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Dwarves' Earth Treasures Museum:
Balmorhea & Toyah Agates
Lake Balmorhea & Toyah, Reeves Co., Texas
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    The agate fields around Balmorhea Lake is well known to the collectors for their strong blue colored agates as well as black plume agates and the classic example would be one with strong white and blue color combos. Lake Balmorhea is mainly a fishing site and also a great birding site where many migrating birds stop by to rest. The flat areas to to the south of the lake will produce agate fragments and it's possible to find larger fragments and the washes are best places to look for the agates. Some agates are also found in the hills on the northern side of the lake. I didn't had a much of luck on the southern side of the lake. I followed small agate nodules on the northern side and was lucky to have hit on an agate bearing basalt beds where I by chance chiseled what I thought to be a small agate only to discover that I have exposed a blue agate much larger than I expected. I also managed to chisel few more agates including a black plume one and I think that more agates may be found beyond the fences, but I couldn't find out if it's okay to collect beyond the fences because the owner was absent when I get there.
    Anyone wishing to try their luck at finding any agates must stop by the fishing store to pay $4.00 to obtain a permit before venturing out. Just take a route toward the Lake Balmorhea and keep going till you see the white fishing store on the right side. I hope to meet with the owner the next time I visit the lake again and see if I can get his permission to follow the agate-bearing basalt beds beyond the fences.  Be warned, the basalt was quite hard to work with and it took me 2 hours to extract that big blue agate.
    I do wonder if the agates of Balmorhea share the same basaltic volcano systems as those of Marfa agates since they show similar colors.

YOU CAN CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO SEE LARGER PICTURES

Rough Appearance: Supposedly "bleached" agate fragments
May show bluish color on broken surfaces, some come with black plumes


 
April 2009 (chiseled out of basalt)
From same nodule as one on right.		 April 2009 (chiseled out of basalt)
From same nodule as one on left.		 With bit of black plumes
April 2009 (chiseled out of basalt)
Plume Agate April 2009
(chiseled out of basalt)		 Plume Agate, April 2009
(chiseled out of basalt)		 Plume Agate, April 2009
(chiseled out of basalt)
Typical white-skinned Balmorhea agate Plume Agate From Toyah, Texas(?)
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