Have you ever found a rock and wanted to know what kind it was? One of the ways to help identify types of stones is by using an unglazed ceramic tile - a streak plate. We had trouble finding unglazed tiles in our local stores, but we did find these, specifically for that purpose, at Amazon. To use, you would take the rock, and pressing down hard, scratch the plate with it. It will leave a streak - residue from the rock - of some kind of color. Then you would go to a website, such as Geology.com, and check the list of stones with what that streak color. (We do not offer this product directly, rather as an Amazon Associate, and we earn from qualifying purchases).
Streak Plates Item# 5324 Price: $Thru Amazon
Click here to view on Amazon.
These are sliced Brazilian Agates, faced rough pieces. We are offering them at $6/lb, but most pieces will weigh at least 2 lbs or more so the price is for a minimum of 2 lbs-worth, which could be only 1 piece. Many are complete halves, but some are not; some are amazing for displaying whether polished or unpolished as-is; other pieces could be cut for some gorgeous cabochons or other projects. If you would like to see pieces to choose from, send us a message with how many pounds you are interested in and we will pull and photo some for you to see first. We have a minimum of 20 lbs available. If you are purchasing more than 2 batches (4 lbs), please also purchase the Medium Flat Rate box cost at the bottom of this page to cover the additional postage. (If you prefer uncut rough for less, just ask.)
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Brazilian Agate Halves Item: 2465 Price: $12.00
Please check back - individual larger pieces available soon.
These are unpolished sliced nodules from the Wileys Well collecting area in Southern California. There are some real beauties in this batch - some geodes filled with crystals, others are agate-filled. This listing is for one geode with a pocket of crystals in it. You will receive one that is about 3 1/2 to 4" in size or larger. If you would like to select one in particular, send us a message and we will pull a few for you to choose from. If you are purchasing more than 3, please also purchase the Medium Flat Rate box cost at the bottom of this page to cover the additional postage.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Wileys Well Geode Half Item# 4818 Price: $12.00
These are pieces of Jasper mostly from the Lavic Siding area of the Mojave Desert, though it is possible a few pieces may not have come from there. This material is wonderful for cutting and polishing, and sometimes there are fabulous pieces with the colors mixed, as in the photo #6. These are mostly smaller sizes, on average - 1" to 3 1/2" and 1/2" to 1 1/2" thick, but could be a few a little larger or smaller. Great for tumbling or cabbing. We have about 10 lbs available at this time. (If you want larger sizes, we have some - please contact us with the size of your saw blade and how many pounds you might be interested in before ordering so we can pull a batch first. Quantity is limited.)
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Lavic Siding Jasper Item# 2975 Price: $5.00
This is Gold Sheen Obsidian rough pieces, selling by the pound. You might not see any of the sheen in most of these photos, and before cleaning off the dust on this batch, we thought it was just Mahogany Obsidian. But a little water and movement in the sunshine and we realized it was actually Maghoany with Gold Sheen - awesome material, as you can tell by the 2nd photo of a large sliced piece of it (watch a YouTube video of it)! The material must be cut at the correct angle for the sheen to be visible. The pieces in the photos are the batch we will pull from but you may or may not receive any specific piece you see here. Further, not all pieces show the sheen so we want to pull specific pieces per order that will ensure what you get will have the sheen in it. Please note that this material is volcanic glass and easily cuts like glass, so care should be taken when handling or working with it.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Gold Sheen Obsidian Rough Item# 4128 Price: $9.00
Sold - - Contact us for additional items.
This is rough, uncut Snakeskin Agate, also known as Angel Agate. We're not sure but it was probably collected in Oregon. The material is actually a variety of chalcedony, but with a closer look you notice the snakeskin-like pattern on the outsides of the pieces. We have never cut any cabs or tumbled any of it ourselves but our understanding is that if you tumble it for just the right amounts of time/grits, you can keep that snakeskin pattern on the clear chalcedony. (Photos of it shown both wet and dry. (Up to 5 lbs available.)
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Snakeskin Agate Rough Item# 4663 Price: $7.50
PLEASE READ GIA ANALYSIS DETAILS BELOW, not all of this is Dumortierite or Tourmaline. These are pieces of some beautiful purple (some purple/pink) with black uncut rough material we acquired from an old collection. We are offering it by the pound. A purchase of 1 pound may give you only one or two pieces. If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
GIA ANALYSIS RESULTS: We previously thought this could be a low-grade Sugilite (*see back history below for why we thought that). We sent a small sample piece to the GIA. We tried to get one that had the various characteristics we have seen in the material, including a few spots of a rare blue that we found in just a very few pieces, plus the black and of course the purple. THE RESULTS: Dumortierite, Tourmaline, Rutile and possible additional minerals. We asked some questions and got an additional answer from them that indicated the black stuff in the small sample was Tourmaline and the stone (which was the purple overall) is mostly fine-grained, and that they couldn’t take the identification any further. We do not know how much of the material has the Dumortierite in it (which we think are the small blue spots). (The pieces have a lot of weight, we still think a lot of that is from Manganese.)
The material is hard and does take a polish, possibly like a rhyolite. It is a beautiful purple of varying intensities, some areas have a little pink. While some of the larger pieces have some areas of solid-looking color, nearly all have some black mixed in with the purple and some even have tiny orbs. There are pink tones in some of it, and when photographed wet in sunlight, you see more purples/reds/pinks. Almost all pieces have the black matrix material.
SIZES: Most SMALL pieces (like for tumbling) are SOLD OUT. It is likely that most orders will have at least 3.5-5sizes OR LARGER, up to 6-8 possible (unless you contact us to request smaller specifically). A purchase of one pound will probably give you only 1 piece and all pieces will probably contain a good amount of the black.
Back History: We previously thought this material could be a low grade Sugilite. We saw an ad for 'Rhodonite or Sugilite' lapidary rough. The photos looked like a beautiful pink Rhodonite. But when we saw the material in person, it was definitely more purple, not pink. The person we bought it from said it came from someone who had worked at what once was Kaiser Steel years ago (which had been located in that vicinity). That company would import Manganese from South Africa for its steel production. His guess was that this could be a low-grade Sugilite, brought over because of the Manganese.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Mystery Purple Lapidary Rough Item# 4587 Price: $10.00
This is rough Seam Agate from Kerouchen, Morocco, by the pound. While we have seen this material on the marked for the last couple of years, the material is new to us. We've cut just a few pieces - a couple have yielded some gorgeous slices, while a couple more have just small splashes of color. Pieces are thin - from about 1/2" to 1 1/2" thick mostly, and range in size on average between about 2" - 5" one direction (though it is possible for some to be a little larger or smaller than that). The pieces in the photos are the exact batch we'll pull from but obviously not all pieces are visible. If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Morocco Seam Agate Rough Item# 4574 Price: $10.00
This is Chrysocolla rough, some with Malachite, Cuprite and/or Quartz. We have several batches, all similar to what you see, so you may or may not get any of the specific pieces you see in the photos. Sizes vary from approximately 2" up to 4-5" one way. We acquired this from an old collection, we did not collect it ourselves, so we can't say for sure where it was collected. As with any rough material, some pieces are nicer than others and we don't know what each piece will yield, there are often unforeseen flaws, fractures, etc., but we've sliced several pieces and each one yielded a variety of nice potential (see last photo with sample slabs). (Some photos were taken through the chicken-wire cage, sorry!) If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Chrysocolla Rough Item# 4145 Price: $8.00
This is Stony Creek Jasper, from Northern California. We did not collect it ourselves, but we got it from the person who did. The pieces you see in the photos are only a small portion of what we have, but they are a good representation of what you will get, and to the degree possible, we try to give you an assortment of the variety. Some are more red, some more yellow, others mixed coloring. Pieces range from small pieces, to hand-size and larger (could be as small as 1" or as large as 5-6" along one side), so let us know your saw size if smaller than 10". An order of 1 lb may receive several small pieces, but it could also be a single piece weighing only 1 pound (no less), unless you request larger or smaller pieces specifically. Larger orders will have a mix of sizes. If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Stony Creek Jasper Rough Item# 4177 Price: $4.00
Mostly larger pieces available - Contact us if you're interested.
This is material collected from Rainbow Ledge, from the Randsburg/Inyokern area of the El Paso Mountains (Mojave Desert of California). It is often referred to as Rainbow Ridge Jasp-Agate. But our understanding is the rock club that has the claim on this material says it is actually Rainbow Ledge, but it is even written Rainbow Ridge in some of the gem trail books. Either way, a variety of neat material comes from this area. We did not collect it ourselves, but we know it was collected sometime between the 1950's and 1980's. The pieces you see in the photos are only some of what we have had in the past. We have more, but most are either smaller sizes or (roughly 1" to 3") or about hand-size or larger. Just contact us with your preference and we'll pull some pieces for you. An order of 1 lb only may receive several small pieces, but it could also be a single piece weighing only 1 pound (no less), unless you request larger or smaller pieces specifically. The last two photographs are sample slabs from the Rainbow Ridge area, just to give an idea of what some of this material can look like. If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Rainbow Ledge Rough Item# 4127 Price: $6.00
Available but Contact us with size preference of smaller or larger sizes.
This is Calcite Onyx. We are guessing this material was collected somewhere in the Mojave Desert, but we've found sources online that have similarities indicating location as Mexico. Your selection will come from the batch you see in the photos. Some pieces are smaller, a couple inches one direction, while others are palm size. An order of 1 lb only may receive several small pieces, but it could also be a single piece weighing only 1 pound (no less). Larger orders may include a variety of sizes. If ordering more than 3 pounds, please also select the Medium Flat Rate Box at the bottom of this page.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Green Onyx Rough Item# 4108 Price: $4.00
Quantity is limited; please contact us to pull pieces for you.
This is for rough, uncut pieces of Horse Canyon Agate from Tehachappi, California. The material is more rare these days, mostly what can be found from old collections, like what we are offering here. Some pieces have nicer shapes, others are more awkwardly-shaped, and some are thin and more flat with the agate window along the thin side so you would need to grind away the matrix layer to get a decent sized stone. Some have a little moss and color, some pieces have a lot. Very few have no color at all. Nearly all pieces are rough, uncut, though you might receive a piece here or there that has already been sliced. Sizes can be as small as 1" x 1/2" up to about 3" x 3-4", with a few a little larger. (Note the main photo shows larger pieces, most of those have already been sold.) If you want more than 3 lbs, please also purchase the Medium Flat Rate box cost at the bottom of this page to cover the additional postage. International buyers please email for shipping cost if you want more than 3 lbs.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Horse Canyon Agate Rough Item# 3757 Price: $8.00
This is for 1 pound only of black and mahogany Obsidian rough pieces. In this batch, one piece that looks black might also have the splashes of the mahogany coloring as well, or could be all black. It's possible a piece we think is black turns out to be gold, silver or rainbow sheen, though no promises on these. Some pieces have a skin, while others are just rough chunks. A few have been sliced, though most are uncut. A one pound order could be smaller pieces, or even just one piece that weighs a minium of one pound. If you have a specific request for size, please contact us. The pieces in the photos are examples only and were wet in all the photos.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Obsidian Rough Item# 1382 Price: $4.00
These are Thunderegg nodules from Opal Mountain in the Mojave Desert of California. (Please note that despite the name, we have not found them to contain Opal.) We believe the material to be rare, not much about them can be found on the internet. They came to us from two different collections, one collected sometime between the 1950's and 1980's, and the other batch probably around the same time period, though possibly as late as the 1990's. Most of these are larger pieces, some revealing agate inside, others just look like chunks of rock with a colorful matrix. Most do NOT look like whole nodules, but like they were very difficult to dig out of a hard rock ground, with chips around the edges. The last four slide show photos are examples of pieces that the persons who collected these cut, most sold already, and you can see our Thunderegg/Geode page for some other examples of pieces we cut. Purchase of this item will give you a minimum of 5 pounds worth, and most pieces will be larger in size, requiring at least a 10" saw for slicing. Contact us for requests of more or less than 5 lbs, and we'll work with you to get some hopefully nice pieces! Price includes extra shipping cost. International buyers please email for shipping cost.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Opal Mountain Rough Item# 2152 Price: $26.50
Please Contact us with requests by pound.
We have rough nodules and pieces of Howlite from Tick Canyon, California. Howlite is a calcium-silicate mineral. The material makes nice cabs with its spider web patterns, and is also commonly used as good carving material. Though it is naturally white, with and without the black spider-webbing lines, the material is often dyed other colors because it so easily accepts a dye. Some of this material also fluoresces. The photos are only an example, not necessarily any of the specific pieces you will get in the box. They are a good representation however. Occasionally there may be a a sliced piece in the batch. It is also important to note that, while some of this material will have beautiful webbing lines, a lot of it doesn't. We will try to select nice pieces for you, but we can't tell whether or not it will have the webbing. Please also purchase a Medium Flat Rate box at the bottom of this page if ordering more than 3 pounds total.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.75
Howlite Rough Item# 436 Price: $3.00
This is 1 pound of Petrified Wood (AKA Fossil Wood) rough. This is great cabbing material, and even a few small specimen pieces possible from this mix. We did not personally collect it, but we know it was collected from various areas in the West U.S., including at least Oregon, Wyoming and California locations. For one pound, pieces range mostly from about 2 to 3" or so both ways. Smaller pieces are harder to come by in this batch now, so for one pound, you may only receive one or two pieces. If you contact us and tell us your purpose, we'll try to select nice material that works for you. The photos are only an example, and not necessarily any of the specific pieces you will get in the box.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.95
Petrified Wood Rough Item: 416a Price: $4.00
This is 10 lbs of Petrified Wood (AKA Fossil Wood) rough. This is essentially the same as the listing above, but 10 pounds, and includes larger pieces. We have not sorted out different types, so the material includes a wide variety. Pieces range from about 3 to 4" one direction, and larger, with a few a little smaller. The photos are only an example, but not necessarily any of the specific pieces you will get in the box. They are a good representation however. Price includes additional shipping cost for Flat Rate Box. International buyers please email first for accurate shipping costs.
U.S. shipping cost: $8.95
Petrified Wood Rough Item: 416 Price: $40.00
This is 10 lbs of rough Rhodonite. We're not sure what location it's from, but we have similar material from several different collections so we think it mostly came from either the Randsburg area or Wrightwood, or slight possibility some may have come from Limekiln Creek (all California). We have mostly large chunks at this point, a few small ones. That's why we ask you to contact us before buying, so we know what you're looking for and can try to put together a box for the best size you need. Most of this is just the rough, uncut pieces, as dug out of the ground - very black on the outside, some with a little color showing. Price for 10 lbs includes the extra cost for the medium flat rate box. PLEASE CONTACT US BEFORE BUYING TO MAKE SURE YOUR PREFERENCE IS AVAILABLE. (We will do less if you prefer, and as long as we have the sizes you want.)
U.S. shipping cost: $8.95
Rhodonite Rough Item# 437 Price: $45.50
Please add this to your cart if you have been directed to this item when purchasing a piece that will not fit safely in the Priority bag or small box, or if buying more than 3 pounds of rough. This is a Medium Flat Rate box and will usually hold about 20 pounds. This pays for the additional shipping of the Flat Rate Box. When in doubt, please e-mail us to see if you need to buy it. Thanks!
U.S. shipping cost: $8.00
Medium Flat Rate Box Item: 1 Price: $5.00