Agate
What is agate?
Agate is a mineral that forms in igneous rock and lava. It generally occurs as geodes, or nodules.

It is one of the many types of microcrystalline quartz formations, known as chalcedony, which is made up of the chemical silicon dioxide, although the various different types of agate often contain impurities which give them their unique appearance.

Hardness
Agate measures 7 on the Moh scale of hardness which means that it will scratch glass (a diamond is 10 on the Moh scale).

Types of agate
There are a number of different types of agate, either named from where they are found, or more usually, their physical appearance. These different types include:

Banded agate - an opaque or translucent form with concentric bands seperated by bands of clear quartz crystals.

Moss Agate - An opaque, usually whitish in form of agate that has darkened areas of impurities resembling moss or plant growth in it

Fortification Agate - Similar to banded agate, but with adjacent concentric rings, resembling fortresses

Landscape Agate - Similar to Moss agate, but with the dark impurities along the length of the rock, looking like a landscape

Fire agate - A form of agate that has iron impurities within it, giving a sparkly effect

How is agate formed?
Agate is usually formed by deposits of silicon dioxide dripping out of the igneous rocks and forming crystals in pockets inside the igneous rock or lava. As erosion takes place, the nodules of agate appear as geodes, which can then be split open, or sawn in half, to expose their crystalline interiors.

Where is Agate found?
Agate is found all around the world

Lapidary Agate is a very beautiful and popular stone. It can be polished in a stone tumbler, sawn and polished into a cabochon, or even faceted.

Want to buy some rough agate for tumbling?
Just click on the picture below

Uses for agate Agate is often turned into stone jewelry, such as agate rings, agate earings, bracelets or necklaces.
If you are interested in seeing or buying some earings, good examples can be found at
www.ukge.co.uk

It is also used for ornaments, such as decorative polished agate slices, sliced geodes, agate beads and marbles.
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