151mm x 96mm
149mm x 97mm
This is the largest piece I have from Balmerino, and though heavily fractured, I believe it was worth polishing, although due to the nature of the piece this was only achievable on the smaller part. It is comprised of a very large section of quartz and calcite with only one end showing any agate content. So I cut at that end only. The larger part is very heavy and would be very difficult to polish for this reason alone. I collected it during the summer of 2020, in a small area close to a stream that crosses the shore, where I have been lucky in finding several fine pieces, occasionally of a much larger size than is usual at the location. There are very fine inclusions of agate snaking around pockets of calcite, and the base includes colourful mossy inclusions also. I love the roughly orbicular fortifications in particular. It took around 4 hours of grinding using grits and a pane of glass to remove all the saw marks, then a further hour to provide a light polish. Yes, it's full of fractures, and it's a jumble of its parts, a jigsaw agate, crazily paved. However, I find it's one of my favourites.