Included here are examples of agates and jaspers that I feel are a pretty good cross-section of some of the better varieties of material that can be found in the state of California. The pieces that come from public locations are named, all others are from private locations, some of which I personally discovered. Specimens that are unpolished are shown wet to better show their colors.
Please be sure to know the status of the land you are planning to collect on if you are going out to collect in the field. Be aware if it is BLM, State Land, Forest Service, or someone’s mining claim. Whether you agree with it or not, please respect people’s mining claims and collect somewhere off the claim – there are plenty of areas to collect without having to go on to people’s personal claims.
When collecting in California I tend to focus on finding fortification agate in colors of pink and purple – my most favorite type of agates to collect!
New pictures will be added in no particular order. Hopefully, as the gallery grows, all you crazy agate lovers out there will find my collection as interesting and beautiful as I do. Periodically I will include pieces that aren’t agate or jasper, but are noteworthy enough in their own way to be included here.
Enjoy!