We Wrote a Book on Agate Collecting – And You’re Invited to the Book Launch!

Founder of Crystal Cabin Art Gallery and Gift Shop Dutes Dutheil has announced that he has summarised his life’s knowledge of agates and stone collecting in the lush islands of Haida Gwaii, in a handbook entitled Agate Collecting with Dutes: Your Guide to Finding Agates in Haida Gwaii.

Dutes Dutheil, who has called Haida Gwaii his home since 1970, is a local rock collector, lapidary artist, goldsmith jeweler, and entrepreneur. His newly written guide, delivered in 32 colourful pages, outlines everything you need to know to begin your search for local Agate in Haida Gwaii. You can expect to learn how to:

Prepare for your next beachcombing adventure
Identify agates and learn how they are formed
Learn about the islands’ geological formation
Compare agates with other types of chalcedony
Connect to the metaphysical properties of agates

“Over the past 30 years, Crystal Cabin has become a local institution and authority on island geology. I regularly receive questions about agates and there is a lot of interest from the public on the topic of collecting beach stones. This guide is intended to enrich your agate collecting experience,” shares Dutes.

Agate, also known as banded chalcedony, is a form of microcrystalline quartz. Haida Gwaii’s 62 million-year-old geological history of volcanic lava flows has provided excellent conditions for the formation of agates and other stones found on these beaches. There are at least 10 varieties of agates in Haida Gwaii and many types of unbanded chalcedony, such as jasper, petrified wood, and sugar agates, which are all outlined in this guide.

Agate Collecting with Dutes: Your Guide to Finding Agates in Haida Gwaii will be available May 1, 2017 to purchase at select retailers, at Crystal Cabin in Tlell, Haida Gwaii or online at www.crystalcabingallery.com.