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44mm x 22mm. Photograph by David Dorman.

During the March of 2014 I took a date to Kinneff, and we carefully negotiated very muddy fields and fences to access the most productive area I am yet aware of. I was unable to find much of anything of agate-persuasion during most of our time there, however, this stone revealed itself to me as a full nodule close to the weedy strandline on the shore. In most occurences, Kinneff agates appear as partial nodules, or as shards. This was a rarity, and in displaying fine lilac and grey-blue colouring, as well as probable mossy inclusions, was an example of a type of agate not yet encountered at the location. Upon being cut, by a good friend, the stone was revealed further to be of exeptional quality, with highly intricate fortifications. Agates found in the shire of Kincardine tend to the colours and markings of those found at Barras Quarry, being part of the same andesite. However, beach agates are always, in my experience, far more varied in type and colouration than those found within the matrix in quarries and cuttings. This is obviously because specimens here represent the whole area, including lava flows not accessible onshore. I have followed the wild and rocky shore to the aforementioned location, and gotten my feet wet! If you explore Kinneff, try to do so at low tide or via the farmland. It's a place where exciting agate discoveries may yet be made. However, it is worth noting their general scarcity in the area.

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