THUNDEREGGS |
PICTURE JASPER |
MORE JASPER |
AGATES |
PETRIFIED WOOD |
FOSSILS |
Dry Sanding Disks |
For years I had been using a 5 lb. bag of true "optical grade" cerium oxide polish for all my lapidary work. It produced far superior results to the typical lapidary polishes for me. (Not to toot my own horn but I frequently get comments on how amazing my polish is :). When I ran out a couple years ago and went to find some more I saw a lot on Amazon and lapidary supply websites advertized as "Optical Grade" BUT it was so cheap it got me suspicious. To make it easy for you, low grade cerium oxide is tan (medium grades) to reddish (very low grade) in color. It works great for tumbling, but I refuse to use it for my lapidary work where I demand as close to a "liquid" polish as is humanly possible. BTW I don't like to keep secrets so if you are interested I can give you some tips on what to use and how to work with it. Low grade cerium is comparatively cheap, you can get it in bulk quantity for $25/lb. You can pay way too much to dealers and especially the Amazon and Ebay ripoff sellers. The cheap white powders being passed off as "optical grade cerium oxide" on Amazon, Ebay, etc., according to a silicon chip industry source I contacted (they rely on the real deal to polish the silicon wafers), are actually aluminum oxide (maybe with some cerium mixed in), which gives decent results for tumblers but isn't any better than low grade cerium for slabs, cabs, and halves. It's dirt cheap in bulk quantity, and therefore the sellers are making a couple thousand percent profit on a few ounces of it by lying and passing it off as cerium. My source told me that true optical grade, used by telescope, precision optics, military suppliers, and the silicon chip industries, is over 99% pure cerium oxideby definition. And to boot the particle size matters depending on the material being polished, so all grades are not equal. He suggested an optimal particle size for quartz and so I bought in bulk (becase I had to LOL).
This is 99.90% pure cerium oxide powder, it's the "real deal". If you can find it at all this is a lot less than you'll pay for an ounce. If you use it correctly a little bit goes a very long way. The first 1/2 lb. bag I bought from a trusted source lasted me over a year and I polish at least a couple hundred pieces a year, from cabochons to spheres to 100 pound chunks of petrified wood (yikes!).
Genuine optical grade (99.90% Pure) Cerium Oxide Polish - $5.00/ounce (enter the number of ounces in the box that pops up)
If you have an overhead sander you know how expensive high quality disks are. Generic disks wear out FAST and can actually tear apart. My disks are all resin bonded to a waterproof polyester backing that is impossible to tear. SOME are paper backed but still hold up. I have tried umpteen brands and have settled on the ones that work! The silicon carbide grit itself is resin bonded (the disk is called resin-resin bonded), not glued on like the cheap disks. Paper backed disks are high quality, unlike the cheapo disks where the grit pulls off the paper after you sand a couple pieces. These last me well over 40 pieces. I buy in bulk so I get a big price break over single disks. The typical progression used is 60-100-220-400-polish. 36/40 grit is used for pieces that have larger saw marks (if you need it then you need to figure out what is wrong with your saw!). In general the coarser the grit the longer it lasts. IF you can even find them sold individually they are way overpriced! At just over $1.00 each these are a bargain! Tip: to get a really flat surface cut eight 3/4" slits around the hole; most come with 4 slits so make 4 more. These also work with a bull wheel type sander that has a screw on locknut.
Dry Sanding Disks |
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Grit |
Per disk |
Available? |
36/40 | $1.40 | YES |
60 | $1.30 | YES |
100 | $1.20 | YES |
220 | $1.10 | YES |
400 | $1.40 | YES |
Full Kit | $14.00 | YES |
Full Kit = (1) 36/40 (I have both and there's no perceptible difference between them), (1) 60, (2) 100, (3) 220, (4) 400 disks. This is typically what you'll need, the finer grit disks wear faster. The prices on these have blown up since the catastrophe hit but I'm keeping them low as long as my supply holds out!
ThundereggsPLEASE READ THIS BEFORE YOU START SHOPPING!SOLD OUT means I HAVE NONE. Please do not click on the Cart button if the Available Quantity says SOLD OUT(Note: I often have slabs of material long after I have sold out of rough, so ask about slabs if the material says SOLD OUT). Please note the sizes of eggs - if it says large eggs then ordering 1 or 2 pounds isn't going to be possible! Slabs are sold by the square inch. For example, a 4"x4" slab is 16 square inches. Please Note: I always have slabs available unless the Available Quantity says otherwise. For slabs, I only charge for usable material if the slab has unsuable portions (for example, thunderegg slabs have both unusable matrix and usable centers).Please do not order more than the quantity available. Please pay attention to the size of the rough. I will not break up rough rocks to accomodate small quantities.Many of the thundereggs below are fluorescent, sometimes very strongly, in shortwave ot longwave UV light. I note where some or most are fluorescent. For some examples from my collection CLICK HERE. NOTE: Due to the tremendous amount of time involved to extract useful agate/jasper slabs from a thunderegg, I am no longer slabbing thundereggs except for Priday Moss bed and White Fir Spring Egg Yolks which are best cabbed), so when the slabs run out they will no longer be offered. |
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MaterialClick on the name of any material for a sample photo! |
Location |
Sizes |
Rough |
Slabs |
Avail. Qty. (lbs.) |
|
Bonnie Bed This is a brand new bed from Richardson's Ranch at Madras Oregon (the same ranch that has the famous Priday, blue, red, opal, and moss beds). Dug for the first time in 2020, so there are hardly any floating around just yet. The centers are variable but are similar to the Red Bed. Named after Mrs. Bonnie Richardson :) | Richardson Ranch, OR | 3-6" | 50 | |||
Buchanan Original Bed There are at least 7 beds at the Buchanan Ranch, this is the first one discovered that was completely dug out by the 1970s. They are distinguished from the other beds by a typically dark chocolate brown matrix and shell. Very rarely seen for sale these days. | Malheur Co., OR | 3-6" |
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Buchanan Tanskin Mostly hollow bubbly or solid agate or quartz crystal centers. Wildly fluorescent (click for examples) | Malheur Co., OR | 3-6" |
30 lbs. no small eggs | |||
Fallen Tree Smaller eggs with lots of white moss and pastel scenes. Some have cool zeolite minerals (fun to look at with a hand lens or a microscope). |
Ochoco Mtns., OR |
2-4" |
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Friend Ranch Nice eggs with a lot of black fortification agate. Ranch recently re-opened to digging but has been closed the past 3 summers :( | Ashwood, OR |
2-5" |
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Kennedy Bed #2 An older bed from part of the Kennedy Ranch that is now owned by the Richardsons. The Kennedy beds (there are at least 5 of them) produced some very distinct looking eggs, and Bed 2 was dug by the owner in 2021 for the first time in 50 years. | Richardson Ranch, OR | 3-6" | $5.00 | 50 | ||
Lucky Strike mine Very cool & varied colorful agate patterns! The price at the mine has been increased to $4.00/pound and is rumored to be upped again to $5.00 in 2022. I'm pretty sure we won't be digging any more :( | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 2-6" | 80 | |||
McDermitt ("79 Bed") Some spectacular eggs, some with quartz crystals. RARE red plumes (I found one at the pit). We got some insane eggs in 2017! What I have left are BIG eggs. You can fit most of them in a 16" saw. |
Malheur Co., OR |
2-7+" |
30 lbs. LARGE EGGS | |||
Ochoco Agate Bed From our rock club claim, mostly 1/2 lb. or smaller eggs. The best have nice carnelian patterns. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 2-4" | ||||
Pony Creek Bed (aka Ochs Ranch) This bed is open again so I have some available for the first time in many years. Lots of mossy patterns and botyroidal agate centers. | Ochs Ranch, OR | 4-6" | ||||
Pony Butte Bed (aka Lawson or Gullickson Bed) Mostly agate and a lot like Blue Bed eggs only more moss; occasional red & rare precious opal; I have found one Priday Plume egg here. | Richardson Ranch, OR | 3-6" | $0.25 | 60 | ||
Priday Blue Bed These are the standard that all other thundereggs strive to achieve! Scenic blue/ black/ white/ red eggs, some moss, opal (stable - does not crack). Simply the best, baby! Most are very fluorescent (click for examples) | Richardson Ranch, OR | 3-6" | 60 | |||
Priday Moss Bed Spectacular
red/orange/gold/green/brown moss and plumey stringers. The best moss
agate eggs there are. Awesome cabs! Many are broken by the backhoe, so cut these for the slabs and cut halves. ALL SHOW MOSS! I have some stunning slices as of 3/1/22! Most are from these 2 eggs. I only charge for the agate, not the brown shell. They are all less than 8 sq. inches, so most slabs will be a few bucks each! |
Richardson Ranch, OR | 2-4" | $1.00 | |||
Priday Opal Bed Almost all opal but some may have agate, sometimes I can't tell. The agate are usually blue, many doubles and some triple eggs. Small eggs and egg masses 1 1/2" - 4". | Richardson Ranch, OR | 1 1/2-3" | ||||
Priday Red Bed If you want something a little different...nice red moss, scenic, agate, occasional hard red opal/agate eggs. Some good moss eggs in this batch! Most are very fluorescent (click for examples) | Richardson Ranch, OR | 3-6" | 40 | |||
Queens Point Bed These are extremely rare eggs, I dug a few buckets recently but the good ones are scarce :( 4" eggs are almost unheard of from this bed but the smaller eggs are always prettier. The road to the bed is currently gated off so I don't know when I will have any more in stock. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 1-3" | ||||
Succor Creek Occasional blue opaque and transparent opal (stable), mostly agate scenes and "clouds". I facet the opal eggs (pic here). Some are very fluorescent (click for examples) | Malheur Co., OR | 2-6" | 30 | |||
TNT Bed TNT for Tim 'N' Terry Ensell, we rediscovered this old bed. Small "thundernuts" with quartz crystal or agate centers; red line around center, very few faint purple (not amethyst); very rare and hard to get anything bigger than an egg. | Ochoco Mtns., OR |
1-3" |
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White Fir Spring Bed Mostly tan, golden yellow, occasional dark purple & light red patterns in a creamy white background. Makes some cool cabochons. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 75 | ||||
White Fir Spring "egg masses" I am offering these at a low price because I can't be sure that that they have a single jasper center like the White Fir Spring eggs above. They show jasper on the outside but aren't the typical rounded eggs that we dig there. They usually have multiple centers (think bubbles) and can be the same colors and just as nice as the usual eggs. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 20 | ||||
White Fir Spring jasper "Egg Yolks" These are really cool, they are actually the centers of White Fir Spring thundereggs that were broken out of the thunderegg shell (or the shell eroded away). We find them at one location near the main egg beds. I slab these and make cabochons from them. They also look very nice tumbled. All the colors that are in the thudereggs are in these, most are the tan/yellow/orange colors and the occasional pink/salmon color. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | $0.20 |
Picture JaspersClick on the name of any material for a sample photo!SOLD OUT means I HAVE NONE. Please do not click on the Cart button if the Available Quantity says SOLD OUT. Please note the sizes of the material - if it says large pieces then ordering 1 pound isn't going to be possible! Slabs are sold by the square inch. For example, a 4"x4" slab is 16 square inches. |
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MaterialClick on the name of any material for a sample photo! |
Location | per pound |
per square inch |
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Rough |
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Blue Mountain Picture Jasper World famous jasper, I got to help out the miners for a week so I have just a few nodules slabbed. I may not ever get any more of this (it's crazy expensive). | Malheur Co., OR |
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Blue Mustang Picture Jasper Very unusual reddish to rust, blueish, black patterns on a cream to brown background, some with white flecks; rare. | Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Coyote Ridge Picture Jasper This is a very scarce picture jasper from the Owyhee Mountains area in OR. It looks a lot like Cripple Creek which is a mile or so away from the mine. It is no longer being mined so I have a limited suppply of slabs. Some very large ones. | Malheur Co., OR | YES |
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Cripple Creek Picture Jasper Dense dark brown lines and patterns on a slate colored background; rare. | Malheur Co., OR | YES |
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Owyhee Gem Picture Jasper This is the original picture jasper from the Owyhee Mountains area. Still one of the best! Many different patterns, there's a surprise in every box :) | Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Owyhee Green Streak Picture Jasper Green, tan and brown horizontal lines, pretty unique stuff. I dug this in 2013, probably the first in 30 years. I guarantee no one else has this - very limited quantity available. | Malheur Co., OR | A FEW! | ||||
Owyhee Red Gold Picture Jasper From a virtually unknown pit, now completely gone. | Malheur Co., OR | YES | ||||
Pinkeye Picture Jasper I dug this in 2014, it hadn't been touched in decades. I guarantee no one else has this - very limited quantity available. Very similar to Blue Moon but in pink/tan shades. I've been back since, and I can't find any more :( | Malheur Co., OR |
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Rocky Butte Picture Jasper Famous Owyhee Mountains jasper, cool brown/red rings and blue centers. Most of the rough is 1-2 pound chunks of super select material, mined in the 1990s. Check out the sample photo for what they look like. | Malheur Co., OR | 20 |
YES | |||
Rufus Picture Jasper Very rarely found for sale, I recently dug 100 lbs. of rough and I ruthlessly high graded it, so you won't be getting the questionable material that has been coming out of the mine the past 2 years. Most people simply don't know what the super hard, unfractured pieces look like. | Rufus, OR | |||||
Succor Creek Picture Jasper Nice brown to tan scenes on a slate to blue background; rare. Now under private ownership so I likely won't have any more. | Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Wildhorse Picture Jasper Classic dark yellow to rust colored patterns in a blue to slate colored background. Hand picked for the best patterns. | Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Note: Slabs are almost always 3/16" to 5/16" thick. Ask about large material for spheres! |
More JasperClick on the name of any material for a sample photo!SOLD OUT means I HAVE NONE. Please do not click on the Cart button if the Available Quantity says SOLD OUT. Please note the sizes of the material - if it says large pieces then ordering 1 pound isn't going to be possible! Slabs are sold by the square inch. For example, a 4"x4" slab is 16 square inches. |
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MaterialClick on the name of any material for a sample photo! |
Location | per pound |
per square inch |
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Rough |
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Chrysanthemum Stone This is all from a piece from central California. It has a few of the classic flower pattern crystals but most is single or groups of large crystals. I have thick slabs from one piece available. Silicon carbide will give it a matte polish but you need to use all diamond to get the high shine finish. | Central Cali | $0.25 | YES | |||
Gary Green Jasper Layered blue to blue/green to green or crean to pink jasper; some pits but very cool patterns. Some looks like petrified wood or bog wood, but it's been proven that it isnt wood. The slabs I have left are hard and give a glossy polish, unlike what people who don't know the difference are selling. Unless I stumble into more this is probably the last I will have, the prices have skyrocketed. | Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Lily Pad Picture Rock (It's not jasper but rhyolite like Utah Wonderstone). Very nice varied colors, lots of greens & creams (a few nice reds too). Really looks like lily pads. swirls and scenes. Takes a high matte polish, can have occasional pits that you may want to fill in before you work it. It's worth the effort, trust me :) | Madras, OR | $3.00 | $0.25 | YES | ||
NEW SUPPLY! Lily Pad Too Picture Rock Very similar to Lily Pad, varied colors, more browns & buff colors (a few nice reds too). Wildly variable bubbly patterns, some of it is more or less identical to Lily Pad. Takes a semi-gloss to high gloss polish, very few pits. I found this so I get to name it :) We went back in 2021 and scored some ver high quality rough! | Madras, OR | $2.00 | $0.20 | 100 | YES | |
Marston jasp-agate aka "Christmas Jasper" (don't ask me why lol). Nice swirls of color in clear agate or swirled jasper patterns. Many of the slabs I have available are THICK because they came from giant boulders and I can't slab those too thin. You can get some really big, high domed cabs, or polish them as is. There is no more to dig, the pit has been cleaned out. I talked the rancher out of some of the last pieces he had left. | Ashwood, OR | $3.00 | $0.25 | 40 | YES | |
McDonald Ranch Jasp-agate This is very similar to Polka Dot agate which is a few miles away. It has a unique appearance. We dug all of it with the owner years ago with a small group of rockhounds and I doubt you'll see it anywhere else. | Ashwood, OR | $0.15 | YES | |||
Scott Canyon Jasp-agate Comes in two flavors, tan with brown streaks and yellow/red/multicolored jasper. Some fractures but very hard. | Wasco, OR | $0.25 | YES | |||
White Fir Spring jasper "Egg Yolks" These are really cool, they are actually the centers of White Fir Spring thundereggs that were broken out of the thunderegg shell (or the shell eroded away). We find them at one location near the main egg beds. I slab these and make cabochons from them. They also look very nice tumbled. All the colors that are in the thudereggs are in these, most are the tan/yellow/orange colors and the occasional pink/salmon color. | Ochoco Mtns., OR | 40 | ||||
Note: Slabs are almost always 3/16" to 5/16" thick. Ask about large material for spheres! |
AgatesClick on the name of any material for a sample photo!SOLD OUT means I HAVE NONE. Please do not click on the Cart button if the Available Quantity says SOLD OUT. Please note the sizes of the material - if it says large pieces then ordering 1 pound isn't going to be possible! Slabs are sold by the square inch. For example, a 4"x4" slab is 16 square inches. |
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MaterialClick on the name of any material for a sample photo! |
Location | per pound |
per square inch |
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Rough |
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Amethyst Sage agate I have some creamy white slabs of this with black dendrites and some purple-ish areas. All are pretty big. |
Denio, NV | |||||
Brazilian agate Lots of banded and waterline (horizontal lines) types. I have a box full of these, all are very nice.These make great windchimes because this agate is tough! |
Brazil | YES | ||||
Crazy Lace Agate Classic wavy fortifications and dots. This is top quality, and is the only piece I have at this time. Click on the name for a photo of the end cut. |
Mexico | |||||
Graveyard Point Plume Agate Varied colors, all has plumes. I have a FEW Regency Rose slabs with pink/red plumes, ASK and I'll accomodate you. I have a lot of Purple Sage Black Plume claim slabs, if you want them specifically I can do that, they all look like this. |
Malheur Co., OR | TONS | ||||
Maury Mtn. Moss Agate Classic red/ yellow/ brown/ green dense moss agate. What I have now was collected 25 years ago, beautiful dense moss. It looks amazing when backlit. |
Crook Co., OR |
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YES | |||
Rough Tumbled Montana Moss Agate I have about 30 pounds of rough tumbled pieces (smaller than average, from a few ounces to about 1/2 lb.). Some may be the black blob patterns BUT if it's really obvious I'm keeping it. (I'm tumbling to see if removing the white skin layer makes it easier to spot it, if the skin doesn't come off then it goes back in the bucket). It is tumbled to 60/90 grit (stage 1), so if you want to keep going it needs to start at stage 2 (120/220 or 150/220 grit). Most is not suitable for the small tumblers, you need a 12 pound barrel (or a good size vibratory tumbler) to finish these. They look GREAT in a fish tank, they don't have to be polished! |
Yellowstone River, MT | 30 | ||||
Priday Polka Dot agate I guarantee each piece has polka dots; usually brown to dark brown dots in a milky to blue agate with red/brown/yellow patterns. When this is gone I probably won't have any more, the price at the mine has doubled and I can't afford to pay that much. |
Ashwood, OR | 20 | YES | |||
Sheep Creek Agate I have just a few of the brown/white/black slabs, without plumes. Most are thick up to 1/2". Now on the Les Schwab ranch so no more will ever come out. |
Crook Co., OR | $0.25 | ||||
Stinkingwater Plume Agate Mostly white plumes in clear to milky agate, this is fairly hard to come by. |
Malheur Co., OR | |||||
Note: Slabs are almost always 3/16" to 5/16" thick. Ask about large material for spheres! |
Petrified WoodClick on the name of any material for a sample photo!SOLD OUT means I HAVE NONE. Please do not click on the Cart button if the Available Quantity says SOLD OUT. Please note the sizes of the material - if it says large pieces then ordering 1 pound isn't going to be possible! Slabs are sold by the square inch. For example, a 4"x4" slab is 16 square inches. |
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MaterialClick on the name of any material for a sample photo! |
Location |
per pound |
per square inch |
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lbs. |
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Bllue Forest Wood This well known wood was buried in shallow warm water by ash flows, and most of it is coated with a thick layer of stromatolite, which is a blue green algae that encrusts any hard object with a thick layer of calcium carbonate. The layer can be removed mechanically and/or by soaking in muriatic acid. It may take a lot of effort to clean the large pieces but it's worth it! The slabs are clean with no or little crust.The 2 example photos are of cleaned wood. All the cleaned pieces I have are small, under a pound. The uncleaned pieces are larger, a couple pounds to huge. |
Kemmerer WY | $0.25 | YES | |||
Hampton Buttes Green Wood Sometimes resembles petrified wood, sometimes only the outside looks like wood, sometimes none of it looks like wood. Most of it is green. Almost all of it was burned up in a hot ash flow and agate/Agate filled in the holes. It occasionally looks like wood (from my collection). One of only a few locations worldwide that have green wood. |
Hampton Buttes OR | |||||
Holleywood Ranch Brown, cream, buckskin, gold, tan, dark brown, almost black colors. Extraordinary wood structure preservation. There have been over 30 species identified here, the most in the world at one location. |
Holley, OR | 20 Smallest is about 5 lbs. please ask first |
YES |
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McDermitt Limbs (another pic) Beautiful brown to dark brown grained limbs (I have cleaned off the white calcite coating) Suitable for cutting, tumbling or as unique specimens. |
McDermitt, OR |
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McDonald Ranch Wood Extremely hard Dawn Redwood, mostly agate and some hard opal chunks and small rounds, creamy white, brown, tan, buckskin and other colors. Many have tight "herringbone" grain. (another pic). Some of the best out there! |
Ashwood, OR | 30 |
YES |
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Saddle Mountain Wood Classic conifers; hard opal and agate limbs, roots, and chunks, some "scenic" wood. |
Mattawa, WA | |||||
Miscellaneous Wood From all over the Pacific Northwest and elsewhere, lots of variation. From various collections, all solid agate or Agate, no junk! Hardly any in the 1-2 pound range, most are 3 up to 15 pounds. Some BIG rounds & branches, ASK if you want some. |
Everywhere :) | 100s of pounds of meduim - huge size pieces! |
YES |
Miscellaneous Tumbling & Lapidary RoughThis rough varies tremendously from a 1/4 pound to 5 pounds or more. It is almost all Agate, agate, obsidian, and petrified wood. The majority is from Oregon and Washington. Much of this is tumbling stock. If you want something specific, ask and I'll try to match your needs! See below for example photos.
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Rock Type |
per pound |
lbs. |
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Miscellaneous Agate all solid agate, or a mix of agate & Agate (but mostly agate) |
100s! |
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Miscellaneous Jasper |
100s! |
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Miscellaneous Petrified Wood most up to a couple pounds, some big rounds & branches, ask first. |
100s! |
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Miscellaneous Tumbling Obsidian From Glass Buttes Oregon. I haven't sorted through it so there are many types mixed in. These are smaller pieces up to about 1 pound and are suitable for tumbling or slabbing on a trim saw. See last photo below. |
100s! |
These are literally the last 10 buckets that came out of my truck. Click each photo for the large version. I have not rearranged the rocks. It was raining, so they are wet. I did pick most of the leaves off the top though :)
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