Ask anyone on the North Shore what their favorite rock is and there’s a decent chance they’ll say it’s the Lake Superior agate. Always an exciting find, agates have become emblematic of the Lake Superior region. But for Erik Rasmussen of Silver Bay, agates are something more. The owner and founder of Floodbay Agates, Rasmussen is passionate not only about jewelry making but about the local rocks that make each piece special.
Rasmussen’s interest in agate jewelry goes back to the years when he was growing up in South Dakota. His grandfather, an avid agate hunter who made jewelry, lived in the Twin Cities. When Rasmussen would visit, he would take him out agate picking at local gravel pits. It was then that Rasmussen caught the agate-hunting bug that has stuck with him ever since. His interest in agates served as the launching pad for his journey into jewelry making.
“I met a silversmith who was interested in thomsonite that I had,” Rasmussen said. “I had always wanted to learn to make a silver ring, so he showed me how to do one piece and I’ve done it on my own since then.”
Rasmussen has been setting jewelry for about 10 years, and along the way has turned his interest in stones into the business Floodbay Agates, where he makes handcrafted rings and pendants. After learning the ropes of making jewelry, he started an Etsy account and Facebook page, and through sharing his work online got connected with retailers around Lake Superior who were interested in his work, including Weldon’s Gifts in Two Harbors and Ricky Rocks and Jem on Madeline Island.
For Rasmussen, the creative process starts in the great outdoors. Although he does purchase some raw stones, rockhounding is his passion; he typically hunts for agates in local rivers, and has amassed a large collection of stones such as agates, thomsonite, and Isle Royale greenstone. Although many people picture the classic, red-and-white banded agate when they think of Lake Superior agates, Rasmussen is fascinated by the huge variety found in agates. Lake Superior agates range in color from white and red to blue and black, and come in a variety of patterns. Some alternate patterns include moss agates, with irregular, swirled bands; paint agates, which aren’t as translucent and look like their bright colors are painted on; and sagenite agates, with distinctive, spike-like bands.
Once ready to start the jewelry making process, Rasmussen gets started with cutting the raw stone, taking care not to get a fractured piece, a feat that can be tricky with Lake Superior agates.
“You work your way around the factures and pick a nice spot on your slab and cut around it. By the time I’m done slabbing it, it typically takes about half an hour to pop out a cab and get it polished and ready to go,” he said.
Once the agate is how he likes it, Rasmussen then works on setting the piece. His preferred style is simple, clean sets where the stone can stand out. The process from cutting the stone to having the finished piece ready takes him about one to two hours.
“Lake Superior agates are my favorite pieces to do,” he said. “You can’t go wrong with a classic red and white agate. I also like greenstone—it has such a gorgeous pattern to it, you can’t help but look at it. But agates have a lot of variety.”
Throughout his journey making jewelry, Rasmussen said that his favorite thing has been meeting and working with customers who are also passionate about rocks.
“I have a lot of people who will send me a rock they’ve found and want a piece made that captures that moment for them,” he said.
Rasmussen’s work can be found on Facebook under Floodbay Agates.llc, or visit: floodbayagates.vistaprintdigital.com.
