Welcome To Bandon Visitors Guide 2010

• Agate Hunting & Beach Combing

Agate Hunting & Beach Combing The art of agate hunting is ancient, going back as far as 4000 B.C. The name itself is said to derive from a river in south Sicily - Achates - where the philosopher Pliny said the first agate was found.

Agates are chalcedony rock, a translucent quartz with high silica content often formed in volcanic action. Liquid silica fills gas bubbles, resulting in agates. Most are small, but agates of enormous sizes have been found.

Agates are especially beautiful polished. A rock tumbler polishes them into a clear, smooth rock. Some people prefer to leave their stones in a natural state, enjoying their rough beauty.

Agates make handsome jewelry and come in all colors. The most common are white, gray and dark blue. Light blue is considered premium. Agates with banding and water bubbles are also prized.

Water agates, the rare find of the agate hunter, are usually clear stones which contain water and a movable bubble of air. They have been found shaped like clam shells, bear claws and other odd forms. Water agates of any kind are scarce and, thus, valuable to collectors.

Moonstone agate is a brilliant, clear stone; carnelian, a bright-red transparent stone. Ribbon agate forms colors in strata. Cloud agate is a transparent stone with dark formations through it. The bloodstone, or heliotrope, is a dark-green jasper with small, blood-red blotches.

Many other varieties can be found, so knowing what to look for increases your chance of finding the gem.

The best time to look for agates is at low tide and during the winter when storms have eroded beaches. Look in the gravel beds uncovered by waves. Sunny days are especially good because the gems reflect the light at certain angles.

Agate books to enhance your hunt can be purchased in the bookstores and gift shops in town.

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