Collection: Banded agate

Banded agate is a variety of agate, a semiprecious stone belonging to the quartz family (more precisely chalcedony). It is characterized by its concentric or parallel bands or striations of different colors, which often create very aesthetic patterns.

Characteristics of Banded Agate

• Colors: It can come in a wide range of natural colors: white, gray, blue, brown, red, green, pink, and even black. The bands are usually alternating with light and dark tones.

• Structure: The bands result from successive deposits of silica in rock cavities, sometimes over millions of years. Each layer represents a change in geological conditions.

• Hardness: It has a hardness of 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, which makes it relatively tough.

Geological origin

Agate forms in volcanic rocks, such as basalts or lavas, when silica-rich solutions seep into cavities and crystallize in successive layers. This process can take thousands to millions of years.

Uses

• Jewelry: Widely used for making pendants, bracelets, cabochons and decorative objects.

• Lithotherapy: In esotericism, banded agate is considered a stone of anchoring and balance. It is attributed with calming, protective, and emotionally stabilizing properties.

• Ornament: Also used in carving, inlaying or seal making since Antiquity.

Historical anecdote

The first agates were identified on the banks of the Achates River (now Dirillo) in Sicily. Hence the name "agate"