Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 5: The sledgehammer method
• Method 2 of 5: The chisel method
• Method 3 of 5: The blow method
• Method 4 of 5: The chain pipe cutter
• Method 5 of 5: The diamond circular saw method
• Tips
• Warnings

If you find a geode (a spherical piece of hollow rock with crystals or visible lines on the inside), you naturally want to break it open as safely and cleanly as possible. Each geode is unique and can contain anything from clear crystals of pure quartz to amethyst crystals of a rich purple, or perhaps agate, chalcedony or minerals like dolomite. Fortunately, there are several ways you can break open a geode ...

To step

1. Put on safety glasses before trying to break open a geode.

Method 1 of 5: The sledgehammer method

1. Put the geode in a sock and lay it on the floor.
2. Grab a small sledgehammer or geologist's hammer (rather not a hammer used in construction, such as a claw hammer) and hit the center of the top of the geode. It may take a few blows to break open the rock completely. This will likely break the geode into more than two pieces, but it is the best method for children, although not recommended for particularly precious / rare geodes.

Method 2 of 5: The chisel method

1. Grab a stone chisel, center it on top of the rock, then hit it with a small sledgehammer that you can hold in one hand. Beat gently so that you only carve the rock.
2. Rotate the rock slightly and hit it again to create a fracture line that encircles the rock.
3. Repeat as needed to split open the rock. Patience is most important here; if the geode is hollow it will probably take a few minutes of gentle chiselling to open it, while a solid geode will take a little longer.

Method 3 of 5: The blow method

1. Hit the geode with another, larger geode. This only works well if you hold the rock you hit with in your palm. Only use this method for small geodes the size of a golf ball.

Method 4 of 5: The chain pipe cutter

1. Use a chain pipe cutter. This commonly used plumbing tool allows you to split a geode symmetrically - that is, into two equal halves. Wrap the tool's bicycle chain-style chain around your geode.
2. Wrap the chain tightly around the geode, then reinsert it into the tool.
3. Squeeze the handle to apply even pressure on the stone around the geode. The stone should break cleanly in half. (This is the least destructive way that you get a geode open, and one that keeps the geode mostly in its natural shape.)

Method 5 of 5: The diamond circular saw method

1. Use a diamond circular saw to cut the geode open and / or cut it in half. (Note that oil can corrode the inside of certain geodes.))

Tips

• Geodes that rattle when shaken can be hollow and contain loose crystals, such as quartz crystals.
• Place the geode on a larger rock at ground level, or on sand (never on wood, so not on a picnic table or the deck of a ship), to be able to hit the geode as safely and accurately as possible with your tools.
• Sometimes smaller geodes are not hollow, but still beautiful. Even filled geodes can be chock-full of beautifully striped agates.

Warnings

• Always exercise caution and follow standard amateur geology safety regulations and the use of dedicated tools. Pay attention to the people (or animals) who follow you as you break open your geode, as flying rocks can injure your audience. Enjoy your geodes, with safety in mind.