Montana

Rocks and specimens from Montana

Sapphires in the Rough

Frederick, one of our members who is into gem cutting, brought in these rough sapphires from Montana at our last meeting. Check out his website http://missouririversapphire.co/ to see how beautiful they look when they are cut.

Dendritic Agate

A flat white opaque polished agate surface with what appears to be a small green plant pressed onto it (these are the dendrites).

Photo by Pat McMahan from http://www.agateswithinclusions.com/images/US/col/Del_Norte_Dendritic2.jpg

Dendritic agate has inclusions that look like thin, two-dimensional tree-like growths. They are usually black or dark brown, especially if they are found in Montana. Often dendrites form, between flat “waterline” bands of agate. Dendrites may also occur in limestone, talc, sandstone, beryl, corundum, and other minerals. Dendritic and moss agates both look amazing as cabochons, because they look like little pressed flowers or landscape scenes. The specimen pictured is from Del Norte, Colorado.
Source: The Gemrock, 7/2014