The Thrill of the Hunt
Rockhounding on a gravel beach is an exercise in patience and pattern recognition. Agates—translucent varieties of chalcedony—can be found on coastlines all over the world, but finding them requires training your eye.
When to Go
The best time to hunt is on a falling incoming tide or immediately after a severe winter storm, which churns up fresh gravel beds. The best viewing conditions are actually sunny days with wet rocks; the moisture makes the translucent stones glow when backlit by the sun.
What to Look For
- Conchoidal fractures: Agates break with smooth, curved surfaces rather than jagged edges.
- Pitting: The outside of an unmilled agate often looks like the dimpled skin of an orange.
- Banding: Look closely for faint, parallel, or concentric lines within the stone.
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