Agate

Picture agate displays natural inclusions that formed within the stone in such a way as to create well-defined images. These images have a natural, life-like, picturesque appearance and make picture agate a treasured stone among gemstone lapidaries.

Blue lace agate comes from the Republic of Namibia and Kenya and is known for its powder blue coloring and white parallel wavy bands that resemble lace.

Fortification or Banded Agates have nearly parallel alternating bands of color and is what most people think of as Agate. The most well-known varieties are Blue Lace Agate, Botswana Agate, and Laguna Agate.

Plume agates gets their name from its mineral inclusions that resemble feathers or billowy clouds of smoke. The best-known varieties of plume agate are Bloody Basin, Flame Plume, and Graveyard Point Plume agate.

Moss and tube agates have inclusions that look like moss or enter connecting tubes. Some of the best-known varieties of moss and tube agates are Golden Moss, Indian Green Moss, Horse Canyon, and Rooster Tail agate.

A semitransparent to translucent member of the chalcedony species, iris agate is a phenomenal variety exhibiting an iridescent rainbow-like range of colors throughout the stone. It is highly prized by collectors and designers.

Fire Agate is one of those gems whose beauty and appeal is hard to describe with mere words. A phenomenal gem, it is an opaque variety of chalcedony that exhibits a colorful iridescence. The iridescence is caused by layers of silica and iron oxides, which interfere with the passage of light. Diffraction causes the colorful metallic hues that make this gemstone a favorite of collectors. Its brown body color is also a result of the iron oxide content.

Enhydro agate is agate that has water in the central cavity.

Moss agate is a variety of chalcedony with contrasting white and green moss-like patterns. Its green coloration comes from a mineral called chlorite, while the reds and browns come from manganese oxide or the oxidation of iron hornblende. Moss agate is generally cut into thin slabs and polished to best display its natural patterns. Often moss agate cabochons are used in distinctive jewelry designs.

This agate variety is termed "dendritic" due to its internal collection of dendrites. Dendrites are fern-like inclusions of iron, manganese, or other metallic oxides that create bold patterns within the gem. Typically, dendritic agates are cut into slabs to best exhibit nature's artwork. As you might guess, these pieces are one-of-a-kinds, as no two dendritic patterns are exactly the same.

Sagenitic agate has networks of needle like minerals, embedded secondary crystals or crystal replacements. The term Sagenite comes from the Latin word sagena which translates to “large net”. Some of the best known sagenitic agates are Trent agate and Crazy Lace agate.