Tag Archives: agate

Fire Agate

Fire Agate

Fire Agate

Agate is a form of chalcedony or microcrystalline quartz which forms in layers in a remarkable variety of colors and textures.

Indeed agate has an even longer history, since the Egyptians used agate as a gemstone more than 3,000 years ago. But one of the rarest forms of agate, fire agate, has been available commercially only in the last 60 years.

Fire Agate is a layered stone. The layers are small enough that light entering them forms interference colors known as “fire.” Fire agate is a brown agate which has a botryoidal or grape-like growth form. What is special about fire agate is that it contains layers of plate-like crystals of iron oxide (limonite) in various planes. The iridescent colors of red, gold, green and, occasionally, blue-violet, result from interference between diffracted light rays traveling through and reflecting from these thin layers.

Fire agate is a brown agate which has a botryoidal or grape-like growth form. What is special about fire agate is that it contains layers of plate-like crystals of iron oxide (limonite) in various planes. The iridescent colors of red, gold, green and, occasionally, blue-violet, result from interference between diffracted light rays traveling through and reflecting from these thin layers.

Fire agate is found in the southwestern United States and Mexico. It is used for jewelry, figures, sculptures, beads, and many cultures believe Fire Agates contain mystical properties, and will grant the wearer health and protection.

Fire Agate has a deep calming energy that brings security and safety. It is a protection stone with strong grounding powers. Fire agate is believe to heals the stomach, nervous, endocrine systems, strengthens night vision and reduces hot flashes.

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Dendritic Agate, The Tree Inside The Stone

Dendritic Agate

Dendritic Agate

Dendritic agate is a whitish-gray or colorless chalcedony with tree- or fern-like markings known as dendrites. The variety name agate is used for this gem even though it does not exhibit the banding typical of agate.

Agate is a form of microcrystalline quartz. It is usually formed in nodules and has transparent, or translucent portions. As with all of the other species in the quartz family, agate takes a high polish with cerium oxide. This material does have some fractures.

Dendritic agate can be tricky to cut because the dendrite inclusions occur at various depths in the rough stone. The lapidary needs to cut the material to expose the most interesting patterns.

Because of its dendritic inclusions, dendritic agate bears some similarities to moss opal. But dendritic agate is not called moss agate. In fact there is a another gemstone called moss agate, which has inclusions of green hornblende in moss-like patterns.

Dendritic agate deposits are found in Brazil, India, Madagascar, the USA, Mexico and Khazakstan.

Place one of the stone anywhere that you want to encourage abundance and fullness.

Some of the benefits of tree agate include:

* Enhances the health of house plants
* Creates a peaceful environment
* Deepens your connection to the earth

Be patient when using dendritic agate. It works slowly and takes time to be effective. Use it to encourage a more centered viewpoint in life.

Healers use tree agate to align and correct anything with branches (such as blood vessels, nerves, skeletal disorders). Place it on a point of pain for relief.

Dendritic Agate is believed to aid in communication with nature. It is associated with the protection of the earth, rain, prosperity, abundance, healing, restoration and creativity. It said to improve self esteem and emotional balance.

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Types Of Agate

Types Of Agate

Types Of Agate

Agate is a beautiful mineral that occurs in an amazing variety of colors, shapes and patterns. Agate is a unique stone that is part of the quartz family.

It is important to note that there are many types of Agate, in fact Agate types are created each year. They are mainly coined new terms for marketing purposes and can consist of the following names: Blue Lace Agate, Eye Agate, Irish Agate, Rainbow Agate and Snake Skin Agate, among many others.

Fortification Agate

This is the most common and distinctive type of agate. In these agates, bands crystallized into concentric layers that more or less follow the shape of the cavity. The banding resembles an aerial view of a fort.

Water-Line Agate (also called water-level or onyx)

During its formation, silica-rich solution either entered the cavity slowly laying one band at a time, excess water drained out leaving a small amount of silica to settle out into separate bands, or the vesicle filled under low pressure. In any case, the silica crystallization in water-level agates is controlled by gravity in one orientation, forming a stack up of parallel bands.

Shadow Agate

Some agates exhibit a shadow effect in which there is what appears to be movement across the agate layers when the specimen is rocked back and forth (or your orientation to the specimen moves). This optical effect only occurs when there are alternating translucent and opaque bands. It is caused when light goes into the agate, but is not reflected out.

Tube Agate

Tube Agate During the formation of some agates, parallel projections of tiny hair-thin mineral rods grow first within the silica gel, around which later the chalcedony agate micro-crystals form. In some cases the inclusions remain, but sometimes they weather away leaving hollow tubes that subsequently fill in with silica.

Eye Agates

This mysterious agate characteristic is believed to be formed when most of the silica gel drains from the cavity, leaving only a droplet that “beads up” on the inside wall of the cavity. This droplet crystallizes into solid chalcedony “eyes”. In some cases, crystal growth will continue from this droplet in a manner similar to the formation of stalactites in caves. Later, the pocket fills in with the usual deposition of chalcedony microcrystals.

Plume Agate

These agates initially had formations on their outside layer that formed prior to the deposition of chalcedony bands. They are filament growths of mineral inclusions that resemble ferns or feathers.

Geode Agate

Geode Agate In some cases the supply of silica-rich water runs out before the entire cavity fills in. When there is a hollow center within a crystalline outer fill, the specimen is considered a geode. Not all geodes have agate banding, but many do. Also, the inner layers can form into several different types of silica mineral crystals and may even have other types of mineral crystals.

Moss Agate

Moss Agate Moss agates have clusters of mineral inclusions that resemble plants, trees, or landscapes. Most moss agate inclusions are comprised of iron or manganese oxide. In some cases, the inclusions inhibit chalcedony banding allowing the mineral clusters free reign to grow within the silica gel.

Seam Agate

Seam agates for in cracks within host rock, rather than in rounder pockets. The bands form in parallel rows that follow and fill in the crack or seam.

These types of Agate are usually create into beautiful stones that are then placed on rings, as charms, bracelets, necklaces, brooches, dream catchers etc. Agate is very strong, resists acid and is an excellent stone to work with when it comes to jewelry. Agate is also used in beautiful mosaics and picture frames.

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Agate Stone

Agate Stone

Agate Stone

Agate is a variety of silica quartz, part of chalcedony, it characterized by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks but can be common in certain metamorphic rocks. The colorful agates and other chalcedonies were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now called Dirillo, in Sicily.

Theophrastus was the person who given the name of Agate around 3rd or 4th Century BC, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates.

Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hard stone carving, and it has been recovered at a number of ancient sites.

There are some colors among the agate, and each of it have different function when it is used by the user. The types of Agate are:

– A Mexican agate, showing only a single eye, has received the name of cyclops agate. Included matter of a green, golden, red, black or other color or combinations embedded in the chalcedony and disposed in filaments and other forms suggestive of vegetable growth, gives rise to dendritic or moss agate

– Turritella agate is formed from silicified fossil Elimia tenera (erroneously considered Turritella) shells.

– Greek agate is a name given to pale white to tan colored agate found in Sicily back to 400 B.C. The Greeks used it for making jewelry and beads.

– Brazilian agate, occur in brownish tones interlayered with white and gray.

– Other forms of agate include Lake Superior agate, carnelian agate (usually exhibiting reddish hues), Botswana agate, Ellensburg blue agate, blue lace agate, plume agates, tube agate (with visible flow channels), fortification agate (which exhibit little or no layered structure), fire agate (which seems to glow internally like an opal) and Mexican crazy-lace agate (which exhibits an often brightly colored, complex banded pattern) also called Rodeo Agate and Rosetta Stone depending on who owned the mine at the time.

Mystically, lue lace agate is a gentle, calming stone that engenders tranquility. Blue lace agate brings with this calm and tranquility a lessening of anger, even deep anger issues, and a calming of nervousness.

Blue lace agate is considered a stone of communication. It can ease the harsh edge off communication in difficult times, enhance public speaking, and smooth discussions. It also brings tactfulness to speech and written communications. Blue lace agate is used in crystal healing to reduce or cure stuttering and other nervous speech habits and patterns.

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