Fire Agate (uncommon Arizona locality)

Item Description

A fine quality stone of this rare material from Deer Creek, which is located in the eastern foothills of the Galiuro Mountains southwest of Safford, Arizona. Fire Agate is ne of the rarest forms of Agate, due to the fact that it's not your typical banded material, but rather a brown Agate which with a botryoidal or grape-like growth form. What's most special about Fire Agate is that it contains layers of plate-like crystals of iron oxide (limonite) in various planes, which create iridescent colors of red, gold, green and, occasionally, blue-violet, result from interference between diffracted light rays traveling through and reflecting from these thin layers. High quality Fire Agates can be as impressive in their play of color as fine Black Opal, but Fire Agate is significantly more durable than Opal. This good-sized cabochon features a few orbicular reddish-brown colored areas, one of which shows a brilliant array of yellow, green, orange and red flashes when rotated in the light. The surrounded lighter silvery-lavender Chalcedony makes for a great contrast against the Fire Agate. Fine quality, good size and rare on the market these days from this limited deposit in Arizona.
Ex Jim Houran Collection.