The Thompson-Okanagan is known for its sunny skies, beautiful lakes and agates.
Judy Hackman of the Vernon Lapidary and Mineral Club said the region is rich in the popular rocks.
“Monte Lake is almost a world-famous place for finding agates,” Hackman said.
Anyone who has driven past Monte Lake on Highway 97 on a weekend has probably seen people scampering along the cliffs in search of the natural treasures.
According to Wikipedia, agates are a common rock formation consisting of chalcedony and quartz as the main components, with a wide variety of colours. The ornamental use of agate was common in ancient Greece, in various jewellery and in the seal stones of Greek warriors.
“There are some amazing agates out there,” Hackman said at the Vernon Lapidary and Mineral Club show at the Vernon Museum on Saturday.
“Some people from the United States pay a very good price for stuff that comes out of British Columbia.”
Agates are found throughout the region.
For those interested in getting into the rock scene, the club runs a number of field trips.
“We usually take beginners to a gravel pit where they learn to identify agates,” says Hackman. “The beauty of the gravel pit hunt is that families bring their young children and the kids get to discover agates.”
