Trophy agate found on the Pacific Coast

Darth Vader?

Here is last Thursday's agate trophy found by Sandra, one of our local beachcombers here on the Central Oregon Coast. Congratulations to Sandra on finding this beautiful black fortification agate among all of the Velella velella on the beach. That could not have been easy to see among all of that debris as the link to the (Velella velella) will show you.  

The center opening at the bottom shows a small pocket of druse or druzy quartz crystals which is a coating of small fine crystals which allows that area to be somewhat translucent under high intensity lighting. 

Timothy DiGennaro's Black Agate found on the Oregon Coast

Photo by Timothy DiGennaro

Beautiful black agate found on the Oregon Coast by beachcomber Timothy DiGennaro. Notice how the center cavity is framed or outlined so nicely by a lovely fortification pattern or design. The exterior looks like an exquisite china pattern.  Nice find there Timothy, thank you for sharing this with the agate world.

2013 Agate Calendars are now available!

It's calendar season again, and this year we have  not just one but two wall calendar designs by Patrick a local beach comber and excellent photographer  whose camera has captured the beauty of these agates well in these presented images. "Agates and Jasper of the Oregon Coast", and "The Agate Hunter Blues". 

Available from FACETS Gem & Mineral Gallery in Newport, OR.  Just $14.95 each.

Clarice's black agate

Fortification Agate

Clarice found this unique Alaskan totem art face design in a black fortification agate the size of a quarter, while agate hunting here at the Oregon Coast.  Nice find Clarice!

James Black Agate found at Newport

Just polished to highlight its natural beauty

Beautiful 3" black agate found here in Newport weighing in at ½ lb. 

Jane's trophies for the week!

¼ - ¾ pound agates

Congratulations to Jane, a local resident on these outstanding beach combing finds. The amber color agate at the top is a sard agate and weighed in at ¾ of a pound. The blue/blacks are excellent sized specimens for this late in the season. 

Saturday evenings best at Newport!

Fancy gray/black agate with lines of fortification

Yielded a beautiful fortification Agate

Beautiful black agate found...

This beauty was brought in recently 5 inches long and it weighs almost a pound.  Local beachcomber Kathie found this agate with beautiful red jasper highlights and it is now polished.  Nice find Kathie!

Beautiful Black Agate Ring

Spike of Seal Rock found this beautiful black agate earlier this year while agate hunting here on the Oregon Coast. The ring was created for him by FACETS Gem & Mineral Gallery of Newport. The ring was fabricated of Sterling Silver for him to give his lady Monica. We wish Monica many years of enjoyment from her new ring.

Spike was very pleased as the design allows the wearer to appreciate stone from the top or by the bottom through the open wire work design beneath the stone.

Trophy agate

Congratulations to agate collector James of South Beach who just recently found this beautiful agate weighing in at ¼ of a pound and 2¾" long. The stone appears black with white frosting, however when illuminated with a strong light source from the bottom you can see it is a lavender cloud agate. We were so worried that the frosting would disappear on this beauty but it came out well. This will make a nice addition to ones agate collection.

Wonderful Agatized Fossils

Here is a summary of some of the most recent agatized fossils found here on the Oregon Coast by local beachcombers. These are really beautiful specimens and hope these will help you improve your collecting ability to collect fewer but better specimens and leave those common "leaverites" (leave it right there) on the beach for some one else. We would also like to take this time to thank the many folks that have shared their trophies with us that many others will learn more about responsible collecting.

Editors Notes: Photos to the left showing 2 black limb cast with fortification banding, were found by Scott of Newport. Upper right an enhydro (water agate) "Clam-Belly" Agate, found by Mary Lou of Newport. Lower right photo taken wet of a complete agatized gastropod (snail-like), found by Frank of Agate Beach.

February Beachcombing at Newport

Another day of trophies found by the father and son team Frank and Jeremiah sharing quality time on the beach together at Newport. The first two specimens to the left are agates, the pink/orange one is very unusual with a pattern we haven't seen before. The one next to it appears to be a blue-black fortification (band can be seen within in the sky-blue sunk in area) agate.

The two Sagenite agates are just beautiful specimens, the yellow sard is very compact and will make a beautiful piece of jewelry. The black one is rather coarse with the needles of sagenite right up at the surface (kinda looks like a face with the hair going straight up). It definitely has personality.

The enhydro agate is actually a cloud agate that also happens to have a water bubble trapped in it. The black cloud is a dark cloud like inclusion that just happens to look like a claw (no it is NOT a CLAW) just happens to be shaped like one.

Things are NOT always what they appear to be...

Our extreamly unseasonable warm January weather here on the Oregon coast has brought out the beachcombers from every where to go hunting for agates. Local resident Frank was out collecting last Friday and found this black beauty! Just looking at it in normal light you can't see the water bubble within the agate until you back light it with a strong beam of light and the black disappears to expose the trophy of the day.

Beautiful One Pound Black Agate

This is another nice find from one of our local beachcombers. What a lucky dude you are Frank. Wait till I get the photos of Frank's Black agatized, enhydro clam belly up that he found Saturday. You haven't seen anything yet!

Newport black agate found in May!

This is a beautiful black agate which was found here at Newport on the Oregon Coast measures 3" x 2" and was found by our own local Bibliona. This cobble of agate weighs in at almost half a pound.