New carving project – Slaughter Mountain Fire Agate Rough

I’m starting up a new fire agate carving project, here is a photo of the raw piece of Slaughter Mountain fire agate rough that I will be working on. I obtained this fine specimen recently at the 2012 Tucson Gem and Mineral Show.

There is a lot of host rock, or matrix, left on this particular piece of rough, however the main area that I am interested in is clearly displayed in the second photo. As shown, there is a very nice stacked area of banding on this piece of rough, with a hint of fire already showing through the calcedony. Time for a little trim saw work.