outside of New Zapata Plume
This is the rough side, on edge, of about one half of this nice combination fortification and plume agate from the Falcon Lake area of Zapata County, Texas. You can see a broken edge which has revealed a druze and a slight indication of fortification bands, but very little indication of the quality or color inside. The patina has even covered the broken edge of the exposed part and it takes thousands of years for that to form on the surface of the agate. The patina often makes it very difficult to spot a good agate. I will get down on my hands and knees, when I am in a productive area. It helps to have a wide-brim hat to cut down on the sun's light reflecting back into my face as I try to spot a good agate among the thousands laying around it.
outside of New Zapata Plume
This is the rough side, on edge, of about one half of this nice combination fortification and plume agate from the Falcon Lake area of Zapata County, Texas. You can see a broken edge which has revealed a druze and a slight indication of fortification bands, but very little indication of the quality or color inside. The patina has even covered the broken edge of the exposed part and it takes thousands of years for that to form on the surface of the agate. The patina often makes it very difficult to spot a good agate. I will get down on my hands and knees, when I am in a productive area. It helps to have a wide-brim hat to cut down on the sun's light reflecting back into my face as I try to spot a good agate among the thousands laying around it.