WHERE DO THESE AGATES COME FROM? The answer is Brazil. Note how the patterns in both rocks are in horizontal bands indicating that the layers were deposited horizontally in the host rock’s cavity, but the layers are not smooth, possibly, in the case of the crazy lace, due to minerals being deposited on one chalcedony layer before being covered by another. The top is African blue lace agate from Namibia and the bottom is one of the many types of “crazy lace” agates from Mexico that vary in colour and pattern. Both are “lace” agates because of their lacy patterns. CAN YOU NAME THESE AGATES? These are two of the most easily recognised agates. Most likely the silica impregnated this rock after layers of silt had already formed. The rose quartz stone on the right is formed from a mass of visible rose quartz crystals, and the bottom stone from near Port Alberni lacks the translucency of an agate and could be called jasper as it has some silica in it (see the white quartz patch?), but obviously contains a lot of other minerals to make it opaque and multicoloured. It’s an agate because it’s made of quartz (cannot be scratched by a penknife), is translucent, shows some banding (the outer layer is a lighter colour than the inner one) and no visible crystals can be seen within the bands although visible crystals line the cavity inside the nodule. WHICH OF THESE STONES IS AN AGATE? The answer is the top left stone, which is a broken nodule of carnelian (because of its orange-brown colour) agate from Oregon. Obviously, your average rockhound can’t see the microscopic arrangement of quartz crystals, so most identify agates by intuition, experience, and convention, which is what we will do here. There has recently been an attempt to define an agate more scientifically, with the suggestions that a true agate has its microscopic quartz crystals arranged in fibres, whereas these crystals in jasper, chert and flint are granular. The general name for cryptocrystalline quartz is chalcedony (pronounced kalcedony ), and non-banded forms coloured by small amounts of certain minerals are give special names, such as carnelian (orange due to iron impurities) and chrysoprase (green due to nickel impurities) although carnelian showing banding may also be considered an agate. To complicate matters further, translucent quartz stones without banding are often called agates, and any rock or fossil with a high level of cryptocrystalline quartz is often said to be ‘agatized’. However, the distinction between agates and jaspers and other rocks can be blurred some jaspers have patches of banded agate, and many of our opaque local rocks that are called jaspers have rather little silica compared to the famous ‘porcelain’ jaspers found in the U.S. Agates are usually recognised by being translucent with distinct bands, while jaspers, flint and chert generally do not show bands and contain high levels of minerals that make them more opaque.
This means that the quartz is in the form of ‘micro crystals’ that cannot be seen with the naked eye. WHAT IS AN AGATE? Agates, like jasper, flint and chert, are made of cryptocrystalline quartz (silicon dioxide = silica). So here is a short quiz and some pointers of what to look for. Opalite Ganesha can be your ideal meditation partner, help to reduce fatigueness and provide mental clarity.Cowichan Valley Rockhounds Agates are my favourite stones to collect, cut and polish, and even new rockhounds can recognise some of the more distinctive agates with relatively little knowledge. Rose Quartz Ganesha will bring unconditional love into your lives, fill your aura with peace, harmony and positivity. Yellow Aventurine Ganesha will offer powerful protection, support manifestation and bring balance. Green Jade Ganesh will instill wisdom, ward off evil, promote courage and make one compassionate. Crystal Ganesh Idols for Home/ Office/ Car Dashboard: You can choose a Crystal Ganesha to cater to your needs from an array of crystal choices available at Shubhanjali Store like: Green Aventurine Ganesha will open a realm of new opportunities in all areas of your love, bring prosperity and help you find your soulmate. Elephants are considered a symbol of good luck, wisdom, fertility, and protection. Ganesha also stands as a symbol of wisdom, protection and prosperity. Lord Ganesha is renowned for removing obstacles in one’s life. These Ganesh Murtis also have various benefits and healing properties based on the crystals used to carve them. Crystal Ganesh Idols are ideal to offer praise and worship. Crystal Ganesha Idols (Ganpati Murti) Online Celebrate the auspicious festival of Ganesh Chaturthi with handcrafted idols created using premium quality crystals.
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