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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 17:34:17 GMT -5
Today, I went to a big local rock sale, and she had a whole BUNCH of Florida agates. There were a lot of different types, but I have never seen this type before from Florida, because they are COLORFUL, and most of the ones I've seen from Florida are sort of colorless (the color of coral-beigey white). I thought they were the coolest things ever, my favorite being the translucent fish egg types, in the COLORS of fish eggs!!! There were different types of course, but I grabbed what I considered the best of every type. I had first dibs on everything she had because I helped her unpack and set up for her big sale this weekend. Here's the group, minus my keepers (will post my keepers at the end): ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate.jpg) Closeups of the different ones (they are ALL very different). There's 14 in all below, so wait til they load if you only see a few. 1: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-1.jpg) 2: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-2.jpg) 3: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-3.jpg) 4: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-4.jpg) 5: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-5.jpg) 6: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-6.jpg) 7: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-7.jpg) 8: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-8.jpg) 9: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-9.jpg) 10: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-10.jpg) 11: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-11a.jpg) 12: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-12.jpg) 13: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-13.jpg) 14: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-14a.jpg) I am putting the 3 biggest and flattest pieces in the newbie traveling box (to be cut up so everyone can have a piece), and keeping some of them. I will likely Ebay the above ones to see how many I can sell, then whatever's left, I will cut up to send cab-sized samples to my friends here that have shared their stuff with me in the past:). Here are my keepers: The below is THE STRANGEST looking one of all, not even big bubbles, but it's sort of irridescent black (all of these are supposed to be flourescent and slightly phosphorescent, but I can't test that). She had no other like this. ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-keeper1.jpg) This one is just BIG salmon bubbles that look JUST LIKE GRAPES!!! ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-keeper2.jpg) This one is really wild, it's small, but looks EXACTLY like a natural cave inside, and the shape of the rock is almost symmetrical: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-keeper3.jpg) And this one is from South Carolina, not even Florida. She had a bunch of this type too, but this was a one of a kind ... all the crystals are irridescent!!! It looks like swarovski crystals glued onto a rock... very very hard to take pix of, but you can see the irridescence in the top left corner: ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagates-Kcrystals.jpg)
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,473
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Post by Sabre52 on May 24, 2012 17:58:37 GMT -5
Wow those are really neat! Are those pieces of fossil coral geodes? I have a number of fossil coral geodes from the Tampa Bay area that show botryoidal interiors like those....Mel
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Post by kk on May 24, 2012 18:08:43 GMT -5
PM me as to how I can find you on Ebay. ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png)
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 18:12:40 GMT -5
They are RIVER corals Mel, not from Tampa bay, but from a small river near Georgia on the Florida side.
She collected them herself in the river muck. The river is too shallow for a boat with any kind of draft, and that includes a single engine jon boat, so she collects with a canoe. I want to try it!!!!! But I'll bet there's gators in the water....
The Tampa Bay ones I've seen pix of (don't have any), are they COLORFUL like this too Mel? These don't look like any of the Fl Agates I've seen pix of due to the colors and the sizes of the 'eggs' in them. But this was the first time I've actually seen these in person, and she didn't have any Tampa ones. (edited to remove my caps... don't ask me why I do them, I tend to capitalize where I would verbally emphasize the word... LOL!)
Oh... I forgot to say that my pix don't do them justice, in person they are sort of glowy for lack of a better word. Almost like an internal glow like you see with some gemstones. I am going to cab the littlest piece:).
Also, I have no time to list them now, will be after next week:).
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 18:13:54 GMT -5
Edited because I'm NOT talking about selling on this thread, this is about the bubbles and the agates:).
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 18:24:28 GMT -5
Here's a shot of the full group (including the ones for the Newbie Box - B, and my keepers K) it's how I keep my group shots organized with the individual piece:). ![](http://www.azenglass.com/rockforsale/flagate-all.jpg)
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grayfingers
Cave Dweller
Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on May 24, 2012 18:24:50 GMT -5
Whoa, those are way cool. Love botryoids.
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Post by digdug on May 24, 2012 18:24:52 GMT -5
Helen, I need to find mine in the house and let you see how similar they are, even the one in the vug. Try to get some pics of them tonight if possible or real soon. Dumb question... because of the bubbles in there makeup, would these have formed with or in water also?
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 18:35:08 GMT -5
You know... I don't really know... these were found IN the water... she actually digs up the river muck (leeches and alligators in Florida waters... ) to get to them. Florida water is NOT clear either... and you cannot see what the heck is going on, this is practically the tropics. Now I haven't done this obviously, but I've been on Florida rivers, my old property before the subdivision was on a small Florida river, and uh... not sure I'd want to dig in the muck there. Which is probably why they are still findable, not many people willing to do it? Before I went, I thought it was an ESTATE sale based on what someone at the club said when they told people about the sale (lots of retirees in Florida), but she still goes and gets them herself (not alone, I wouldn't go near 12' alligators alone either). Probably one of very few people who do:P. Maybe that's why these look different from the photos of others I've seen, it's a different area? I mean there's lots and lots of botryoidal agates all over the world. I just haven't seen them quite like this. PLUS, these are in their raw unpolished state... they LOOK shiny and polished, but they're not. They're pretty darn cool:). Everyone in the newbie box will see some, can't wait for the input from them too! I have not seen a LOT of rocks, haven't been at it that long... but I haven't even seen photos of rocks quite like these. Here's the more 'typical' florida river rocks: www.apalachee-minerals.com/Agatized_Coral/agatized_coral.htmWhile a lot of them look similar, they are nowhere near as cool or colorful (the colors sort of 'shift' a bit when you turn them, and I cannot capture that on camera).
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deedolce
fully equipped rock polisher
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Member since October 2006
Posts: 1,828
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Post by deedolce on May 24, 2012 19:43:22 GMT -5
Those are crazy! Sort of like fire agate with no fire~ what a fun thing to find! Who knew things like this were found in Florida? ...of course, to this Norcal girl, aren't there alligators in those rivers?!
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 20:03:32 GMT -5
Dee... YES! There are alligators, fish that look like I dunno... they have bladed serated saws for noses (Gars) and travel in thick packs, there are leeches... um... lots of icky nasties. LOL! BUT! I want to go find some too... was just thinking where I could get a canoe from...
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Post by geoff on May 24, 2012 20:19:02 GMT -5
Love the bubble chains in number 4. My favorite by far.
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Post by FrogAndBearCreations on May 24, 2012 20:47:48 GMT -5
that just might be agatized coral!
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 20:53:31 GMT -5
Yah... that's what Kap said:). Agatized coral from Florida vs Florida Agates ... aren't they both agates:)?
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,779
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Post by adrian65 on May 24, 2012 21:33:08 GMT -5
Beautiful agates! I like #3 the most, but some other of them also have amazing colors. Some even look to be closer to fire agate.
Adrian
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Post by helens on May 24, 2012 21:57:43 GMT -5
I'm not sure why it's different, but they are neat looking, aren't they:)? I just hadn't seen them before (but of course, no rock/fossil type is exactly unknown, so I know they aren't new:)). I LOVE the bubbles!!! They look like fish eggs!!!
Adrian, that #3 is an odd one. It's actually closer to the more 'normal' colors of the insides of these (judging by what she had), but it's got that little blob of PINK!!!
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Post by Roller on May 25, 2012 2:28:27 GMT -5
wow ! nice and interesting !
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Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on May 25, 2012 5:54:31 GMT -5
Helen, I can see you are excited!!!! Those are some really neat looking rocks! They look similiar to some pieces I have, which are coral.
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Post by kap on May 25, 2012 18:23:08 GMT -5
I love it when someone finds something new to them and gets all excited ![:)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/smiley.png) . (Every time I cut a rock I get that way ![;)](//storage.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/wink.png) ) Keith
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Post by helens on May 25, 2012 21:17:54 GMT -5
Well, the smallest piece I got is both thin and small, so I'm going to cab that soon. I am totally busy til Sunday, but Sun I'm going to take pix of the newbie box and pack it up for shipping. I'll see if I have time to do some cabbing on Sunday too... I was told that this agate was VERY hard, so will see how hard it is to grind and shape:).
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