Agate 玛瑙

Deposit sites: Brazil, Uruguay, China, India, Madagascar, Mexico, Germany, Botswana, the United States and Taiwan.

Variety/Species: Chalcedony

Hardness: 6.5 ‘” 7

Zodiacal sign: Scorpio, Taurus, Sagittarius, Gemini

Color scheme: blue, gray, brown, red, pink, black, green, virtually all colors

Gemstone of the month: July

For thousands of years agates have been used to make a variety of decorative objects. The Romans valued engraved and cameo agates. More recently earrings, pendants, necklaces, bracelets, buckles, rings, bowls, handles for knives and forks, hair pins, handles for umbrellas and canes, children’s toys, chessmen, vases, cups, plates, snuff bottles, and candlesticks have been made from agate. For centuries, agate has been known as a lucky gemstone. People wore agate to make them strong and bold, and help avert violent storms and danger. The medicinal value of agates has been touted for thousands of years. Agate possessed some wonderful virtues and was thought to give the wearer a bold heart, relief from insomnia, and pleasant dreams. Blending and binding of energies for strength and protection with organizational qualities, the agate simplistically caused a stabilizing effect.