Paint Rock Agate photo page
Updated June 24, 2010
The agate pieces below were found April 10, 2010
or just close this
page.....
The pictures below show what was
found on the March 27 dig at my new
pay to dig agate site in Paint Rock Valley
, Alabama.
Photos on this page courtesy of:
Jeff Edwards
Mickey Cecil
David Braswell
Rodney Moore
Chris Painter
Keith Phagan
My best two from the dig-Rodney
Paint Rock agate
THIS SHOWS AGATE IN LIMESTONE MATRIX
Close-up of agate in matrix seen on left
another paint rock agate in matrix
photo shows agate in matrix after I chiseled of a peice
This peice of paint rock agate was chiseled out of the matrix seen in above photo
click here to check out Mickey's Pix
Pictures below show slabs and a piece found on March 14 .
If you're interested in joining us to
collect some agate yourself ,
check out the Alabama agate page.
Here the gemmy red carnelian agate is  spotted in the wild & is seen
as nodules in limestone.  At lower elevations you can find these as
fracture free nodules that have weathered out of matrix.  My chisel
wasn't working well on these shown here.   
Slab of TRENTON CHERRY found by Bryant North.
Chris Painter is cutting a cabochon from the Trenton
Cherry  agate rough found by Bryant North on the March
27, 2010 agate hunt .     
Chris had to saw a slice off the piece
to yield a flat surface or a ' slab '. Next,
he marked the outline for the desired
size and shape -in this case, an oval.    
After trimming out the oval shape it
was glued to a "dop stick" using dop
wax.    
Side view showing the trimmed oval mounted on a dop stick
top view of crude preform
roughing in the preform
starting the bevel in order to achieve a domed shape
almost thru with the bevel
Very close to finished shape
side view, all that is needed is fine grinding and then the polish
Almost ready for polish stage
The above photos show how the preform which is glued to a dop stick is ground with a grinding wheel into the domed shape
of a cabochon.  Next , the finishing touches of smoothing the dome.   Lastly, it will get a high polish.  The photos below show
the prepolish and polish stages and finally the finished paint rock agate cabochon ( Trenton Cherry ).   
PREPOLISH STAGE OF CABOCHON MAKING
NOTE THE POLISHING COMPOUND ON THE STONE
POLISHED CAB STILL ON THE DOP
Polished cab after removed from dop
FINISHED !
Lapidary  project:
Making a cabochon  
"INNOVATION IN
ROCKS"
"TRENTON CHERRY"
Paint Rock Agate
I found this in five hours
small pieces I picked up to tumble
this material is very similar to strawberry patch
carnelian agate in matrix paint rock may 01 2010
found in one day on may 01 2010 by David
There's More  Paint Rock Agate Photo's!

CHECK OUT PAGE TWO