Rock on!

Okay, okay, I have this affinity for puns in the titles of post. This post is about agates. The collection here in the Anthro Department contains a collection of about 400 polished agates. I will be the first to admit that I know very little about agates, but these are very pretty objects. There are about 14 Riker cases of these agates, none of which have yet been entered into our PastPerfect database. (Side note, unrelated: I had hoped there would be a wikipedia article on Riker cases, but if there was, it was buried under articles relating to Riker, William T (from Star Trek: The Next Generation, if you missed its 7 year run and subsequent syndication), alas.)

The agates below are selections from the very first Riker case I examined.


An Ellensburg blue agate. Apparently, this kind of agate is found almost exclusively in the local area (Kittitas Valley).


A sagenite agate is a type which has particular kinds of inclusions. Personally, I really like this piece for no other reason than it's pretty. ;)


A carnelian (meaning it has reddish hues) thunderegg agate. Thundereggs form inside of rhyolitic lava flows. That's a drama filled birth, for sure.

I've only worked through the first Riker case of these agates, but a glance ahead shows more polished agates, some shaped into hearts and diamonds. It should be interesting to learn more.