Agates and Other Rocks Close Up

This morning I had an early rockhounding class so I didn't get a chance to post a blog update until this afternoon. I brought by USB microscope camera with me to the museum and took photos of agates and other rocks that were within an arm's reach. Most of the following pictures were taken of pendants that I have for sale.

The first three pictures, though, are of one of two new specimens of agate that I purchased this summer. This Moroccan agate is an incredible shadow agate.  Notice the rutile crystals in the one band.

Check out the well defined banding in this Madagascar agate.  Notice the direction of microcrystal growth that is perpendicular to the band direction.

This pendant is actually charite, a mineral from Siberia, Russia.

I really like the detail in this banded ironstone with pyrite.

I cannot resist the urge to take a close up of Ocean Jasper...

I also enjoyed documenting some of the fossils in Turitella Agate from Wyoming.