What are the types of agate?

Types of Agate

  • Fortification Agate. This is the most common and distinctive type of agate.
  • Water-Line Agate (also called water-level or onyx)
  • Shadow Agate.
  • Tube Agate.
  • Eye Agates.
  • Plume Agate.
  • Geode Agate.
  • Moss Agate.

What kind of gemstone is agate?

chalcedony
Agate is a variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. Translucency, patterns of color, or moss-like inclusions may distinguish this stone from other forms of chalcedony. Agates can show a wide variety of vivid, multiple colors.

Is agate a stone or a gemstone?

Agate is a banded form of finely-grained, microcrystalline Quartz. The lovely color patterns and banding make this translucent gemstone very unique. Agates can have many distinctive styles and patterns, but each Agate is unique in its own habit, with no two Agates being the same.

How do I know what type of agate I have?

Look for translucence in the stone. If the stone has been broken and you can see telltale traces of a quartz-like mineral along with the red, brown and orange color that comes with many types of agate, there is a good chance that you have an unpolished agate. Examine the stone for banding.

Which agate is best?

Dendritic Agate It’s called the Plentitude Stone. It is considered to be the most valuable form of agate. Dendritic agate is associated with the ancient dryads of Greece.

Is onyx and agate the same?

Agate and onyx are both varieties of layered chalcedony that differ only in the form of the bands: agate has curved bands and onyx has parallel bands. The colors of its bands range from black to almost every color. Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.

What is the natural color of agate?

Agate occurs in a wide range of colors, which include brown, white, red, gray, pink, black, and yellow. The colors are caused by impurities and occur as alternating bands within the agate. The different colors were produced as groundwaters of different compositions seeped into the cavity.

Are agates expensive?

Most agates are cheap ($1 – $10), but some can be very expensive ($100 – $3000) depending on their type, colors, and the location where they were found. Tumbled agate is automatically more expensive than raw agate and those with very vibrant colors, fine bands or are found in one place only also cost more.

Is jasper the same as agate?

Agate is any type of chalcedony which is translucent, while jasper is any type of chalcedony which is opaque.

Why are agates so special?

The stone itself is distinguished by impressive shades of natural colors and contrast in the band patterns it contains. The characteristic band patterns—which begin at the center of the rock and move outwards like the rings on a tree—are visually dynamic.

Which color agate is best?

GREEN AGATE This variety of agate helps one to make decisions more quickly, and also increases vitality and strength, especially in times when it is lacking. Green agate is said to bring courage to its wearer.