What is the best way to open a geode?
There are several ways to break open geodes. These ways are described below. First, we do want to stress that Keokuk area geodes especially should not be sawed open, as this process always destroys interior minerals such as calcites or selenite blades if the minerals are along the path of the saw blade. Cracking the geode may avoid these crystals as well as giving the shell of the geode a more natural look. Mexican “coconut” geodes, however, can be sawed open but you still run the risk of damaging interior minerals. Many of these geodes, however, do look very attractive polished. Below I will describe the most popular methods to opening geodes (besides sawing them). There are many different ways to open a geode, but no matter how you do it, the key is PATIENCE, PATIENCE, PATIENCE! If you want the geode to break into two halves, you absolutely CANNOT just hit it as hard as you want to with a hammer! If it is hollow, you will be left with pieces in most cases, not two halves! HAMMER/CHIS
