken by the deep blue banded coloration that I decided I just had to put it in a new bracelet. The stone’s rectangular shape “drove” my design—sleek, simple and angular. As I have often said, the setting design is only for one purpose: to highlight the shape, beauty and uniqueness of the cut stone. This bracelet is now available for purchase in the Shop! “Bluest” Agate Bracelet More views Click on each image to see an enlarged version

A first! Texas Amethyst Agate Signature Jewelry Release

A first! Texas Amethyst Agate Signature Jewelry Release

By /March 4, 2023 /1 comment /Jewelry

I have been asked by many about my company’s name, Texas Amethyst Agate. So what is Texas Amethyst Agate? Amethyst Agate from The Carver Agate Field Amethyst agate is a blended stone, being part agate in combination with amethyst, which is a purple semiprecious stone and the February gemstone. Amethyst, although not geologically rare worldwide, is quite rare as a Texas stone. Combining agate with amethyst is an even more rare Texas stone. Amethyst is not only rare in Texas, but is found only occasionally on The Carver Agate Field in West Texas. In fact, many of my long time West Texas rocker friends who have collected in West Texas for many years have never personally found amethyst in Texas. Among those friends, amethyst agate in Texas is virtually unheard of. That is why I named my company after this rare and beautiful purple, banded stone. I have not previously […]

Read More

Powerful and Violent Forces Create Brecciated Material

Powerful and Violent Forces Create Brecciated Material

By /February 12, 2023 /6 comments /Geology

My last posting, “Cryptic Message Leads to Brecciated Pierced Earrings!,” featured brecciated material from The Carver Agate Field. The posting promised more geological information. And, here it is. Brecciated agates or other materials are ‘pieces held together with quartz,’ citing Gemstones of The World, by Walter Schumann, page 134. Sometimes the quartz that holds together the shards of broken rock can form agate between the shards. Rock #4867 In this photo of Rock # 4867, there is a small fortification agate which can be seen between the shards. There is also a lava shard at the top of the photo. Rock #4868 Rock #4868 displays jasper (dark brown horizontal strip near top) and agate shards (lower bottom right) as well as a brown lava shard (lower middle) Rock #4833 Photo 4833 shows yellow/orange jasper shards cemented together by quartz which is mostly not visible except as a bluish material (lower […]

Read More

Cryptic Message Leads to Brecciated Agate Pierced Earrings!

Cryptic Message Leads to Brecciated Agate Pierced Earrings!

By /February 9, 2023 /6 comments /Jewelry

I recently opened another box of rocks I had packed in Alpine, Texas, and brought with me back to Islesboro, Maine. I had put a slip of paper in the box which said: “Rt. 67/90 dog pound N of water tank on right before a deep draw on ranch road” The small box contained the material you see in this posting. While cutting one of the ugly looking pieces, I hit something I really liked! The oval cab photo (#4992) and freeform cab photo (#4995) were cut from the same piece. The pierced earrings came from a fracture in the rough stone being cut. As I cut #4992 and #4995, two small shards broke off during the cutting in the saw. Rock # 4992 Rock #4995 So! It appeared that I had two cut-able stones and two worthless broken shards–but not so fast! I liked the coloration and pattern of […]

Read More

7 Totally Different Agate Specimens

7 Totally Different Agate Specimens

By /January 24, 2023 /0 comments /Cut Rocks

My last blog posting highlighted cabs I cut in January, 2023. The purpose of these postings is to highlight the incredible variability of material from The Carver. This posting shows actual specimens rather than cabs. Enjoy! Rock #4963: Agate Geode Rock #4958 : Carnelian Fortification Agate Rock #4975 : Agate Geode Rock #4948 : Geode with Fortification Agate Rock #4960 : Geode with Crystalline Center Rock #4949 : Fortification Agate Rock #4961 : Fortification Agate, with yellow-orange dots creating the color

New Bracelet: The First in Several Years

New Bracelet: The First in Several Years

By /January 22, 2023 /0 comments /Bracelets

A volcanic breccia agate cuff bracelet, the first new bracelet made in several years, is now offered for sale in The Shop! This sterling silver cuff is one of only 36 bracelets crafted by me. The coloration of the stone was so unusual for The Carver that I just had to put it into a bracelet; so I cut, polished, and handmade the cuff. Check it out now in the Shop. I hope you like it!

Carver Agate Field Variety, January 2023

Carver Agate Field Variety, January 2023

By /January 21, 2023 /4 comments /Cabochons

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 […]

Read More