Agate |
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Agate is a type of striped chalcedony quartz that forms in concentric layers in a wide variety of colors and textures. An
individual agate forms by filling a cavity in a "host" rock. As a result, agate often is found as a round nodule, with concentric
bands. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are normally associated with volcanic rocks but can be
common in certain metamorphic rocks. They form in concentric layers and fill cavities in a host rock. The results are round
nodules bands similar to tree trunks and may appear as eyes, scallops, or as landscapes with dendrites that look like trees. This
last type is called Tree Agate or Moss Agate. Many fossils are actually agatized material that replaced an organic substance such
as wood. Many varieties of petrified wood are examples where the original structure has been replaced with agate.
The word Agate comes from the Greek name for a stone originally found in the Achates River in Sicily (currently known as the
Dirillo River). Agate has been found with the remains of Stone Age man in France from as early as 20,000-16,000 BC and the
Egyptians used agates prior to 3000 BC for talismans, amulets, seals, rings and vessels. Early civilizations used eye beads to
protect them from evil and bring good luck. They created eye beads by carving a hole through an agate disc.
Although agate is found all over the world, the most exceptional specimens come from Southern Brazil and Northern Uruguay.
However, the moss agates of Colorado and Montana are equal in beauty and some beautiful specimens have been found in
Mexico and California. A geode type of agate, called "Thunder Egg" by Native American Indians, is found in Oregon. Fire
agates come from Mexico and Arizona. Deposits exist in China, Mexico, India, Madagascar, and the USA along the shores of
Lake Superior. Agates are found all over the world wherever highly pressurized hot water rich in silica filled crevices and vugs.
Often tiny quartz crystals form within the stone and add to the beauty and uniqueness of individual stones. These crystals are
called drusy (sometimes misspelled as druzy).
The outer surface of an agate is rough, pitted and ugly. It hides the beauty of the crystal inside. However, the crust is weak and
somewhat fragile and over centuries it is washed away allowing the gemstone to be discovered along rivers and streams.
Agate occurs in most colors including black, gray, brown, reddish, green, pink, blue, and yellow from transparent to opaque.
Today, many of these stones are artificially dyed to enhance the depth of color and to produce more vivid tones than those
found in nature. If you think the specimen you are looking at is dyed rather than natural don’t be afraid to ask. Reputable sellers
always list whether an agate is dyed or natural. There are thousands of localities worldwide where agate specimens have been
found, many of these are named for the locality. Some areas with exceptionally beautiful specimens have been depleted by over
mining, but because agate is so common there are usually several new discoveries each year.
The following is only a partial listing of the most commonly known varieties:
Banded Agate, Blue Agate, Blue Lace Agate, Botswana Agate, Brecciated Agate, Carnelian Agate, Cloud Agate, Crazy Lace
Agate, Dendritic Agate, Fire Agate, Green Agate, Indian Agate, Laguna Agate, Mexican Lace Agate, Montana Agate, Moss
Agate, Nipomo Agate, Oregon Snake skin Agate, Picture Agate, Plume Agate, Pom Pom Agate, Rainbow Agate, Russian Agate,
Sagenite Agate, Sweetwater Agate, Sonoran Agate, Tree Agate, Wood Agate, Tube Agate, and Turretella Agate.
The hobby of collecting bowls made of agate was popular during the renaissance and this activity was responsible for the
growth of the lapidary industry near Idar-Oberstein in Germany. Although agate beds were originally found in that area, most of
the local deposits were depleted in the nineteenth century. Today the majority of the agate sold in Idar-Oberstein is actually
imported from Brazil. (Native Idar-Oberstein agates are highly sought after and are becoming very valuable)
Many Gem and Mineral shows sponsor old time rock hounds that bring hundreds of geodes to break open with a specially made
tool that splits the geode open leaving the internal material undamaged. Crowds that gather at his booth pay their money, in
hopes of owning a beautiful specimen full of amethyst or citrine crystals. Agate geodes can be very small or very large. The
largest geode ever mined was found in Brazil and weighed almost two tons.
Agate is the state gemstone of: Kentucky (Kentucky Agate); Louisiana and Montana (Agate); Tennessee (Agate); Minnesota
(Lake Superior Agate); Nebraska (Blue Agate); South Dakota (Fairburn Agate) ; Nebraska (Prairie Agate); Arizona (Fire Agate).
Children's marbles were once made of agate and were called "Aggie's", a highly prized marble.
Brazilian agate is found as sizable geodes of layered nodules. These occur in brownish tones inter layered with white and gray.
Quartz forms within these nodules, creating a striking specimen when cut opposite the layered growth axis. It is often dyed in
various colors for ornamental purposes.
Condor agates are a variety of Quartz, mined at an elevation of about 6000 feet in the Andes Mountains of Patagonia,
Argentina. They form in a Rhyolite matrix and are 30 to 50 million years old.
Laguna agate is the most highly praised banded agate in the world. It is a nodular banded agate known for its tight banding and
bright colors. Some Laguna Agate may have over 100 individual bands per inch of surface. The bands may be clear or white or
any other color. Striking color combinations along with subtle color shifts in the banding are common.
Botswana agate is famous for its purple, blue, and white fortification. Botswana agate is mined in Botswana Africa. Influx of
Botswana agate to the US has come to a trickle because of export laws in Africa. These fine agates have been in high demand
for ten years. To promote jobs in Africa rough rock is not allowed to be exported. Only finished goods can be exported.
Dryhead agates are from Montana. These lovely rocks are known for their lovely fortification patterns of orange, red, and
white. Some specimens will have clear bands creating the effect of black banding.
Lace agate is a vein agate found in several remote areas of Northern Mexico in the Sierra Santa Lucia. This stone has also been
called Crazy Lace agate in reference to its many pattern varieties of curved, twisted bands, zig-zags, and sunbursts. Blue Lace
agate is one of the most prized agates and has been hard to find lately. The best Blue Lace Agate comes from Namibia.
Queensland agate is mined in Queensland, Australia. These beautiful agates have colors including reds, blues, yellows, white,
and even pink. These are becoming harder to find with each passing day.
Ellensburg Blue agate is the 3rd rarest gem stone in the world. They are only found in the NW corner of the lower Kittitas
Valley, near Ellensburg, Washington state and in Israel. In Ellensburg it was deposited by glacial movements so the true origin is
unknown at this time. Color ranges from the light, sky blue through a cornflower blue to an almost purple royal blue. Clouds,
streaks, or bands may occur in the stone and graduates from nearly opaque to transparent.
Needles Blue agate has one of the most complex combination of minerals ever found in an agate. They were found at the Blue
Danube Claim near Lake Havasu. First introduced to us by Frank and Maggie McShan of Needles, CA. The story goes that a
man named Ed who had heard of the blue agate through the members of the Needles Gem and Mineral Society Club, who had a
mining claim on this deposit. Ed sent samples of the material to Arizona State University in the '60s to be analyzed. The result
came back with a surprising 21 minerals to make this gemstone! Only 1 other deposit of the like mineral make-up has been
known to be found; and that is in Saudi Arabia. Not much has been found for several years now; and consequently, the product
now sells by the gram, or carat. These specimens have to be cut out of the matrix for the most part. The matrix is "harder-than-
heck" rhyolite.
individual agate forms by filling a cavity in a "host" rock. As a result, agate often is found as a round nodule, with concentric
bands. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are normally associated with volcanic rocks but can be
common in certain metamorphic rocks. They form in concentric layers and fill cavities in a host rock. The results are round
nodules bands similar to tree trunks and may appear as eyes, scallops, or as landscapes with dendrites that look like trees. This
last type is called Tree Agate or Moss Agate. Many fossils are actually agatized material that replaced an organic substance such
as wood. Many varieties of petrified wood are examples where the original structure has been replaced with agate.
The word Agate comes from the Greek name for a stone originally found in the Achates River in Sicily (currently known as the
Dirillo River). Agate has been found with the remains of Stone Age man in France from as early as 20,000-16,000 BC and the
Egyptians used agates prior to 3000 BC for talismans, amulets, seals, rings and vessels. Early civilizations used eye beads to
protect them from evil and bring good luck. They created eye beads by carving a hole through an agate disc.
Although agate is found all over the world, the most exceptional specimens come from Southern Brazil and Northern Uruguay.
However, the moss agates of Colorado and Montana are equal in beauty and some beautiful specimens have been found in
Mexico and California. A geode type of agate, called "Thunder Egg" by Native American Indians, is found in Oregon. Fire
agates come from Mexico and Arizona. Deposits exist in China, Mexico, India, Madagascar, and the USA along the shores of
Lake Superior. Agates are found all over the world wherever highly pressurized hot water rich in silica filled crevices and vugs.
Often tiny quartz crystals form within the stone and add to the beauty and uniqueness of individual stones. These crystals are
called drusy (sometimes misspelled as druzy).
The outer surface of an agate is rough, pitted and ugly. It hides the beauty of the crystal inside. However, the crust is weak and
somewhat fragile and over centuries it is washed away allowing the gemstone to be discovered along rivers and streams.
Agate occurs in most colors including black, gray, brown, reddish, green, pink, blue, and yellow from transparent to opaque.
Today, many of these stones are artificially dyed to enhance the depth of color and to produce more vivid tones than those
found in nature. If you think the specimen you are looking at is dyed rather than natural don’t be afraid to ask. Reputable sellers
always list whether an agate is dyed or natural. There are thousands of localities worldwide where agate specimens have been
found, many of these are named for the locality. Some areas with exceptionally beautiful specimens have been depleted by over
mining, but because agate is so common there are usually several new discoveries each year.
The following is only a partial listing of the most commonly known varieties:
Banded Agate, Blue Agate, Blue Lace Agate, Botswana Agate, Brecciated Agate, Carnelian Agate, Cloud Agate, Crazy Lace
Agate, Dendritic Agate, Fire Agate, Green Agate, Indian Agate, Laguna Agate, Mexican Lace Agate, Montana Agate, Moss
Agate, Nipomo Agate, Oregon Snake skin Agate, Picture Agate, Plume Agate, Pom Pom Agate, Rainbow Agate, Russian Agate,
Sagenite Agate, Sweetwater Agate, Sonoran Agate, Tree Agate, Wood Agate, Tube Agate, and Turretella Agate.
The hobby of collecting bowls made of agate was popular during the renaissance and this activity was responsible for the
growth of the lapidary industry near Idar-Oberstein in Germany. Although agate beds were originally found in that area, most of
the local deposits were depleted in the nineteenth century. Today the majority of the agate sold in Idar-Oberstein is actually
imported from Brazil. (Native Idar-Oberstein agates are highly sought after and are becoming very valuable)
Many Gem and Mineral shows sponsor old time rock hounds that bring hundreds of geodes to break open with a specially made
tool that splits the geode open leaving the internal material undamaged. Crowds that gather at his booth pay their money, in
hopes of owning a beautiful specimen full of amethyst or citrine crystals. Agate geodes can be very small or very large. The
largest geode ever mined was found in Brazil and weighed almost two tons.
Agate is the state gemstone of: Kentucky (Kentucky Agate); Louisiana and Montana (Agate); Tennessee (Agate); Minnesota
(Lake Superior Agate); Nebraska (Blue Agate); South Dakota (Fairburn Agate) ; Nebraska (Prairie Agate); Arizona (Fire Agate).
Children's marbles were once made of agate and were called "Aggie's", a highly prized marble.
Brazilian agate is found as sizable geodes of layered nodules. These occur in brownish tones inter layered with white and gray.
Quartz forms within these nodules, creating a striking specimen when cut opposite the layered growth axis. It is often dyed in
various colors for ornamental purposes.
Condor agates are a variety of Quartz, mined at an elevation of about 6000 feet in the Andes Mountains of Patagonia,
Argentina. They form in a Rhyolite matrix and are 30 to 50 million years old.
Laguna agate is the most highly praised banded agate in the world. It is a nodular banded agate known for its tight banding and
bright colors. Some Laguna Agate may have over 100 individual bands per inch of surface. The bands may be clear or white or
any other color. Striking color combinations along with subtle color shifts in the banding are common.
Botswana agate is famous for its purple, blue, and white fortification. Botswana agate is mined in Botswana Africa. Influx of
Botswana agate to the US has come to a trickle because of export laws in Africa. These fine agates have been in high demand
for ten years. To promote jobs in Africa rough rock is not allowed to be exported. Only finished goods can be exported.
Dryhead agates are from Montana. These lovely rocks are known for their lovely fortification patterns of orange, red, and
white. Some specimens will have clear bands creating the effect of black banding.
Lace agate is a vein agate found in several remote areas of Northern Mexico in the Sierra Santa Lucia. This stone has also been
called Crazy Lace agate in reference to its many pattern varieties of curved, twisted bands, zig-zags, and sunbursts. Blue Lace
agate is one of the most prized agates and has been hard to find lately. The best Blue Lace Agate comes from Namibia.
Queensland agate is mined in Queensland, Australia. These beautiful agates have colors including reds, blues, yellows, white,
and even pink. These are becoming harder to find with each passing day.
Ellensburg Blue agate is the 3rd rarest gem stone in the world. They are only found in the NW corner of the lower Kittitas
Valley, near Ellensburg, Washington state and in Israel. In Ellensburg it was deposited by glacial movements so the true origin is
unknown at this time. Color ranges from the light, sky blue through a cornflower blue to an almost purple royal blue. Clouds,
streaks, or bands may occur in the stone and graduates from nearly opaque to transparent.
Needles Blue agate has one of the most complex combination of minerals ever found in an agate. They were found at the Blue
Danube Claim near Lake Havasu. First introduced to us by Frank and Maggie McShan of Needles, CA. The story goes that a
man named Ed who had heard of the blue agate through the members of the Needles Gem and Mineral Society Club, who had a
mining claim on this deposit. Ed sent samples of the material to Arizona State University in the '60s to be analyzed. The result
came back with a surprising 21 minerals to make this gemstone! Only 1 other deposit of the like mineral make-up has been
known to be found; and that is in Saudi Arabia. Not much has been found for several years now; and consequently, the product
now sells by the gram, or carat. These specimens have to be cut out of the matrix for the most part. The matrix is "harder-than-
heck" rhyolite.
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