Agate is a stone of inexhaustible variety of properties

Agate is unique. No other precious, semi-precious or ornamental stone can boast of so many types, species, subspecies and families.

Name priority - beyond the river?

Agates have been known since ancient times. Pliny believed that the name of the stone comes from a river on the island of Sicily. And today, on the banks of the Dirillo River, formerly called "Achates", it is easy to find colored chalcedony (agates).

Considering that the ancient Greeks valued agate long before the era of geographical discoveries, it is logical to assume that the river got its name from the stones on its banks, and not vice versa.

Ahates - Greek for "happy"

Colored stones are still considered a successful find - what can we say about the times when people still did not know how to synthesize pigments and could not entertain themselves with a multitude of artificial colors. Expeditions were outfitted for agates! The extracted gems were sawn, polished, and then used to decorate interiors and decorate all kinds of products.

The ruler of Syracuse, having ordered a new ship from the craftsmen, demanded that the living decks be laid out with agates, so that the mosaic depicted scenes of an epic nature. The choice of the customer was not accidental: the expressive layering of agate symbolized the diversity of divine protection and promised the goodwill of all the gods of Olympus at once.

In agate - divine power

The ancient Jews were also famous for their mystical power. Decorating the confidant of the Jewish high priest, agate was not lost among the other eleven gems.

The "agate happiness" has not lost its relevance in later times. Agate carvings rose in value to the skies during the Renaissance. The imperial houses of Europe competed in the sophistication of agate jewelry. Jewelers, renowned over the centuries, have gained a reputation, endowing clients with clasps, gems, containers for incense, carved from agates of incredible beauty.

Demand creates supply and forms price

Agate - even the rarest and most beautiful - is inexpensive. Mass production of agate is usually priced at several hundred rubles per unit, although especially expressive products can be sold for one hundred to two hundred dollars.

Collectible samples of a semi-precious stone are the more expensive, the more interesting the shape of the offered specimen. A sawn and polished amygdala (a cavity in a rock), in which silica sediments of thermal waters have been deposited, often looks very impressive. The price of such an agate can reach several hundred dollars - especially if quartz crystals have grown on the chalcedony substrate.

Natural properties of agate

Agate is a stone whose properties largely coincide with those of other silicates. The chemical composition of agate is simple: SiO2 plus all kinds of impurities that determine the color of the layers. The gray tones of quartz and the red-brown colors of iron compounds most often form the color of agates.

Green agates are rare!

In places where nickel is carried to the surface of the planet, green agates are found. The translucent depth of the misty greenery makes this type of stone one of the most artistically valuable.

Rainbow agates are precious

Rainbow agates shine with all the colors of the visible spectrum. Thin sections of rainbow agates are easily translucent, creating the effect of a lively play of light.

Jewelry with rainbow agate is rare and expensive - partly because of the rarity of the gemstone, partly because of the exacting approach of jewelers to setting a non-trivial cabochon.

Among the agates, there are stones, the layering of which is of an extremely curious character. However, most often it is difficult to consider the intricate bends of the layers: the inexpressive coloring does not allow enjoying the fantasy pattern.

Modified agates

The enrichment of agates is a craft that has been profitable throughout the entire existence of mankind. The porous structure of the stone makes the silica susceptible to the effects of dyes. Digestion and soaking of agates in aqueous, fatty and alcoholic solutions changes the aesthetic properties of the stone.

Chrome green agate

Soaking gray agate in a solution of chromium salts, followed by heating at 270 ° C turns the gem into a demanded green stone. The same operation, but with the use of cobalt salts, makes it possible to obtain blue tones of color - despite the fact that blue agate of natural origin does not have cobalt in its composition ...

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