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!
 
 

 *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.