Out of the Tumbler

Beach Cobbles, San Simeon, CA

As I posted back in March, I spent a pretty mind-blowing day collecting on the beaches near San Simeon, California, on my way up the coast. Why was it so great?  Because nearly every rock on the beaches there is of something interesting, whether a brecciated jasper, or an interesting agate, or some things that I don't even know the names for. But whatever they are, they have loads of color and striking patterns and polish beautifully in the tumbler.

They do especially well in the tumbler since they are already well-rounded by the wave action. In fact, I usually skip the first coarse grit step in the polishing process and go directly to the finer 120/220 silicon carbide.

I'm still processing rocks I found months ago, and by the time I'm done, it'll be time to head South again to find some more!

Revealed

I am slowly working through the rocks I collected in southern California last month, including some interesting jaspers from the Central Coast. One of my favorite locations, as I have mentioned before, is the stretch of coast between Cayucos and San Simeon. Some of the most colorful, varied, and spectacular jaspers I have ever found were here, a place I am sure to go back to again and again.

Sometimes, I pick up rocks that show very little on the outside, maybe a little color, or the glassiness  of agate or jasper. I don't remember what I saw with this one. It was yellow overall, with the smooth sheen of jasper, but very little patterning on the surface.

Today I cut through it revealed a wonderful variety of patterns, almost like the "Picture Jaspers" I look for every year in the Owyhee canyons of Eastern Oregon.  These are the two cut ends of the same piece, about the size of my fist.  Wonderful.

Cayucos Jasper

Brecciated Jasper

I'm still poring over the 100 lbs of stones I brought back from California last week (the back of my car riding very low). I had a chance to cut open some of the larger pieces, many of which are of a  brecciated jasper that is common in this part of the Coast range (and several other parts of California).  This one is about 8" inches across and shows a fractured yellow-red jasper with a milky quartz filling.

Not a great picture, I admit, but you get the idea. Not sure how the quartz will polish, but we'll give it a try.  The diversity of the rocks along this coast is truly remarkable.  I suggest walking up Toro Creek near Cayucos, or for the best material, head straight to San Simeon Beach. Wow.

Going Crazy in California

San Simeon Jaspers - Naturally tumbled

I do a lot of beach-walking around the Northwest where I live, and often find intriguing and worthwhile rocks mixed in with a lot of junk. So you can imagine what a kick it is to stumble on to a place where nearly every stone is colorful, and beautifully patterned. I had heard about the brecciated jaspers of San Simeon Creek, near Cambria, California and seen some beautiful examples (see Hans Gamma's mouth-watering collection ) but nothing prepared me for a walk along the surf-line yesterday. It was like walking through a kaleidoscope...  In less than an hour I had filled up two cloth bags, and I could have spent days there, seeking out the perfect specimens.

an iPhone sample

The location is the small beach area just south of the San Simeon State Park campground. It's only a quick scramble down the slope and out to the beach. Most of the rocks on the beach itself were tumbler-sized. I'm guessing the big specimens must be somewhere up in the Coast Range headwaters of San Simeon Creek and others. But there are also loads of medium-sized rocks (e.g. 1-4 pounds)  up high on the beach, but I didn't have time to carefully go through them. I'll bet there are some winners there.

But for anyone whose idea of a perfect day is to walk along a wild Pacific beach picking up beautiful stones, you would have a hard time finding anything better than San Simeon.

Out of the Tumbler

Cayucos Jasper - Revealed

Tumbling stones, esp. hard jaspers and agate, takes patience.... and I am not a patient man. So when a batch's time in the grit is up (and maybe a few hours early) I open it with all the enthusiasm of a kid on Christmas morning.

This batch was one I particularly looked forward to since recent months have generated some exceptional collecting opportunities. A sharp reader will recognize these, for example, as polished Cayucos jasper : I posted some of the rough in this blog on May 2. All are of red jasper, with quartz/agate intrusions. Handsome stuff.

Also included in this batch were some pieces of Idaho Japer-Agate I collected in late June (see my July 4 post). One of them came out of the tumbler today with some lovely patterns and colors.

Idaho Jasp-agate

California Treasures

Cayucos Jasper, California

In a post a few weeks ago, I reported that I spent a wonderful few hours exploring the beaches near Cayucos, California, in what turned out to be a mother lode of jasper of every pattern and description. Many were so beautifully rounded that they needed little tumbling, and just the addition of a polish to make them stand out. Well, I finished a batch today - and they are beauties.

There are brecciated jaspers (apparently common along in coast range in this area) and a variety of other colors and patterns. It was probably the single most productive few hours I've ever spent chasing rocks.

Having said that, the beach is NOT the best place for collectors looking for slab-worthy chunks of the stuff - these are all small, and really only fit for those who are content with tumblers. I am one of those, and I am delighted with what I found.  Too bad it's a thousand miles south of here!

Polisher Preview

Cayucos Jasper, CA

Here are two early pieces of the Cayucos Jasper from the Central California coast I found earlier this month (see below) An astonishing diversity of color and pattern, found within just a few yards of the beach. Definitely a place worth going back to.

California Discoveries

Cayucos Jasper, California

I drove to California last week for work, but along the way poked around some new rockhounding areas, specifically the Central California coast near San Luis Obispo. Several good locations were listed on the websites of local rock and gem clubs, so I thought I'd give them a try. In the end, I came away with a lot of terrific material like this red and green jasper,  from one of the beaches around Cayucos.

Really, there was agate and jasper scattered all along the shoreline in this area, and given more time, I would have wanted to scour the surrounding hills for outcrops and exposures. Maybe on another trip.
I also didn't have time to make it up to San Simeon Creek, which is supposed to be pretty productive as well. Still, I was delighted with what I found in just a short time, and look forward to a chance to go back at some point.