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[Phishisgroovin]

Here in Washignton State there is a mountain called red top.
LOADS of agate comefrom this mountaintop. well. I got a whole bunch, started cutting into a few, they cracked, skin popped off, have cracks from rhind going into centers. toatally ruined my dream of working one of them.
All that on top of, they were supposed to be BLUE inside. Under the rusted crusty outer shell is a very thing layer of blue, get past that and it whitens, then turns bland.
I wanted to make another blue washington heart.

[R.U. Sirius]

...and then some people point out "it's just rocks, why would you pay so much for them?"

[Phishisgroovin]

thank god they were free, the outer rhind is blue, i guess i need to just cut that and turn it.
but i will probably give all to my brother for tumble fodder

[R.U. Sirius]

Yes, I was pointing out how people who don't actually do lapidary work fail to appreciate just how hard it is to find non-porous material that is free of fractures and vugs to begin with... it's definitely not "just rocks".

Good luck tumbling them, hope it reveals something nice!

[Phishisgroovin]

i mean its nice material, but I always thought Red top mountain blue agate was blue all the way through.
I can work around the fractures, but i am not a fan of white agate lol
wish it was ellensburg blue agate but its from the other side of highway 97 where the ellensburg came from the east prior to the mountains lifting & shifting the river/wash basin that was north to south to west.

[irockhound]

Have you tried the mt airy blue agate?  There is a mix some is solid color and some the bands are all blue but different levels in each band.  Obviously the solid one tone blue or lavender is best