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Old HOWARDITE aka RATTLESNAKE JASPER,
new material ROYAL FLAMINGO AGATE, Nevada

The material called "Howardite" or "Rattlesnake Jasper /Agate " is a form of silicified (agatized/jasperized/opalized) diatomaceous earth/tuff and is a highly sought lapidary material, found only in Nevada.   RATTLESNAKE JASPER, incorrectly called "HOWARDITE", is the original OLD material from the 1950s, it is dug out and no longer available except when old collections are sold.  Also called "Old Howardite".  The original deposit with "Rattlesnake" pattern was dug out and then lost/forgotten until 2016.  When rediscovered in late 2015 it has been marketed under different names according to variety, pattern, etc.  

ROYAL FLAMINGO AGATE is the newer material, 2015 to present, also called "New Howardite" or "Red Howardite".

Both materials are unique, distinct, and beautiful and highly sought by lapidaries, but the OLD material commands the highest prices for the "Rattlesnake" pattern, which can sell by THE GRAM.    WE WILL BUY THE OLD RATTLESNAKE PATTERN IF YOU HAVE SOME TO SELL AND IT IS HIGH QUALITY, CONTACT US.  SEE OUR HOWARDITE AND RATTLESNAKE JASPER / ROYAL FLAMINGO AGATE FOR SALE BELOW:

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Buyers Guide for rare Howardite (Rattlesnake Jasper)

(originally written by Chris in late 2015 and published in 2016 on our Ebay Page)

www.ebay.com/gds/Buyers-Guide-for-rare-Howardite-Rattlesnake-Jasper-/10000000213550941/g.html
 


What is Howardite?
Howardite is a very rare Gem/Lapidary material first found in the 1940's, somewhere in northern Nevada. It was last dug in the 1970's and it was rumored that the deposit was worked out or lost by the original finder. It has also been called "Rattlesnake Jasper" and this term is better suited for the material so it is not confused with the "howardite" meteorite types. One specimen recently sold here on Ebay had an old label with the location being in Washoe Co., Nevada ( CLICK HERE TO SEE).

The material closely resembles, but is NOT a form of Petrified Wood. All studies done so far have reported that it is a silicified tuff that has been altered by the infiltration of iron-bearing water through it. The material is quite hard (and takes a good polish) like Jasper. It occurs in attractive colors and combinations of red, pink, yellow, orange, and brown with an unusual plaided effect (sometimes as stringers or veils and also as a "rattlesnake" or "snakeskin" pattern. Once you see and work with this material you will be hooked and you will never forget it. The most sought-after pattern is the "Rattlesnake" variety which resembles open wood grain, where the "holes" (appearing dark in some photos) are filled in with clear chalcedony giving the material and exceptional and unique quality of depth. The rarest variety is the "Ruin" pattern.

The best material is a very hard silicified brown to pink material with red, pink, yellow and/or orange veining and rattlesnake pattern. If the material is semi-glossy when dry, it will take an excellent polish with a glass finish. Lighter material that is not as silicified will not have as vivid coloration, but the patterns will still be incredible. Care must be taken when polishing Howardite and you should treat it like chert or opal when working it. Dark manganese staining and white films are normally surface crusts and clevage stains and easily come out with grinding.

Left: 2 face polished pieces; on the right is the rarest type, "Ruin" Pattern.
Left: 2 face polished pieces; on the right is the rarest type, "Ruin" Pattern.
Left: 2 face polished pieces; on the right is the rarest type, "Ruin" Pattern.
Left: Rattlesnake Pattern in pink; on the right, plain striped (no pattern).
Left: Rattlesnake Pattern in pink; on the right, plain striped (no pattern).
Left: Rattlesnake Pattern in pink; on the right, plain striped (no pattern).
Howardite Plume (left) and Gem Plume (right), also very rare.
Howardite Plume (left) and Gem Plume (right), also very rare.
Howardite Plume (left) and Gem Plume (right), also very rare.
This was the largest piece of High-Grade Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper we have ever seen! It weighed 54 lbs!
This was the largest piece of High-Grade Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper we have ever seen! It weighed 54 lbs!
A tray of high-grade Rattlesnake Jasper in the process of being preformed for gems.
A tray of high-grade Rattlesnake Jasper in the process of being preformed for gems.


An "extinct" material....
The specific locality for Howardite appears to be unknown. Howardite is said to have been discovered in a small occurrence/pocket in the 1940's or 1950's, and the locality/deposit was thereafter said to be mined out, lost, or closed to entry for military purposes (depending on which account you hear). From what I have heard it was last dug in the 1970's and the discoverer could not find his way back to the deposit. Some versions state the material came from northern Nevada (USA), but nobody seems to know for sure. One reference in the 1940's states the material came from a location near Fallon, Nevada ("Rawhide"). John Sinkankas (in Gemstones of North America, 1959, at page 395) depicted the material in a photo with misc California agates, so perhaps the material lies somewhere in the Mojave Desert. Recently a specimen was offered on Ebay with an old label showing the locality as being in "N. Washoe County, Nevada," so perhaps the source could be somewhere in the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area. Another recent find of material is claimed to be near Lovelock, Nevada; and some references state the material being found west of Tonopah in the Silverpeak region (one person says he has found this material near the "Sump" which has produced agates, jasper and petrified wood). For now, the source seems lost in the sands of time.
Old locality information from publications regaring the Howardite / Rattlesnake Jasper material.
Old locality information from publications regaring the Howardite / Rattlesnake Jasper material.
Old locality information from publications regaring the Howardite / Rattlesnake Jasper material.
Old locality information from publications regaring the Howardite / Rattlesnake Jasper material.
Newer Materials similar to the old Howardite
There have been several finds in the last couple of years which are very similar to Rattlesnake Jasper, however, none of these contain the rattlesnake pattern. These new materials are very nice, and are known as "Baskinite," "Flamingo Agate," and the newer "Royal Flamingo Agate." Each is unique and beautiful.
Above 4 photos: the new Royal Flamingo Agate, high quality.
Above 4 photos: the new Royal Flamingo Agate, high quality.
Above 4 photos: the new Royal Flamingo Agate, high quality.
Above 4 photos: the new Royal Flamingo Agate, high quality.
Above 4 photos: the new Royal Flamingo Agate, high quality.
Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper on the left, the newer Royal Flamingo Agate on the right.
Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper on the left, the newer Royal Flamingo Agate on the right.


Value and recent pricing (Dec. 2015)
High-grade Rattlesnake Jasper is very hard to find nowadays as it is one of the rarest and most sought after forms of American cryptocrystalline gemstone rough, and has averaged around $150.00 to over $200.00 per pound,and more for exceptional specimens and stones. Polished Howardite cabochons generally sell from $2.00 to $10.00 per carat. High quality slabs can sell for up to $100.00 or more, and individual polished specimens and unique rough sell by the piece (not the weight) which can run into the thousands per piece. Large quantities of the best grades of Rattlesnake Jasper never see the open market and are normally dealt privately. I know this because I have purchased two old private stashes of the material totaling nearly 1000 pounds and I have sold about half that amount. The other half was traded to a collector who has put together what is likely the largest and finest private collection of Howardite in existence worthy of being displayed in a museum, and I have been asked to document (photograph, detail, appraise, and curate) that collection over the next year or two. In releasing that material to the collector, we stipulated by notarized agreement that the collection is never to be broken up, traded, or sold and I have a lien on the collection under those conditions. I have seen just about every variety and type there is. After traveling and searching out collections of this material throughout the west over the last several years, I can tell you that there isn't much left out there. What little there is to be had comes at a very high premium, comparable to prices for the best Wingate Pass plume agate from the closed location near Death Valley, California. Remember, Howardite is Howardite and having any piece of this rare material is a luxury that most people don't have due to it's scarcity. It is highly collectible and the price keeps going up as time goes by.

The largest pieces of Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper that I have ever seen and dealt in weighed in the 50-60 lbs range. The largest top quality high-grade piece of rough weighed 54 pounds, and it is extremely rare to find large pieces of this stuff, normally you will see pieces in the 1/2 to 3 lb range or smaller.

The following price table (Dec. 2015) should guide you in your purchase of rough old Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper material:

TYPE / Per Pound (1+ lbs) Rough
Museum / $ Determined by the piece
Top Gem Grade / $175.00-
Rattlesnake / $155.00-
Veined w/Rattlesnake / $125.00-
Veined / $105.00-
Plain (striped) / $65.00-
Polished Individual stones/specimens....Determined by the piece

To search for existing items of Howardite/Rattlesnake Jasper on Ebay, CLICK HERE.
In closing.....
this article is a work in progress and i will update it over the next month......
I hope you find it useful (if so, please vote!) Thanks and good luck.....

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2023 UPDATE:  The above Buyers Guide for Howardite was written in 2016 before the Flamingo Agate Discovery was announced.  It should be noted there is a difference in the two materials, and most people are selling the new Flamingo Agate as Rattlesnake Jasper, even though the new stuff does not have any rattlesnake pattern.  They are trying to capitalize on the value of the original rattlesnake howardite.  Don't get me wrong, the new stuff is beautiful and cuts great, but there is a mountain full of it (we re-discovered it!), and it is readily available, as opposed to the original material with rattlesnake, which has become even more scarce. Adjacent just to the NW of Royal Flamingo discovery is an old Diatomite Mine (Tunnel Hill Mine) in the Velvet Mining District of Pershing County near Lovelock, and it is believed that the original rattlesnake material was found on the surface of the diatomite deposit at the Tunnel Hill Mine.  The diatomite mine was open pit mined in the 60s-90s to the point where (we believe) the original howardite rattlesnake deposit was mined out/covered over with many tons of debris.  THE VALUE OF THE ORIGINAL HOWARDITE WITH RATTLESNAKE PATTERN HAS GONE UP SIGNIFICANTLY SINCE THE ABOVE GUIDE WAS WRITTEN.  I HAVE SEEN FULL RATTLESNAKE PATTERN SELL FOR $400-$600 per pound in 2023 for mid grade material, and even more for the finest top grade.  I've included some links to forums where Howardite has been discussed:

 

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PLEASE NOTE THAT THE RECENTLY REDISCOVERED ROYAL FLAMINGO AGATE / RATTLESNAKE JASPER  DEPOSIT NEAR LOVELOCK NEVADA IS UNDER ACTIVE MINING CLAIMS AND COLLECTING IS NOT ALLOWED.  THE MINING CLAIMS ARE CALLED The "RATTLESNAKE JASPER, ROYAL FLAMINGO, AND CINNAMON TOAST CRUNCH" Lode Mining Claims.

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