I first heard in Idar-Oberstein by the collector Dieter Augenthaler from the collecting-site "Rübenmühle". He had luck on this site in the 1980s years and could find and exploit an enrichment of colored agate-nodules of exceptional quality. Due to its detailed information I had success in this area too. By a happy coincidence, I got even a permit to dig at the “Rübenmühle” by the forest owners, which sanctioned my work after an enlightening conversation.

In the entire area of the“Rübenmühle”, agate nodules can be found up to a size of 10 cm (in the average 40 mm). However most are not colored, mostly glass nuts or nodules filled completely with carbonates. You must dig often literally through layers of "numb nuts" through to then advance into a zone in which the agates are pigmented. However these zones are usually small ("bucket large"). The best agate nodules are sitting in the solid and tough andesite.

Over the years two places on the “Rübenmühle” are of particular interest:

1. the so-called ”Ofen” an outcrop situated right in the middle of the woods. In the upper layers he offered some with white banded agates (due to weathering), showing also parallel bands, so-called "Uruguay agate bands" in addition to fortification banding. Among them was a bank of very hard andesite, where I gained my first colorful agates. We completely dismantled these rocks in the aftermath with colleagues.

2. the second place was opened up in the eastern region in a disused quarry by Ruedi Lüssi. In a first campaign he could carry lovely nodules, as long as it was allowed by the overlaying dirt. In the year 2010 I ioned his works, because a large amount of overburden was to remove. For an exposed layer area of approximately 2 m ², we had about 12 m ³ rocksto move away.

A third point on an episodic water-conducting channel ("Iwo Jima"), worked by us was the original site of Dieter Augenthaler from the 1980s. In addition to hundreds of glass nuts we found only a single agate with beautiful pattern. (21).

The agates of the“Rübenmühle” are characterized by intense colors and interesting structures. Good specimen are also free of cracks. However, the most beautiful agates of this site are rarely larger than 40 mm. Spontaneous superficial findings cannot be made at the time, even small finds demand a huge amount of work.

It is forbidden to enter the area without permission of the landowners !