is a type of quartz known as striated chalcedony. Chemically it consists of silicon and oxygen, SiO₂. It has a specific gravity of 2.58-2.64, and a hardness of 7-9 on the Mohs Scale. The mineral was named by Greek philosopher Theophrastus, who found agates along the river Achates sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C.

Agate forms when silica in solution seeps into a cavity in lava and hardens in successive layers. Agate is harder than lava, so as the lava wears away the agates are left behind, usually as rounded pebbles. Agates are usually found in stream beds and gravel banks where volcanic activity was once common, especially in Brazil, Egypt, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Nepal, and the Lake Superior region of the United States.

Agate was once believed to have magical powers, capable of making someone tell the truth, and of improving one's memory and concentration. It is the mythical birthstone for September, the birthstone for the Zodiac sign Gemini, and the accepted gemstone for 12th and 14th wedding anniversaries.

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E.L. Jordan. Hammond Nature Atlas of North America. New York:Hammond Incorporated, 1968.

Bernardine Fine Art Jewelry. www.bernardine.com/gemstones/agates.htm
International Colored Gemstone Association. www.gemstone.org/gem-by-gem/english/agate.html

Mohs Hardness Scale

This page was last updated on 02/22/2010.