SPHERES OF AGATE
Agate is a form of chalcedony. As hot lava spreads over the earth's surface, it often creates pockets of air or water in the cooling process. As it cools, the water reacts first with the less-dense glass. Various minerals then begin to crystallize from hydrothermal solutions that invade those empty pockets. Agate is usually created in a relatively low pressure area close to the Earth's surface.
Banded agate, often identified with "fortification agate," is perhaps the loveliest manifestation of agate. Famous banded agates include Fairburn (South Dakota) and Lake Superior Agate.However, highly-colored sphered banded agate is rare. Today, we can find Northern Mexican banded spheres in Agua Nueva and Laguna Agate with orange, lavenders and muted colors.
Brazilian banded agate spheres can be stunning in a different way--stark silver, tawny golds, creamy whites and vibrant oranges. Some of the most spectacular of these are agate geodes with pockets of amethyst, crystal quartz, or silver sparkling druzy.
One of my favorites is condor agate from Argentina. Not only does it fluoresce in beautiful colors, its rich earth-toned browns, golds, oranges with subtle banding is often offset by white druzy crystal pockets or for-mations in condor matrix.
A very delicate blue agate in cream-colored matrix is the Mt. Aire agate from Nevada. Another unique blue agate from Nevada is the Black Rock Desert Geode Agate in a dark rust red matrix.
Agate can also have an organic origin. Moss agates from throughout the world are glassy reminders of organisms that once lived before us. Montana and Oregon produce some of the most unique American moss agate spheres, but moss agates are found in many other worldwide locales.
Other interesting U.S. agate spheres include Silver Lace (Missouri), Graveyard Plume (Idaho), Thunder Bay and Thunder Egg (Oregon), Dryhead (Montana) and Tube Agate (California).
On the international front, Madagascar produces some of the most beautiful carnelian spheres with swirls of fiery orange and white quartz. Namibia and South Africa offer us sky blue lace agate. Madagascar has breciated yellow agate. Mexico mines deep red "crazy lace" agate, some with druzy pockets, as well as "peach lace" agate which is a mostly beige-colored stone with touches of peach. India features spheres of a deep hunter green agate with tiny druzy accents. Those folks down under in Australia have found two gorgeous shades of blue agate with druzy--midnight and light dusk.
A sphere enthusiast could build
an entire collection just around agate!
SPHERE'S TO YOU HOSTS HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE
Alas, to our loyal fans we must report that Sphere's To You has decided to end its participation in mineral shows. After all, have you recently tried to carry four tons of rock to a show? So you can see our dilemma. Our inventory just got too big!
Instead we invite you to visit us in our showroom. We will hold a pre-holiday open house on Nov. 13-14 in Westlake Village, Ca. Please come and call ahead to set a time (818 991-5143). Bring friends! You'll have a chance to see all of our newest material from Denver and elsewhere. If you miss this one, we'll have another in the spring.
And then, of course, you can always
visit us on our website at www. spherestoyou.com or call for an appointment
to come visit our showroom at your convenience.
Smithsonite Debuts
Flowers and colored fog…that's
what comes to mind when one has a chance to see the new glassy smithsonite
spheres that are just now coming available from a new deposit in Northern
Mexico. Colored fog because these very dense spheres provide a uniform
grey, beige, cream and sometimes peach-colored opaque smooth surface blending
into circles, swirls and caps. But on some specimens, the material has
been severed from a matrix which looks like flowers when polished. It's
a small deposit, so the material may not be around long…But a smithsonite
sphere is a real keeper--if you can lift it!
DENVER REPORT
*Chatoyant Spheres—Arizona
green tiger eye, an incredible ribboned material, has an olive cast.. Brazilian
Imperial Cat’s Eye Opal, too, has a remarkable ribbon of green, but the
color is lighter, more chartreuse. Also amber brown tiger eye from Arizona.
*Garnerite—This partly gemmy Madagascar
material is a light green, traversed with dark green and grey veins.
* Blue Aragonite—The mines
of Laurium, Greece, have closed, but they have bequeathed us a very few
exquisite blue aragonite spheres. This gemmy, opaque material in robin’s
egg blue leaves one breathless.
* Muskovite—You’d probably
figure this British Columbian import to be pink aventurine. It’s a sparkly
matrix with a light plum color.
* Lavendar Quartz—It’s very
akin to rose quartz, and if you didn’t notice it’s lavender tinge you wouldn’t
know the difference.
* Psilomolene & Manganese—Want
something different? Try this dark silver/black metal mineral.
* Manganese Plume—No longer
available, but in private collections, manganese plume is a deep slate
blue pattern on white backdrop.
* Hexagonite—From the Balmont,
NY region, comes the sparkly lavender/purple mineral known as hexagonite.
Sparkling Green Apatite—This Canadian
entry has a beautiful gemmy green sparkle on the top against a dusky peach-tinted
sand colored matrix.
* Brazilian Translucent Star
Rose Quartz—This is very fine, light pale colored translucent rose quartz,
with distinctive, but delicate stars under light.
* Harquehela Valley Jasper—Recently
located outside of Quartzsite AZ, this material is a cream colored matrix,
accented by ribbons of peach and lime-green.
* Sardonyx—Looking for something
bright? This is it. This material from India features layers of red, black,
orange and yellow, with almost geometrical separations.
* Troncus Geodes—They’re not exactly
round, but these small geodes from Troncus Canyon, Mexico, have some very
interesting tiny crystal and/or stalagtitic formations.
* Cherry Orchard Jasper—South Africa
produces a sphere with blood red jasper against a steel grey matrix. Very
striking.
* Canadian Eudialite—The
Canadian eudialite is a sparkling, almost cherry-colored gem quality stone.
* Hubbard Basin Wood—This
pretty petrified wood is a nice addition to someone’s collection.
* Amethystine--This combination
of amethyst and quartz is really spectacular.
* New Mexican Banded Shale—Don’t
laugh! When digging up a highway the state of New Mexico found a deposit
of this lovely striated shale material.
*Chrysoprase--Dark green
Australian chrysoprase in brown matrix.
* Pyrite & Silver—A 7-inch
metal monster, this sparkly centerpiece is a real prize.
* Bornite—Seldom sphered,
this golden pyrite-like specimen will become a sparkly iridescent rainbow
when either allowed to be exposed to the sun or when acid- washed by a
specialist.
* Inclusions—Both chlorite
and tangerine quartz included and orange lodolite.
. *Horn Coral--From Idaho comes
an interesting black and white coral.
*Sycamore Wood--A new patterned
wood sphere from the Grand Cyn. State.
*Lizard Stone--An interesting
light green pattered material. From Arizona.
*Blue Chalcedony--Lovely
blue chalcedony from Mexico.
*Mother of Pearl--crafted
spheres of various shades of pearl--gold, white, beige, dark brown/black.