In the 18th century Johann Jakob Ferber reported of the agate- and jaspermines of the region around Idar Oberstein. He mentioned  beside Grünbach, Rohneberg, Berschweiler, Eckersweiler, Uzenbach also Pfeffelbach. The Jaspachate occurring here was in demand because of its interesting pattern and itsstructure.

.It was quite possible to earn larger crack-free specimen in the old Pfeffelbach agate pit. The boundary Pfeffelbach begins on the height above Eckersweiler. If one rises from here in the forest southward toward Pfeffelbach, one comes to the classical agate pit . Today only small specimen can be collected here.

Thus the situation presented itself until 2008. In this year a little road was pushed in the” Prussian mountains” above the village Pfeffelbach into the forest. Below the “kite flier station”, at a very steephill, the construction work opened several jaspis and mossy-agate-veins.

The collector Dieter Augenthaler found the only vein with really first-class rough material already very early after conclusion of the workings. He didnt exploit the vein. He extracted only a few kilos and cavered all signs of his activities and from the vein. Despite the efforts of many collectors which visited the finding area afterwards, the vein remained undiscovered. Other veins, which by far worse material offered, were exploited and the rough material was sold.

Inspired of the special exhibition topic “Jasper” of the agate-show 2010 in Niederwörresbach, visited then Dieter Augenthaler, Ruedi Lüssi and I the vein in the year 2009, opened it and dug some fine rough material. The material was contrasting a fine-drawn mossy-like-agate with agate patterns in yellow, red and pastel tones, with ranges of the greens of layer-silicates and creamycolored to blue-violet jasper. From the rough material gem stones from a size up to 110mm diameters could be polished - crack-free and of breath-taking pattern.

More information is in this agate-portrait: Achatporträt: Jaspis – der Rest der bleibt, oder ein Sturm von Bildern und Eindrücken ?

Porcelain-like-agate material in pastel tones of this place of discovery is showing a destinctive characteristic: If it is moistened with water, the colors are intensifieing themselves considerably. Through drying process this effect is lost then over longer time, can however at any time be repeated.