Tyndall blue Oregon agates!
Tyndall blue agates from the Oregon Coast Range. The Tyndall effect is what makes the sky appear blue, and these are some of the most beautiful agates I've ever found, cut or seen.
12 Posts
agate
Columbia River Rockhounding
A rockhounding adventure where the Washougal meets the Columbia River, near Camas, Washington. I found an 11 pound agate right at the very end, a personal best and my largest Pacific Northwest agate find thus far!
5 things I've learned about the Vibra Lap
A few things I've learned about the Covington Engineering Vibra Lap automatic polishing machine, plus tips, tricks, and polished rock results.
Plume agate with marcasite inclusions & 3 other rocks cut!
In this week's video I'm cutting Graveyard Point plume agate with marcasite and other colorful inclusions, plus a galaxy stone and two random rocks. The plume agate came from Richardson's Rock Ranch in Madras, Oregon, and microscope photos show the beautiful mineral stowaways carried in the rock.
Cutting rocks from Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop!
I visited Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop in Forest Grove, Oregon, to see what rough rock I could find, and it was great! I purchased a carnelian, a blue agate, a white agate and a piece of petrified wood, and I cut all but the white agate in this video.
Carnelian agates cut and polished to see their beauty. All thanks to our friend, Carnelian queen!
I went rockhounding in southwest Washington for carnelian agates with a new friend, the carnelian queen! Let's cut open the carnelian agates I brought home and see what's inside them.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
I cut open 4 random landscape rocks
Cutting open 4 random landscape rocks on my 10 inch lap saw. Cutting jasper, quartz, agate and unidentified rocks I find everywhere I go.
Cutting three rocks from an Agate Ariel bucket!!! Cutting rocks with my lapidary saw.
My husband bought me an Agate Ariel bucket! These are rocks from the Great Lakes and Minnesota area, and there was even an arrowhead in my bucket. I cut three of the rocks open on my lapidary saw.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Polka dot agate from the Polka dot agate mine!
I cut my 4th rock and my first slab: polka dot agate from the Polka Dot Agate Mine near Madras, Oregon. It's outrageously beautiful! This is a pay to dig site, and I show the thunder eggs I dug that day as well.
What is this rock? Agate? Petrified wood? Stromatolite? Long wave UV - Let me know what you think!
I found this while rockhounding near the Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. Is it petrified tree bark? A stromatolite? I looked at it under long wave UV too, and it shows a lot more detail. Please let me know what you think!
2 Posts
arizona
Roadtrip Oregon to Arizona
Scenery from our road trip from Oregon to Arizona and back. A little rockhounding, a lot of driving, and some life advice about snacks and sunflower seeds.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
1 Post
augite
Augite, the dark crystal right next door.
The search for augite crystals at Cedar Butte, an augite crystal locality inside the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon. This was my first solo true mineral hunt or “crystal hounding” trip.
3 Posts
beach
Tunnel Beach in Oregon!
Let's take a quick look at Tunnel Beach in Oceanside, Oregon. The tunnel was built through the basalt cliff to access the beach, and the beach is considered a prime rockhounding spot for agates, jasper, fossils and more. If you visit, make sure you have the tide table and don't turn your back on the ocean!
Cutting my 5th rock! Is it Jasper? Let’s go! Learning to use my lapidary saw. Rocks are beautiful!
I cut my 5th rock on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. I found this rock near Bandon, Oregon, after parking at the Seven Devils State Recreation Site and walking north. It's beautiful inside: red, green and white jasper. Always check the tide charts and be safe out there!
What is this rock? Agate? Petrified wood? Stromatolite? Long wave UV - Let me know what you think!
I found this while rockhounding near the Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. Is it petrified tree bark? A stromatolite? I looked at it under long wave UV too, and it shows a lot more detail. Please let me know what you think!
2 Posts
crystals
Augite, the dark crystal right next door.
The search for augite crystals at Cedar Butte, an augite crystal locality inside the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon. This was my first solo true mineral hunt or “crystal hounding” trip.
Cutting 4 rocks and a slab! Rock Betty cuts random river rocks to see crystal vugs, what’s inside?
In this video I cut 4 rocks and a little slab: a quartz nodule with little vugs, a strange rock with micro minerals I need help identifying, petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon, and a red sedimentary rock with small minerals that are visible on the microscope.
1 Post
fossil
Cutting a fossil!
In this week's video I cut what I believe is a stromatoporoid, a fossil I found at the Oregon coast. I also talk about writing a message in binary in my dating profile years ago. It was a simple message, "I like turtles." Only one person ever responded and translated it, and he's my husband!
1 Post
georgia
Betty rocks Georgia
I visited Atlanta with my sister and did my best to rockhound a little! I cut two rocks I brought home and hiked Stone Mountain.
1 Post
idaho
The Spencer Opal Mine Experience
My trip to the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer, Idaho. A creator event with rockhound YouTubers, opal mining, and a bucket full of precious opal.
31 Posts
lapidary
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Tyndall blue Oregon agates!
Tyndall blue agates from the Oregon Coast Range. The Tyndall effect is what makes the sky appear blue, and these are some of the most beautiful agates I've ever found, cut or seen.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Oregon River rocks cut!
In this video I cut 8 rocks from local Oregon rivers: 2 from the Wilson River, 3 from the Willamette River, and 3 from the Columbia River. They probably aren't rocks that most lapidary folks would pick up and bring home, but I still cut rocks just to try and find out what they've got going on!
Polishing rocks on a vibra lap!
Do you want to polish big rocks? This is a walkthrough of how I process both flat slabs and irregularly shaped rocks on my 16" Vibra Lap from Covington Engineering, from gluing on the weights through the final polish. This is my current method, and I hope it helps others on their vibra lap polishing journey!
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
5 things I've learned about the Vibra Lap
A few things I've learned about the Covington Engineering Vibra Lap automatic polishing machine, plus tips, tricks, and polished rock results.
Betty rocks Georgia
I visited Atlanta with my sister and did my best to rockhound a little! I cut two rocks I brought home and hiked Stone Mountain.
Cutting 5 rocks from Tonopah, Nevada!
5 rocks I found in Tonopah, Nevada. I cut 4 rocks and freeform polish 1 tough piece of petrified wood, and we also check in on some Tonopah chalcedony I've had in the tumbler.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
Cutting a fossil!
In this week's video I cut what I believe is a stromatoporoid, a fossil I found at the Oregon coast. I also talk about writing a message in binary in my dating profile years ago. It was a simple message, "I like turtles." Only one person ever responded and translated it, and he's my husband!
Plume agate with marcasite inclusions & 3 other rocks cut!
In this week's video I'm cutting Graveyard Point plume agate with marcasite and other colorful inclusions, plus a galaxy stone and two random rocks. The plume agate came from Richardson's Rock Ranch in Madras, Oregon, and microscope photos show the beautiful mineral stowaways carried in the rock.
Petrified Pinecone or Poop?
I was pretty sure this was a petrified pine cone. But when I cut it, it had a different and unpleasant odor. Could it be a coprolite?
Cutting rocks from Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop!
I visited Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop in Forest Grove, Oregon, to see what rough rock I could find, and it was great! I purchased a carnelian, a blue agate, a white agate and a piece of petrified wood, and I cut all but the white agate in this video.
Carnelian agates cut and polished to see their beauty. All thanks to our friend, Carnelian queen!
I went rockhounding in southwest Washington for carnelian agates with a new friend, the carnelian queen! Let's cut open the carnelian agates I brought home and see what's inside them.
Cutting and polishing petrified wood from Hampton Butte with 10 inch trim saw and 8 inch all-u-need!
In this video I cut a piece of petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon. It has pores, and during the polishing process I got cerium oxide in there. Do I need an ultrasonic cleaner to get it out?
Cutting 4 rocks and a slab! Rock Betty cuts random river rocks to see crystal vugs, what’s inside?
In this video I cut 4 rocks and a little slab: a quartz nodule with little vugs, a strange rock with micro minerals I need help identifying, petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon, and a red sedimentary rock with small minerals that are visible on the microscope.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
Let’s cut 4 more rocks from the Snoqualmie river!
In this video I cut four more rocks from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington state. Our dog Lola is terrified of fireworks, so we went to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast for New Year's to see if that would be a quieter experience.
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
Let’s cut a special rock! Hop aboard the USS Unhinged with me while I explain what made me cry.
I cut a special rock that I believe is siltstone. I'm calling this one my Kintsugi stone, because the fractures have been healed by a calcite or silicate chalcedony material. I also tell a story about something that broke my heart this weekend; if you suspect it will make you sad, please mute that part.
I cut open 4 random landscape rocks
Cutting open 4 random landscape rocks on my 10 inch lap saw. Cutting jasper, quartz, agate and unidentified rocks I find everywhere I go.
Cutting three rocks from an Agate Ariel bucket!!! Cutting rocks with my lapidary saw.
My husband bought me an Agate Ariel bucket! These are rocks from the Great Lakes and Minnesota area, and there was even an arrowhead in my bucket. I cut three of the rocks open on my lapidary saw.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Cutting my sixth rock on the 10 inch lapidary saw! Is it petrified wood? Very dark, carbon or iron.
I cut my sixth rock on my 10 inch lapidary saw, a very dark rock I picked up on the Washougal River. Is it petrified wood? The fractured pieces have a reddish layer that looks like it could be iron.
Cutting my 5th rock! Is it Jasper? Let’s go! Learning to use my lapidary saw. Rocks are beautiful!
I cut my 5th rock on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. I found this rock near Bandon, Oregon, after parking at the Seven Devils State Recreation Site and walking north. It's beautiful inside: red, green and white jasper. Always check the tide charts and be safe out there!
Polka dot agate from the Polka dot agate mine!
I cut my 4th rock and my first slab: polka dot agate from the Polka Dot Agate Mine near Madras, Oregon. It's outrageously beautiful! This is a pay to dig site, and I show the thunder eggs I dug that day as well.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
I cut my second rock! I’m so excited! It’s beautiful! What is it? Red, green and yellow rock!
I cut open my second rock! I found it on the South Umpqua River after traveling down to Medford for the Pear Festival on the wrong weekend. I believe I was in the spot on the cover of Gem Trails of Oregon by Garrett Romaine.
Cutting my first rock ever
Cutting a rock on a lapidary saw for the first time! I cut a rock I found on the Washougal river in SW Washington on my brand new 10 inch lapidary saw.
1 Post
larimar
Is this the formula for resin larimar?
We aren't talking about real larimar, a beautiful stone found only in the Dominican Republic. We're talking about the popular epoxy resin art technique that replicates larimar! My friend Lianne came up with an easy formula for how much of your resin to tint white, and I test it using a frog mold.
3 Posts
nevada
Roadtrip Oregon to Arizona
Scenery from our road trip from Oregon to Arizona and back. A little rockhounding, a lot of driving, and some life advice about snacks and sunflower seeds.
Cutting 5 rocks from Tonopah, Nevada!
5 rocks I found in Tonopah, Nevada. I cut 4 rocks and freeform polish 1 tough piece of petrified wood, and we also check in on some Tonopah chalcedony I've had in the tumbler.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
1 Post
opal
The Spencer Opal Mine Experience
My trip to the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer, Idaho. A creator event with rockhound YouTubers, opal mining, and a bucket full of precious opal.
21 Posts
oregon
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Tyndall blue Oregon agates!
Tyndall blue agates from the Oregon Coast Range. The Tyndall effect is what makes the sky appear blue, and these are some of the most beautiful agates I've ever found, cut or seen.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Oregon River rocks cut!
In this video I cut 8 rocks from local Oregon rivers: 2 from the Wilson River, 3 from the Willamette River, and 3 from the Columbia River. They probably aren't rocks that most lapidary folks would pick up and bring home, but I still cut rocks just to try and find out what they've got going on!
Augite, the dark crystal right next door.
The search for augite crystals at Cedar Butte, an augite crystal locality inside the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon. This was my first solo true mineral hunt or “crystal hounding” trip.
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
Tunnel Beach in Oregon!
Let's take a quick look at Tunnel Beach in Oceanside, Oregon. The tunnel was built through the basalt cliff to access the beach, and the beach is considered a prime rockhounding spot for agates, jasper, fossils and more. If you visit, make sure you have the tide table and don't turn your back on the ocean!
Roadtrip Oregon to Arizona
Scenery from our road trip from Oregon to Arizona and back. A little rockhounding, a lot of driving, and some life advice about snacks and sunflower seeds.
Cutting a fossil!
In this week's video I cut what I believe is a stromatoporoid, a fossil I found at the Oregon coast. I also talk about writing a message in binary in my dating profile years ago. It was a simple message, "I like turtles." Only one person ever responded and translated it, and he's my husband!
Cutting rocks from Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop!
I visited Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop in Forest Grove, Oregon, to see what rough rock I could find, and it was great! I purchased a carnelian, a blue agate, a white agate and a piece of petrified wood, and I cut all but the white agate in this video.
Cutting and polishing petrified wood from Hampton Butte with 10 inch trim saw and 8 inch all-u-need!
In this video I cut a piece of petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon. It has pores, and during the polishing process I got cerium oxide in there. Do I need an ultrasonic cleaner to get it out?
Cutting 4 rocks and a slab! Rock Betty cuts random river rocks to see crystal vugs, what’s inside?
In this video I cut 4 rocks and a little slab: a quartz nodule with little vugs, a strange rock with micro minerals I need help identifying, petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon, and a red sedimentary rock with small minerals that are visible on the microscope.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
Let’s cut a special rock! Hop aboard the USS Unhinged with me while I explain what made me cry.
I cut a special rock that I believe is siltstone. I'm calling this one my Kintsugi stone, because the fractures have been healed by a calcite or silicate chalcedony material. I also tell a story about something that broke my heart this weekend; if you suspect it will make you sad, please mute that part.
I cut open 4 random landscape rocks
Cutting open 4 random landscape rocks on my 10 inch lap saw. Cutting jasper, quartz, agate and unidentified rocks I find everywhere I go.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Cutting my 5th rock! Is it Jasper? Let’s go! Learning to use my lapidary saw. Rocks are beautiful!
I cut my 5th rock on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. I found this rock near Bandon, Oregon, after parking at the Seven Devils State Recreation Site and walking north. It's beautiful inside: red, green and white jasper. Always check the tide charts and be safe out there!
Polka dot agate from the Polka dot agate mine!
I cut my 4th rock and my first slab: polka dot agate from the Polka Dot Agate Mine near Madras, Oregon. It's outrageously beautiful! This is a pay to dig site, and I show the thunder eggs I dug that day as well.
I cut my second rock! I’m so excited! It’s beautiful! What is it? Red, green and yellow rock!
I cut open my second rock! I found it on the South Umpqua River after traveling down to Medford for the Pear Festival on the wrong weekend. I believe I was in the spot on the cover of Gem Trails of Oregon by Garrett Romaine.
What is this rock? Agate? Petrified wood? Stromatolite? Long wave UV - Let me know what you think!
I found this while rockhounding near the Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. Is it petrified tree bark? A stromatolite? I looked at it under long wave UV too, and it shows a lot more detail. Please let me know what you think!
14 Posts
petrified-wood
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
5 things I've learned about the Vibra Lap
A few things I've learned about the Covington Engineering Vibra Lap automatic polishing machine, plus tips, tricks, and polished rock results.
Cutting 5 rocks from Tonopah, Nevada!
5 rocks I found in Tonopah, Nevada. I cut 4 rocks and freeform polish 1 tough piece of petrified wood, and we also check in on some Tonopah chalcedony I've had in the tumbler.
Cutting rocks from Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop!
I visited Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop in Forest Grove, Oregon, to see what rough rock I could find, and it was great! I purchased a carnelian, a blue agate, a white agate and a piece of petrified wood, and I cut all but the white agate in this video.
Cutting and polishing petrified wood from Hampton Butte with 10 inch trim saw and 8 inch all-u-need!
In this video I cut a piece of petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon. It has pores, and during the polishing process I got cerium oxide in there. Do I need an ultrasonic cleaner to get it out?
Cutting 4 rocks and a slab! Rock Betty cuts random river rocks to see crystal vugs, what’s inside?
In this video I cut 4 rocks and a little slab: a quartz nodule with little vugs, a strange rock with micro minerals I need help identifying, petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon, and a red sedimentary rock with small minerals that are visible on the microscope.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
Let’s cut 4 more rocks from the Snoqualmie river!
In this video I cut four more rocks from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington state. Our dog Lola is terrified of fireworks, so we went to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast for New Year's to see if that would be a quieter experience.
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
Cutting my sixth rock on the 10 inch lapidary saw! Is it petrified wood? Very dark, carbon or iron.
I cut my sixth rock on my 10 inch lapidary saw, a very dark rock I picked up on the Washougal River. Is it petrified wood? The fractured pieces have a reddish layer that looks like it could be iron.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
What is this rock? Agate? Petrified wood? Stromatolite? Long wave UV - Let me know what you think!
I found this while rockhounding near the Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. Is it petrified tree bark? A stromatolite? I looked at it under long wave UV too, and it shows a lot more detail. Please let me know what you think!
1 Post
polishing
Polishing rocks on a vibra lap!
Do you want to polish big rocks? This is a walkthrough of how I process both flat slabs and irregularly shaped rocks on my 16" Vibra Lap from Covington Engineering, from gluing on the weights through the final polish. This is my current method, and I hope it helps others on their vibra lap polishing journey!
2 Posts
resin
Is this the formula for resin larimar?
We aren't talking about real larimar, a beautiful stone found only in the Dominican Republic. We're talking about the popular epoxy resin art technique that replicates larimar! My friend Lianne came up with an easy formula for how much of your resin to tint white, and I test it using a frog mold.
Is this a bloom? Trying out this technique on a resin art tray!
Along with rocks, I like all sorts of arts and crafts, and I love to work with epoxy resin. I attempted a resin "bloom" on an art tray to take part in a collaboration with some resin artist friends. My anxiety climbed with the temperature of the resin, but I want to try this again!
10 Posts
river-rocks
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Oregon River rocks cut!
In this video I cut 8 rocks from local Oregon rivers: 2 from the Wilson River, 3 from the Willamette River, and 3 from the Columbia River. They probably aren't rocks that most lapidary folks would pick up and bring home, but I still cut rocks just to try and find out what they've got going on!
Columbia River Rockhounding
A rockhounding adventure where the Washougal meets the Columbia River, near Camas, Washington. I found an 11 pound agate right at the very end, a personal best and my largest Pacific Northwest agate find thus far!
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
Let’s cut 4 more rocks from the Snoqualmie river!
In this video I cut four more rocks from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington state. Our dog Lola is terrified of fireworks, so we went to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast for New Year's to see if that would be a quieter experience.
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
Cutting my sixth rock on the 10 inch lapidary saw! Is it petrified wood? Very dark, carbon or iron.
I cut my sixth rock on my 10 inch lapidary saw, a very dark rock I picked up on the Washougal River. Is it petrified wood? The fractured pieces have a reddish layer that looks like it could be iron.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
I cut my second rock! I’m so excited! It’s beautiful! What is it? Red, green and yellow rock!
I cut open my second rock! I found it on the South Umpqua River after traveling down to Medford for the Pear Festival on the wrong weekend. I believe I was in the spot on the cover of Gem Trails of Oregon by Garrett Romaine.
2 Posts
road-trip
Roadtrip Oregon to Arizona
Scenery from our road trip from Oregon to Arizona and back. A little rockhounding, a lot of driving, and some life advice about snacks and sunflower seeds.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
28 Posts
rockhounding
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Tyndall blue Oregon agates!
Tyndall blue agates from the Oregon Coast Range. The Tyndall effect is what makes the sky appear blue, and these are some of the most beautiful agates I've ever found, cut or seen.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Oregon River rocks cut!
In this video I cut 8 rocks from local Oregon rivers: 2 from the Wilson River, 3 from the Willamette River, and 3 from the Columbia River. They probably aren't rocks that most lapidary folks would pick up and bring home, but I still cut rocks just to try and find out what they've got going on!
Columbia River Rockhounding
A rockhounding adventure where the Washougal meets the Columbia River, near Camas, Washington. I found an 11 pound agate right at the very end, a personal best and my largest Pacific Northwest agate find thus far!
Augite, the dark crystal right next door.
The search for augite crystals at Cedar Butte, an augite crystal locality inside the Tillamook State Forest in Oregon. This was my first solo true mineral hunt or “crystal hounding” trip.
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
The Spencer Opal Mine Experience
My trip to the Spencer Opal Mine in Spencer, Idaho. A creator event with rockhound YouTubers, opal mining, and a bucket full of precious opal.
Tunnel Beach in Oregon!
Let's take a quick look at Tunnel Beach in Oceanside, Oregon. The tunnel was built through the basalt cliff to access the beach, and the beach is considered a prime rockhounding spot for agates, jasper, fossils and more. If you visit, make sure you have the tide table and don't turn your back on the ocean!
Betty rocks Georgia
I visited Atlanta with my sister and did my best to rockhound a little! I cut two rocks I brought home and hiked Stone Mountain.
Roadtrip Oregon to Arizona
Scenery from our road trip from Oregon to Arizona and back. A little rockhounding, a lot of driving, and some life advice about snacks and sunflower seeds.
Cutting 5 rocks from Tonopah, Nevada!
5 rocks I found in Tonopah, Nevada. I cut 4 rocks and freeform polish 1 tough piece of petrified wood, and we also check in on some Tonopah chalcedony I've had in the tumbler.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
Cutting a fossil!
In this week's video I cut what I believe is a stromatoporoid, a fossil I found at the Oregon coast. I also talk about writing a message in binary in my dating profile years ago. It was a simple message, "I like turtles." Only one person ever responded and translated it, and he's my husband!
Plume agate with marcasite inclusions & 3 other rocks cut!
In this week's video I'm cutting Graveyard Point plume agate with marcasite and other colorful inclusions, plus a galaxy stone and two random rocks. The plume agate came from Richardson's Rock Ranch in Madras, Oregon, and microscope photos show the beautiful mineral stowaways carried in the rock.
Petrified Pinecone or Poop?
I was pretty sure this was a petrified pine cone. But when I cut it, it had a different and unpleasant odor. Could it be a coprolite?
Carnelian agates cut and polished to see their beauty. All thanks to our friend, Carnelian queen!
I went rockhounding in southwest Washington for carnelian agates with a new friend, the carnelian queen! Let's cut open the carnelian agates I brought home and see what's inside them.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
I cut open 4 random landscape rocks
Cutting open 4 random landscape rocks on my 10 inch lap saw. Cutting jasper, quartz, agate and unidentified rocks I find everywhere I go.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Cutting my 5th rock! Is it Jasper? Let’s go! Learning to use my lapidary saw. Rocks are beautiful!
I cut my 5th rock on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. I found this rock near Bandon, Oregon, after parking at the Seven Devils State Recreation Site and walking north. It's beautiful inside: red, green and white jasper. Always check the tide charts and be safe out there!
Polka dot agate from the Polka dot agate mine!
I cut my 4th rock and my first slab: polka dot agate from the Polka Dot Agate Mine near Madras, Oregon. It's outrageously beautiful! This is a pay to dig site, and I show the thunder eggs I dug that day as well.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
I cut my second rock! I’m so excited! It’s beautiful! What is it? Red, green and yellow rock!
I cut open my second rock! I found it on the South Umpqua River after traveling down to Medford for the Pear Festival on the wrong weekend. I believe I was in the spot on the cover of Gem Trails of Oregon by Garrett Romaine.
Cutting my first rock ever
Cutting a rock on a lapidary saw for the first time! I cut a rock I found on the Washougal river in SW Washington on my brand new 10 inch lapidary saw.
What is this rock? Agate? Petrified wood? Stromatolite? Long wave UV - Let me know what you think!
I found this while rockhounding near the Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast. Is it petrified tree bark? A stromatolite? I looked at it under long wave UV too, and it shows a lot more detail. Please let me know what you think!
29 Posts
saw
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Tyndall blue Oregon agates!
Tyndall blue agates from the Oregon Coast Range. The Tyndall effect is what makes the sky appear blue, and these are some of the most beautiful agates I've ever found, cut or seen.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Oregon River rocks cut!
In this video I cut 8 rocks from local Oregon rivers: 2 from the Wilson River, 3 from the Willamette River, and 3 from the Columbia River. They probably aren't rocks that most lapidary folks would pick up and bring home, but I still cut rocks just to try and find out what they've got going on!
Rockhounding on the Clackamas River
Back outside after 6 weeks caring for my dog Lola post-surgery. I found petrified wood and oddball river rocks on the Clackamas River near Oregon City.
Betty rocks Georgia
I visited Atlanta with my sister and did my best to rockhound a little! I cut two rocks I brought home and hiked Stone Mountain.
Cutting 5 rocks from Tonopah, Nevada!
5 rocks I found in Tonopah, Nevada. I cut 4 rocks and freeform polish 1 tough piece of petrified wood, and we also check in on some Tonopah chalcedony I've had in the tumbler.
Rockhounding in Nevada and Arizona
Cutting rockhound finds from our road trip to Phoenix Arizona. We stopped at Chalcedony Hill in Nevada, The Chasm in Camp Verde Arizona, and Tonopah Nevada.
Cutting a fossil!
In this week's video I cut what I believe is a stromatoporoid, a fossil I found at the Oregon coast. I also talk about writing a message in binary in my dating profile years ago. It was a simple message, "I like turtles." Only one person ever responded and translated it, and he's my husband!
Plume agate with marcasite inclusions & 3 other rocks cut!
In this week's video I'm cutting Graveyard Point plume agate with marcasite and other colorful inclusions, plus a galaxy stone and two random rocks. The plume agate came from Richardson's Rock Ranch in Madras, Oregon, and microscope photos show the beautiful mineral stowaways carried in the rock.
Petrified Pinecone or Poop?
I was pretty sure this was a petrified pine cone. But when I cut it, it had a different and unpleasant odor. Could it be a coprolite?
Cutting rocks from Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop!
I visited Jeweled Rose, a local lapidary shop in Forest Grove, Oregon, to see what rough rock I could find, and it was great! I purchased a carnelian, a blue agate, a white agate and a piece of petrified wood, and I cut all but the white agate in this video.
Carnelian agates cut and polished to see their beauty. All thanks to our friend, Carnelian queen!
I went rockhounding in southwest Washington for carnelian agates with a new friend, the carnelian queen! Let's cut open the carnelian agates I brought home and see what's inside them.
Cutting and polishing petrified wood from Hampton Butte with 10 inch trim saw and 8 inch all-u-need!
In this video I cut a piece of petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon. It has pores, and during the polishing process I got cerium oxide in there. Do I need an ultrasonic cleaner to get it out?
Cutting 4 rocks and a slab! Rock Betty cuts random river rocks to see crystal vugs, what’s inside?
In this video I cut 4 rocks and a little slab: a quartz nodule with little vugs, a strange rock with micro minerals I need help identifying, petrified wood from Hampton Butte, Oregon, and a red sedimentary rock with small minerals that are visible on the microscope.
Cutting rocks from the Oregon coast
I cut three rocks from rockhounding the Oregon coast. The Rock Identifier app says they are tree agate, serpentine, and agate. Let's find out!
Let’s cut 4 more rocks from the Snoqualmie river!
In this video I cut four more rocks from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington state. Our dog Lola is terrified of fireworks, so we went to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast for New Year's to see if that would be a quieter experience.
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
Let’s cut a special rock! Hop aboard the USS Unhinged with me while I explain what made me cry.
I cut a special rock that I believe is siltstone. I'm calling this one my Kintsugi stone, because the fractures have been healed by a calcite or silicate chalcedony material. I also tell a story about something that broke my heart this weekend; if you suspect it will make you sad, please mute that part.
I cut open 4 random landscape rocks
Cutting open 4 random landscape rocks on my 10 inch lap saw. Cutting jasper, quartz, agate and unidentified rocks I find everywhere I go.
Cutting three rocks from an Agate Ariel bucket!!! Cutting rocks with my lapidary saw.
My husband bought me an Agate Ariel bucket! These are rocks from the Great Lakes and Minnesota area, and there was even an arrowhead in my bucket. I cut three of the rocks open on my lapidary saw.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Cutting my sixth rock on the 10 inch lapidary saw! Is it petrified wood? Very dark, carbon or iron.
I cut my sixth rock on my 10 inch lapidary saw, a very dark rock I picked up on the Washougal River. Is it petrified wood? The fractured pieces have a reddish layer that looks like it could be iron.
Cutting my 5th rock! Is it Jasper? Let’s go! Learning to use my lapidary saw. Rocks are beautiful!
I cut my 5th rock on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. I found this rock near Bandon, Oregon, after parking at the Seven Devils State Recreation Site and walking north. It's beautiful inside: red, green and white jasper. Always check the tide charts and be safe out there!
Polka dot agate from the Polka dot agate mine!
I cut my 4th rock and my first slab: polka dot agate from the Polka Dot Agate Mine near Madras, Oregon. It's outrageously beautiful! This is a pay to dig site, and I show the thunder eggs I dug that day as well.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
I cut my second rock! I’m so excited! It’s beautiful! What is it? Red, green and yellow rock!
I cut open my second rock! I found it on the South Umpqua River after traveling down to Medford for the Pear Festival on the wrong weekend. I believe I was in the spot on the cover of Gem Trails of Oregon by Garrett Romaine.
Cutting my first rock ever
Cutting a rock on a lapidary saw for the first time! I cut a rock I found on the Washougal river in SW Washington on my brand new 10 inch lapidary saw.
2 Posts
vibra-lap
Polishing rocks on a vibra lap!
Do you want to polish big rocks? This is a walkthrough of how I process both flat slabs and irregularly shaped rocks on my 16" Vibra Lap from Covington Engineering, from gluing on the weights through the final polish. This is my current method, and I hope it helps others on their vibra lap polishing journey!
5 things I've learned about the Vibra Lap
A few things I've learned about the Covington Engineering Vibra Lap automatic polishing machine, plus tips, tricks, and polished rock results.
11 Posts
washington
Woodn't it be nice?
I gathered some rocks I've recently rockhounded from Oregon and Washington rivers and creeks: the Willamette, the Clackamas, the Washougal, and creeks in the Oregon Coast Range. Are these petrified wood lookalikes or petrified wood? I cut 11 rocks with my 10 inch Highland Park trim saw and show their interiors.
Cutting 6 rocks from Pacific Northwest Rivers.
Three of these rocks are from the Willamette and three are from the Washougal River, where it feeds into the Columbia River: rhyolite, hematite ore, petrified wood, unakite, chalcedony and iron stained quartz. I cut and polished these self collected rocks to share with you!
Columbia River Rockhounding
A rockhounding adventure where the Washougal meets the Columbia River, near Camas, Washington. I found an 11 pound agate right at the very end, a personal best and my largest Pacific Northwest agate find thus far!
Carnelian agates cut and polished to see their beauty. All thanks to our friend, Carnelian queen!
I went rockhounding in southwest Washington for carnelian agates with a new friend, the carnelian queen! Let's cut open the carnelian agates I brought home and see what's inside them.
Let’s cut 4 more rocks from the Snoqualmie river!
In this video I cut four more rocks from the middle fork of the Snoqualmie River in Washington state. Our dog Lola is terrified of fireworks, so we went to Rockaway Beach on the Oregon coast for New Year's to see if that would be a quieter experience.
5 from the Snoqualmie river
Cutting 5 rocks from a trip to Issaquah. I rock hounded on the middle fork of the Snoqualmie river and found banded chert, petrified wood, and more.
Cutting open innocent rocks: Petrified wood
Cutting rocks number 11 and 12. Both are petrified wood, one from the Washougal river in Washington state, and one from the Old Marker Ranch in Sweet Home Oregon.
I cut four more rocks! Can my saw blade handle it? Cutting rocks with my 10 inch lapidary trim saw!
In this video I cut open rocks seven through ten, practicing with some smaller rocks on my 10 inch lapidary trim saw. These agate and jasper rockhounding finds from Oregon and Washington are so beautiful!
Cutting my sixth rock on the 10 inch lapidary saw! Is it petrified wood? Very dark, carbon or iron.
I cut my sixth rock on my 10 inch lapidary saw, a very dark rock I picked up on the Washougal River. Is it petrified wood? The fractured pieces have a reddish layer that looks like it could be iron.
I cut my third rock! Is this real life? Petrified wood from SW Washington. Cutting rocks on my 10”
I cut my third rock, a piece of petrified wood I found on the Washougal River in October. I zoom in with my digital microscope and show you what I think might be petrified insect damage. My husband loves rocks too and tries to take this one from me!
Cutting my first rock ever
Cutting a rock on a lapidary saw for the first time! I cut a rock I found on the Washougal river in SW Washington on my brand new 10 inch lapidary saw.