Your Questions About Agate Beach | Sparkling Diamonds and Gemstones

Rubies, Emeralds, Diamonds and More

July 2nd, 2011 by Diamond Lover

Steven asks…

Minnesota agate beaches, along the north shore where are they?

They are closely gaurded and hard to find. I am going on a weekend trip in a couple weeks. We would love to walk the shore line looking for agates. We are just a normal family looking to take in the beauty of the north shore. Not looking to ruin the shores or take home agates.

Diamond Lover answers:

You're just lucky that I remember all of this from my pebble pup days! (A pebble pup is a little rock hound...kids are GREAT at finding agates--closer to the ground!)

But when you're up there--look for thompsonites too (now really rare--probably only in gift shops.)

Gooseberry Falls State Park, http:// www.dnr.state.mn.us/state_parks/gooseberry_falls/

Preview: A beautiful hike from the agate beach at the mouth of Gooseberry River, along its shores, and to the popular waterfalls. Gooseberry Falls is one of the most popular attractions along the North Shore. Almost everyone traveling along Minnesota Highway 61 stops here to do a little exploring around the falls. This is a time-honored tradition, going all the way back to the 1670s when the falls first appeared on the maps of French explorers. Special attractions:

The falls, the nature center, stunning views of Lake Superior, and and agate beach.

Minnesota beaches: http://www.mnbeaches.org

More info:http://www.midwestweekends.com/plan_a_trip/nature/beaches/beaches_north_shore.html and http://www.superiortrails.com/rock-hound.html

If your children find an agate--let them take it home! After DECADES I still have mine--and wonderful memories!

Sample of Thompsonites

Lake Superior Thompsonite 205 Carats agate

0 Bid

US $3.99

2d 1h 31m

3 Beautiful Rare LARGE Lake Superior Thomsonite Agate 27ct Thompsonite Group C

0 Bid

US $4.25

3d 3h 24m

3 Beautiful Rare LARGE Lake Superior Thomsonite Agate 33ct Thompsonite Group D

0 Bid

US $4.25

3d 3h 26m

George asks…

Best beach in the Central or Northern Coast of Oregon?

I am looking for a beach to visit just for the day. We have a young child. I mostly want to look for agates and have an easy walk. Any thoughts? What about good restaurants nearby?

Diamond Lover answers:

I would recommend Newport. Its a pretty small town with a nice beach. Newport is also home to the Aquarium which would be a fun addition to your beach trip, it is great for little kids, with tide pools where you can touch some of the sea life. There is a main street along the beach with little shops and restaurants that are all great. I particularly like the restaurant Sharks, but so many of the restaurants use fresh seafood that you really can't go wrong. Cannon beach is also a nice beach, but not as many activities to entertain little kids. I don't know how young your child is, but it is great for kite flying, which we used to do growing up.
Enjoy your trip!

Mark asks…

Is there anything that can be put on dry stones to keep them looking wet all the time?

I just recently went to Agate Beach in California, which is filled with absolutely gorgeous stones...the only problem is they're colors are only brilliant when wet. Now that they're dry they look pretty dull, so I'm wondering if there is any product out there, maybe an art product such as a glaze, that you can put on rocks to keep them looking shiny and vibrant all the time...?

Diamond Lover answers:

Yes. You can pick up a stone sealer at any tile store or hardware store. It is used for sealing stone counters and tiles. Just make sure it doesn't say "won't darken stone" as there are a few out there that don't change the color but many of them will. You could probably also use a clear poly or varnish as well.

Mandy asks…

where can i sell lake superior agates?

I have a collection of beautiful Lake Superior agates that I have picked from the beach throughout the years. I know they are worth money just don't, know how to get rid of them.

Diamond Lover answers:

Beyond eBay or local craft or rock shops, you can set up your own agate selling website. Here is an example: http://www.123agates.com/subpages/for_sale.html

Linda asks…

what can I do with rocks I've collected?

for years now, i have slowly built up a collection of really unusual pretty rocks. its not really a hobby but if i am someplace like an agate beach or anywhere there are lots of cool rocks I will bring a couple of them home. SO. now i have these rocks and although i am a crafter, I cannot think of anything to do which would display them in a nice way.

I have thought of those little meditation waterfalls but its too involved. i need something simple. just a way to display their beauty, maybe on one of the porches or garden or something. i am blank when it comes to decorating anyway! I know this sounds lame, but i'ts not a joke!

Diamond Lover answers:

Our family loves to collect rocks, too. I made a beautiful rock "shelf" out of our rocks. I gathered some of our favorite rocks of all sizes and used landscape glue (typically used for building keystone walls) and glued them together to form a shelf. I used the flattest stones for the top of the shelf, then tapered the rocks underneath this ledge to form a point. I hung the shelf on our mud room wall. Everyone who sees the shelf, really likes it.

The shelf is kind of hard to explain without pictures, but if you were looking straight at the shelf, it is in the shape of an upside-down triangle - the point being at the bottom. If you looked at the shelf from the side view, it looks like half a pyramid. I sealed the rocks with Delta Dreamcoat Gloss Varnish. The shelf was really easy to make and looks great.

You could also use a cement drill bit and drill a hole through 5 to 7 rocks of various sizes. Place a piece of rod stock through the holes and stack the rocks to form a cairn. Here's an example of this project: http://www.escapadedirect.com/stonecairn.html

Another quick thought - Made acrylic cubes with smaller rocks embedded.

I hope this helps!