Fife Agates

Arguably the most famous agate area in Scotland, Fife produces agates of stunning quality! Plume, fortification , onyx and eye agates can all be found in Fife, with each of the following locations having their own distinct agate type.

Cupar Agates

A location famous for it’s excellent variety of banded and coloured agates has often been compared with the famous ‘Fairburn’ agates of Dakota in the United States of America. The town is situated on the northern side of Fife and is a convenient place to visit numerous other locations. Cupar agates are mainly fortification and although strongly leaning toward pinks and reds, there are many different colours to be found with superb banding and also lovely pastel shades.

Tentsmuir Agates

Go as far as you can to the North East tip of Fife and you will find the lovely location of Tentsmuir, which is home to one of the largest nature reserves in Scotland, just next to the mouth of the river Tay. Agates of all kinds can be found here, but particularly special are the plume agates in red or white. It is a wonderful agate location and a great day out walking!

Luthrie & Balmerino

These are small villages on the northern coast of Fife where fine agates have been collected here for many years. Most of the agates have been found in fields around Luthrie after ploughing in the Autumn. The agates at Luthrie are smaller than your average Scottish agate but are usually strikingly marked, with lovely pink to brown shades predominating. Balmerino is slightly further North than Luthrie, and right on the shoreline of the river Tay, overlooking Dundee. Agates weathered from the surrounding lava can easily be found on the beach. The surrounding Scurr hill is still one of the best locations in Scotland to locate moss agate (pictured above).

Middlefield Farm

Middlefield Farm lies just north east of Cupar and the agates found here are brilliant yellow, red and orange colours, with fortification type being the norm. They are quite unique and different from other Scottish agates, and are highly sought after by collectors.