Susan asks…
How can I make an agate slice into a necklace?
I have a beautiful pink slice of agate that I would like to make a necklace out of, but I don't know how to make it into a pendant. I tried drilling a hole in it but the stone was too hard. Maybe I'm not doing something right? I also thought about glueing a hook to it, but don't know what kind of glue would stick well to the smooth surface. I have seen agate slice necklaces all over the web, so there must be a way to do it. Any ideas?
admin answers:
Diamond bit for your drill will put a hole in it. But I wouldn't do that.
I would cage the aggie slice! There are wire wrapping techniques that have the very fine wire meshed around the edges of sliced rocks. This is what I would do for this aggie slice!
You Tube has some very good instructional videos on how to do these things, and your local bead or crafting outlet should have books on how to do it also.
I am jealous that you have a pink aggie to make into a necklace!!
Charles asks…
What is the visual difference between jasper and agate?
I have a large cabochon used for a bolo. I believe these were very popular back in the 50's and 60's hence the cheap bezel. The stone is beautiful rust, browns, greys and see through at the grey areas. I do know they are both from the crystal family. But when does one become a jasper and the other an agate
admin answers:
Most agates and all jaspers are from the quartz family. There are technical differences, but the easiest way is to say that if you can see through it, it is more likely an agate. Actually, crystal is not a family, it is the way the mineral forms. Jasper does not form in crystals. If there are crystals in your bolo, it is going to be an agate.
William asks…
What is the difference between chalcedony, onyx, and agate?
I was wondering if anybody knows the difference between chalecdony, onyx, and agate. I know that they're all a type of quartz, but could not find any real differences between the three minerals. I have to classify these minerals for Science Olympiad, and their guidelines list them as two distinct minerals(quartz: Agate/onyx and quartz: chalcedony).I did some research, but it all seems to contradict with each other. If anybody could please clarify, that would be great!
admin answers:
Chalcedony is the family name of a group of microcrystalline quartzes, confusingly chalcedony is also the name of one of the family members. The only real difference is the colour, and the banding patterns. The names are traditional rather than geological, the rocks having been used for jewellry and ornamentation long before geology was thought of.
Agate is asymetrically banded with a wide range of colours
Onyx has parallel bands and is predominantly black/white
Chalcedony has a bluish colour.
Sandy asks…
How to determine if my agate is genuine?
My agate has rings of purple like a tree bark. There are translucent bands in between.
admin answers:
Agate is such a common stone that no one bothers to produce a synthetic version. You mention that the colour is purple - this is not a natural colour for agate and indicates that the basic stone is natural agate which has been stained by a chemical process. The reason that it is possible to stain agate is that although it looks solid it is in fact a mass of micro crystals which have minute gaps between them which are just big enough for the liquid stain to penetrate. Almost all the brightly coloured agates you see today are treated this way.
Lisa asks…
What type of crystal is in an agate that I found?
This is a large lake superior agate that I found in Minnesota. There is some clear quartz in the rock. I was looking very closely, and I noticed that inbetween the edge of the quartz and the chalcedony, there is some crystal that is red. It's a very distinct ruby or blood red. I can tell that it is not agate material, and its structure is just like the other quartz. At first I thought it was the color of the red agate reflecting into the quartz, but after looking closely I realized that it was the actual color of the crystal. Is this just ruby colored quartz, or is it some other type of crystal?
admin answers:
Citrine, which is a type of quartz can be really dark rusty red.
I realize that it is most often yellow, but there are instances when it can be rusty-colored as well.
Powered by Yahoo! Answers
