All About Agate – Uses, Properties, Color, and Worth

What is agate?

Agate is a rock consisting of very tiny grains of silica. This silica is mostly chalcedony with a mix of micro granular quartz deposited through it.  Agate will exist in different volcanic rocks containing cracks or cavities where these siliceous elements made their way in and remained deposited within the host rock.

Agates are considered semi-precious gemstones, they come in on the Mohs hardness scale at 6.5 to 7.  Some types banding in this gemstone can be rare, and if cut and polished to a nice luster, can be quite valuable.  For many years these rocks have been cut out and traded or adorned.  Those same practices for agate continue today.

Agate Uses

Agate is used as jewelry, figurines, bookends, and other carved out items.  The most common way an agate is used is for display. Cut out cabochons of multi color agate are desired for many rock collectors for their collection.

No two agates are the same and it is easy to play favorites with this type of rock as the patterns that are available are seemingly endless.  Many people will do what is called tumbling of this rock, as agates are absolutely great for tumbling, and when finished, will surprise you with all the visible color you did not know existed.

Jewelry is often a use with agate, especially the more rare versions like crazy lace agate.  Pendants are typical with this gemstone, however earrings, rings, and bracelets are often created as well.

Since larger nodules of this rock can be available, bookends and figurines will be carved out of this rock.  These larger specimens will carry some cost but will likely catch the eye of anyone who sees them and you can bet you will be answering the question of where you got them quite often.

Agate Color

Agate color can range in many different colors such as; white, black, yellows, browns, grays, reds, pinks, and yellows.  These colors are due to the impurities in the water that seeped into the cavities of the volcanic rock.  Some colors of agate are rarer.

Crazy lace agate, which is one of the most sought after agates for collectors, carries an array of colors containing many intricate and interestingly formed bands that bring this rock to life with color and beauty.

Another sought after type of agate is the landscape agate.  This type of agate will display banding that appears to be in the form of a distant landscape with its uniform banding and distinct colors.

Other colors of agate can be manually created.  Being a porous material, agate can easily accept many different color of dyes.  You can often find agate that has been dyed blue, green or other colors.  Typically dyes will be added to give color to an agate, as many specimens of agate have unimpressive colors on their own.

How much is an agate worth?

Agate worth is small and it will depend much on the size and pattern it displays.  Cut cabochons of agate can value in price at a $1 to $2 or more for the whole rock.  If it is tumbled agate, each specimen may be below $1 a piece.

The size and how it is cut will also play a role on value of agate.  The prices of agate can be fairly affordable, but when you get into more intricate patterns from specific locations value and worth can go up.  As for cost per carat, these rocks do not typically range in any sort of price per carat but will sell primarily on appearance, cut, and size. 

Crazy lace agate and landscape agate will fetch a higher prices.  A nice oval cut piece of this that can fit in the palm of your hand could cost you $5 to $20 or even more.  These types of specimens can even be cut out into thin slices for display and can roughly cost you about the same as a cut and polished cabochon.

Agate cut and polished for jewelry will cost even more.  These are agates that should be top of the line and have a very nice look and polish.  Along with whatever precious metal it is attached to, you can expect some agate jewelry to get up to $100 or more.

With those of you that might have more money to spend, you can find items like agate surface end tables, lamps, or even carved out skulls.  Be ready to fork over several thousand dollars for these breathtaking pieces as you are not only paying for the rock itself, but the time it took to carve or cut out and polish these larger pieces.

How is agate formed?

Agate is formed from various volcanic rocks containing cracks or cavities where siliceous elements entered in. Layers will form as they accumulate in the rock in time. Different impurities within these multiple layers give the agate some contrast in color.

Deposits into rocks can be in a larger formation, where a larger cavity will fill up and create larger agate nodules with some variations.  Bubbles or gaps in the silica filling can form and create a geode effect where crystals can be seen. 

Where can Agate be found?

Agate can be found in many places around the world, some notable places include; Africa, Australia, Brazil, Germany, Mexico, Scotland and in the USA states of Arizona, California, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, and Utah.

How to spot an Agate

The best way to spot an agate is by its distinct layered banding occurring throughout the stone. The color in the individual bands for agate will often be contrasting shades visible to the eye.

Along with some slight transparency, these two features about agate will also help you determine the difference between agate and jasper. Both Agate and Jasper can have a similar look and color and this can be a more difficult determination for amateur rock collectors or rockhounders.

In the picture with the three rocks above, if you guessed the center one, you are right. The banding on the agate is very minimal but you can see evidence of the transparency with the white and the red band. The rock on the left is a pretty purple jasper and the rock on the right… Could contain some agate in it like the main picture…

Agate Types are Many

Agate types are many and it can be hard to remember all of them. Some of the types of agate include; Banded, Brecciated, Dendritic, Dot and Eye, Flame, Flower or Bouquet, Fortification, Lace or Lattice, Moss, Plume, Sagenite, Snowflake, Tube, Waterline, Iris, and, Pseudomorphic.