3/2 slabs

Mel, Thank you for posting! I look forward to the daily cuts, so keep'em coming. I have kind of an odd request though......I would love to see the exterior of them to get a better idea of what to look for. I think there are some similar rocks in the gravels I hunt and would love to have some better clues.

Jeremy

Jeremy, Every Rio looks pretty much different except many whole ones have a crust that is whitish colored. I sort by dipping them in a bucket and often chip questionable ones to make sure they are agate. The are many agate lookalikes that seem to be some kind of quartz material. Often quite colorful but not standard Rio agate. When wet, most agates will show some small indication of etchings, fortifications, swirls, filaments or brecciations. Often you will see botryoidal formations too.

Way too many pictures for me to show all the exteriors as I cut a couple almost everyday. I will say one thing though, dang, I'm surprised all the time. Often I think they are kind of plain and they're really nice and sometimes ones that look real good, suck. And remember, I have cut hundreds of these agates. The surprises are what makes cutting them fun. I cut two today and both were disappointing. Thought one might be good poppy and though the exterior looked good, the inside was bleh. The second was possibly plume but inside it was a vuggy mess.

Here's a pic of one of the washed piles of rough the kiddoes have brought in recently. They show color where broken or water worn but just whitish exteriors when found whole....Mel

You said it: The surprises are what makes cutting them fun.

I think that the surprises make the whole hobby fun. Thanks for sharing your cuts.