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Agate
Agate is the name given to a wide selection of varieties of chalcedony, a form of quartz. Many agates are naturally coloured, while others are stained for decorative effect. Click here to view Agate Jewellery at Astley Clarke. Agate is formed by filling a cavity in a host rock and as a result, agate is often found in the form of rounded nodules or geodes, with concentric bands like the ring of a tree trunk. These bands can create stunning, picturesque effects and because this is so variable, different types of agate have been given many different descriptive names. Moss agate, for example, has a plant-like pattern on its surface.
When split or sliced, these geodes show their banding to brilliant effect. In some geodes there is a central cavity, while in others the centre is hollow – as a result, the Indians of the western American states called agate nodules "thunder eggs".
Agate can be found in many different colours, from grey through green to rich dark red tones. Agate sometimes contains organic material which has been fossilized – over time the organic material is replaced so that its shape remains. Fossilised or petrified wood is an unusual and attractive form of agate.
Agate was highly valued as a talisman in ancient times and is held to have considerable powers in many traditions – it is believed to cure the stings of scorpions and the bites of snakes, soothe the mind, prevent contagion, quench thirst and still thunder and lightning. Persian magi are known to have prized agate rings, using them, amongst other things to divert storms.
An extensive collection of three thousand agate bowls amassed by Mithridates, king of Pontus, demonstrates the popularity of agate and the agate bowls found in European museums, including the Louvre, show the enthusiasm with which they were collected by European royalty during the Renaissance.
Click here to viewContemporary Designer Jewelleryat Astley Clarke
When split or sliced, these geodes show their banding to brilliant effect. In some geodes there is a central cavity, while in others the centre is hollow – as a result, the Indians of the western American states called agate nodules "thunder eggs".
Agate can be found in many different colours, from grey through green to rich dark red tones. Agate sometimes contains organic material which has been fossilized – over time the organic material is replaced so that its shape remains. Fossilised or petrified wood is an unusual and attractive form of agate.
Agate was highly valued as a talisman in ancient times and is held to have considerable powers in many traditions – it is believed to cure the stings of scorpions and the bites of snakes, soothe the mind, prevent contagion, quench thirst and still thunder and lightning. Persian magi are known to have prized agate rings, using them, amongst other things to divert storms.
An extensive collection of three thousand agate bowls amassed by Mithridates, king of Pontus, demonstrates the popularity of agate and the agate bowls found in European museums, including the Louvre, show the enthusiasm with which they were collected by European royalty during the Renaissance.
Click here to viewContemporary Designer Jewelleryat Astley Clarke
