Saddle Mountain Fire Agate

A decent day of hunting for fire agates (actually a type of chalcedony with micro layers of iron oxides between the clear chalcedony layers that produce the "fire") down at Saddle Mountain near Tonepah west of Phoenix. This BLM area (ie open to the public for free, non-commercial collecting) has been a popular spot for years. Thus the pickings are sparse for "true" fire agates is pretty thin but you can find the occasional piece with "fire" like this one. Only an inch across and thin but it may just look nice as a natural pendant as I'm concerned polishing might actually remove the iridescent layers.

It's a nice spot to spend some time (free dry camping allowed) and even if you don't find nice fire agates - I figure maybe 1 or 2 small pieces might have nice color and produce a decent stone out of the hundred plus I pick up (like this one from last week)

Plus, the regular chalcedony and agates are attractive and polish up nicely as well. And as always the desert scenery of southern Arizona is beautiful.

If you're in the area (between Phoenix and Quartzsite) stop by and give it a look.
https://www.blm.gov/visit/saddle-mountains

Or if you want to try another spot, here is some more information on fire agates in Arizona and where they can be found.
https://rockseeker.com/where-to-find-fire-agate-in-arizona/