Tree Agate

Agate is one of the most common materials used in the art of hardstone carving, and has been recovered at a number of ancient sites, indicating its widespread use in the ancient world; for example, archaeological recovery at the Knossos site on Crete illustrates its role in Bronze Age Minoan culture.

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Product Description

FOUND IN: ARGENTINA, AUSTRALIA, BRAZIL, GERMANY, MEXICO, MOROCCO & USA

Agate is a semi-precious gemstone, and defined as a “banded chalcedony”, or a variety of quartz, filled with a translucent, multicolored chalcedony, some with parallel bands. The composition is silica with a variety of trace elements.  The names of agate varieties are chosen for their appearance or how they are cut. Therefore, there are many agate “varieties”

METAPHYSICAL:
n/a

SCIENTIFIC:
Color: Various, banded or layered
Color of streak: White
Moh’s hardness: 6½-7
Specific gravity: 2.60-2.65
Cleavage: None
Fracture: Uneven
Crystal system: Hexagonal (triagonal)
Chemical composition: SiO2 silicon dioxide
Transparency: Translucent, opaque
Refractive index: 1.544-1.553
Double refraction: +0.009
Dispersion: None
Pleochroism: None
Absorption spectrum: Dyed yellow: 7000, (6650), (6340)
Fluorescence: Varies with bands: partly strong; yellow, blue-white

 

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