Since each bracelet is unique, I cannot duplicate bracelets presented here. **Please be careful while digging, the soft material you are digging in can collapse at any time. Fillmore Field Office *Pipe cutter: You can use a tool called a soil pipe cutter which uses chain with blades to cut the geode as if it were a pipe. More about the geologic make-up of the “Carver” can be found in the official report about the field. It is also common to find them in lake and river beds. All Rights Reserved, 'The Carver Field' : A unique agate find in West Texas, Bill Halepeska, a dear friend, geologist and fellow rock enthusiast, passed with the COVID virus shortly before Christmas. ... To distinguish a geode from a regular rock, look for a spherical external shape, often cauliflower-like in texture. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS You can expect to find a lot of fossil fragments laying in the open, and whole fossils can be found pretty frequently among the rocks near the waterfalls. 95 East 500 North Payment can be made by cash or check. The best place to look for geodes is in areas that have been previously excavated. Geodes found in Brazilian quarries host soapstone and several kinds of quartz, while geodes from central Spain are filled with gold-laced hematite (the stone they use to make that magnetic jewelry). After 33 miles take a right at the Faust Pony Express Station onto the old Pony Express Rd. *Breaking and smashing: You can place a geode in a cloth sack or similar and smash on a hard surface. You can view examples of the diversity of the field at the Galleries Page, which lists the wide variety of galleries created to display the amazing variety found in this unique and very special agate formation. You can search the hills north of the reservoir with decent results, or simply explore the gravels along the shoreline. Official websites use .gov These gemstones are hand picked from the surface of ‘The Carver’ agate field near Alpine, Texas. Geodes can be found wherever the Warsaw formation can be found outcropping. Detailed descriptions, photos and maps guide you to some of the best gem collecting sites in the state. This works well if you also want to polish it. I will periodically bring to the site new bracelets and new stones. "The Carver" agate field is in the hills overlooking Alpine, Texas. Volcanic ash beds, or regions containing limestone, are common geode locations. I only make a new bracelet when I cut and polish a stone which inspires me to create and design a piece of jewelry art that showcases that stone. These gemstones contain natural flaws, imperfections, and inclusions which is exactly how nature created them. The best place to look for geodes is in areas that have been previously excavated. The mineral lining the cavity is often a scintillating druse of tiny quartz crystals underlain by multiple bands of translucent gray and white agate. Visit the places where experienced rock and mineral collectors have found success! Topaz is commonly associated with silicic igneous rocks of the precambrian granite which is where the topaz is in Mason county Texas. The Dugway Geode Beds are a Rockhounding hotspot. These bracelets are best able to showcase the extraordinary agates from the “Carver.” You can view all of the available bracelets in The SHOP. Explore these natural spots for a better chance of finding a geode. Geodes are found throughout the world, but the most concentrated areas are located in the deserts. There are many easily accessible geode collecting sites in the western United States, … A wide range of colors is available in the stones found in this field, and the stones themselves are diverse and include geodes, jaspers, and chalcedony. The shopkeeper is knowledgeable, and the store is laid out well for kids to find cheap rocks with the pricier items generally out of their reach. Amethyst geodes are quite a rare find in Texas, and in far West Texas where amethyst geodes are most likely to be found in volcanic formations. Bracelets shown on this site have been designed and hand fabricated by me in order to document and illustrate the spectacular color and diversity of this material from the “Carver” agate find. You will find geodes by digging in the mostly soft gray unconsolidated materials that underlie this area. Approximately 50 miles down the Pony Express Trail/ Simpson Springs road will lead to a signed turnoff on the right. Expanded, revised 9th edition. The October Rock & Gem Magazine article entitled “Captivating Find at The Carver Agate Field,” by John L. Carver and Bill Halepeska, Slow but steady work is continuing on the Texas Amethyst Agate.com World Headquarters. A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. *Hammer and chisel or center punch: This will open your geode with a rough or uneven edge. I do not produce perfect stones, but rather natural stones that are individually one of a kind PIECES OF ART created from ‘The  Carver’ agate field in the far West Texas desert. An unimproved road over another 2 miles will lead tothe Geode Beds. Great collection of rocks and geodes. There were. Credit cards are not accepted.Recently, at the Ritchie Ranch, a rock was found that had two very different geodes in it: one was a fantastic yellow and pink fortification piece with pinkish quartz crystals in it, and the other was … *Sawing: You can cut a geode with a rock or similar saw. There are geodes throughout the world, but they are most commonly located in deserts, volcanic ash beds, and areas rich in limestone. Copyright © 2021 — Texas Amethyst Agate. In October, Rock & Gem Magazine published the article geologist Bill Halepeska and I had authored in volume 50, issue 10. This allows the geode to survive intact when the surrounding bedrock weathers away. Geodes are spherical to subspherical rock structures with an internal cavity lined with mineral materials. They're all over Texas, especially in the hill country near Llano and out west in the mountains near Big Bend going all the way to El Paso. Fine specimens have been found in geodes near Lampasas and Brownwood and at Mount Bonnell and other localities west of Austin. The bracelets are free-form designer bracelets. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. You can find pieces of petrified wood scattered throughout the gravels of … Texas Alpine Woodward Ranch - (8 upload(s), 1 collector specimens) Teri Smith Rockhunts - (17 collector specimens from same city) Canyon Palo Duro Canyon geodes - (1 collector specimens from same city) College Station Bryan - College Station wood Denison Lake Texoma Fossils - Eisenhower State Park Ladonia North Sulphur River Fossils Llano Celestite geodes, containing little gem-quality material, also have been found in parts of Coke, Fisher, and Nolan counties. Directions: Go south from Amarillo on I-27 and turn off near Canyon, TX, … Because these gems are 100% natural, the color you see in each stone is exactly what nature produced….no artificial enhancements. This agate field is the sole source of all of the agates shown in the photographs you will find on this website. They have a durable outer wall that is more resistant to weathering than the surrounding bedrock. In addition to being a, Rock & Gem Magazine’s three articles about The Carver Agate Field have now been published–with a necessary correction to the latest. Geodes are usually found below the ground surface. One known collecting site is near Lake Mackenzie in the Panhandle, northwest of the town of Silverton.