Sure wish I had the blues.........

by HeySal
22 replies
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Last weekend I went hunting for the elusive Ellensburg Blue agates. It was my first time out for them so I was just getting oriented to the area in general. There was still a lot of snow in the upper regions so hunting was a bit more sparce than I had hoped.

Now I have hunted agates in Oregon and Idaho a lot. In fact, I used to live about a half hour drive from Graveyard point. When I think of agate hunting I think of walking around and picking up all sorts of great stones just laying around the countryside. Even if I actually get into digging, it's the same thing - scores of great stones just under the surface. So what did I think when I went after the blues? Heavy sigh.

I wish I had known then what I know now. For one thing, blues are a lot more rare than I realized. Even if you are in the correct area for them, you can consider ANY find a good one. Had I known that, I'd have stayed in one place longer and might have picked up a bit more treasure despite the snow limitations.

I did find one small one - and the rest of my lesson comes in after I got that little gem home. It was only the just a bit bigger around than a penny or so but round like a marble but bigger. Nice blue though - very pretty little thing. I thought that maybe I'd send it to a pal back East for a "sample" of what I'm doing out here. Long story short...I ended up losing the stone. What I found out next put me into a futile search for this little thing.

It seems that blues are worth up to $100 per ounce! They are not only very scarce, they are very hard - 7.5 on Moh's scale. Put that beautiful blue on top of that hardness and you have a lapidary's dream stone.

For the life of me I can't figure out what the heck I did with it. After checking the front "rock garden" where I figured I tossed it and turning up no blue, I searched inside the house. I have searched every area of this place I can't think of anywhere else I might have stashed it. It's gone.

I'm singing the blues........I just wish I could find the damned thing!
  • Profile picture of the author Tina Golden
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    • Profile picture of the author Ken Strong
      Cool story, Sal -- I thought you were going to tell us about a music festival at first...

      When I was a kid, the neighbor across the alley was a rockhound... I used to be fascinated by all the rock-polishing machine and other stuff he had in his basement.
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      • Profile picture of the author Kay King
        Sal -

        Stop thinking about finding it and the location may pop into your mind in the next 24 hrs.

        Another possibility - if you have a brain wave CD, relax, close your eyes and stick on the headphones and you'll probably remember where you put it near the end of the CD (when it's bringing you back "up"). I know that sounds crazy - but it's worked for me every time. Meditation CD might do it, too, don't know.

        kay
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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    Or you might find it after you've forgotten all about it. Seems when I need stuff I can't find it. When I don't want it, I can easily find it.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Unless I pitched it outside when not really thinking about it, it will turn up eventually - I have a feeling I tossed it in the backyard and in that case it's gone, but.................
    I know where they are and the snow is almost completely gone out of the areas. Hahahahahahahahahaha.

    Even when something sucks a bit - Life can be good.

    (please notice I have gotten my OT forum quota of "sucks" in for today)
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    Sal
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    • Profile picture of the author ThomM
      Sal you left it on the dining room table, silly girl:rolleyes:
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Oh - thanks Thom - I'll check for it now - should still be there in that case as there are no cats to bat stuff around.
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    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author Michael Motley
    what are these for heysal? jewelry? or just a hobby of yours
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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    If you spent so much trouble finding it why would you just toss it in the backyard?? Don't you have a safe place?!?!

    Check your pockets. The washer. The dryer. Behind and under the bed. Your purse. On top of tables, desks, dressers. Check the refrigerator. Maybe you were hungry and put it in to free up a hand but forgot Check your car.
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    Val - had I realized that it was valuable despite the size I would not have lost it - trust me on that one. I just figured it was a sample.

    Michael - if you see in my sig "get a life" -- I am a foaming at the mouth die-hard rockhound (gem hunter). Some of it is hobby - healthy as heck. Keeps me out in the mountains, canyons, streams with nature and all the cute little fuzzies.
    The stones themselves vary in value depending on what they are, the quality, size, etc. Of course, gold is gold and that brings the appropriate price on the market - yet nuggets and dust are not always 100% gold.
    Agates can run from around 50 cents a pound to hundreds of dollars. As I pointed out earlier in the thread - that little cookie that I just lost was around 100 bucks worth of rock and I tossed it like it was road hash. One guy out in NW Nebraska found a 13 pound Fairburn agate not too long ago - got $16,000 for it. Then there are the Herkimer diamonds out in NY, which are a form of quartz crystal - those are 10 bucks a gram for a grade A stone.

    So while it is a hobby, if you can get to the right locations and have good luck, there is quite a bit of money you can make from them.

    Usually the pricier stones are used in Jewelry making -- but now and again there is a mineral that is spectacular and rare and will sell for cabinet display. You can also make other things with them, too - many a rockhound owns an agate inlaid piece of furniture or two for example.
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    Sal
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  • Profile picture of the author KimW
    And here I thought Sal was looking for some good blues music! I really could have hooked her up.

    Sal, I want to go gem/treasure hunting some weekend in the near future. I couldn't find any sites in Virginia,but heard there were a few good ones in North Carolina.
    Got any suggestions/tips for newcomers?
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    It was nice and shiny and round - he might actually be able to find it.
    I'm pretty sure some day I'll be looking for something else and it will just turn up. It
    might be with my other rocks in one of my rock boxes. No way I'm going to weed
    through those right now.

    Hey - remember that pure clear 1" herkimer that I didn't take out of the rock because
    I was afraid it'd break? LOL - it did. I worked on it for 3 hours and had it almost free.
    That was a around a couple hundred dollar rock, too. And I can't get to more of THOSE. 65% or more of those are broken when extricated - so I expected it......but sure was hoping it wouldn't be one of em.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    NC...Hahahahaha - you are in reach of that state? That state is incredible for rockhounds - gold, aquamarine, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, not sure about agates, but hey...... Get back to me in about a week and I'll see what I can dig up....er.. find out so you can dig it up. I know there is an emerald fee dig that just opened last year so is pretty fresh.

    I got to get back to work now - just thow me a pm and remind me. I'm just finishing an ebook and making banners for the other for affiliates, and working on fixing my rockhound site, so I'm too swamped to do the research right now but Iknow I've got it sitting around somewhere.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    Did you look in your shoes, drawers, did Munchie eat it? On top of the freezer, with your pet rock collection, in your closet, under your hat?
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  • Profile picture of the author HeySal
    I did not find it in my hat
    I did not find it where I sat
    I did not find it in the chair
    I did not find it here or there
    I did not find it anywhere
    I did not find it, Val I swear.
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    Sal
    When the Roads and Paths end, learn to guide yourself through the wilderness
    Beyond the Path

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  • Profile picture of the author valerieSONORA
    HAHAHAHA you sound just like Dr. Seuss
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