Fire Agate (ex Marvin Rockey estate)

Item Description

Agate is well-known around the world, even to those with virtually no knowledge of gems and minerals. With that said, a lot of people don't realize that Agate is one of the more diversified gems out there, occurring in a wide array of colors and styles. Agate is defined as a form of Chalcedony or microcrystalline Quartz which forms in layers in a remarkable variety of colors and textures. The most familiar Agate is the banded agate which has multicolored layers. But one of the rarest forms of Agate - Fire Agate - has been available commercially only in the last 60 years. Fire Agate is a brown Agate which has a botryoidal or grape-like growth form. What is special about fire agate is that it contains layers of plate-like crystals of iron oxide (limonite) in various planes. The 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. Fire Agate is suitable for any kind of jewelry, including rings. This "Freeform Cabochon" is a nice example of this well known material, showing gorgeous orange flashes which dance over the botryoidal forms when rotated in the light. This stone, as with others we will be presenting here, is from the estate of former Phoenix area dealer Marvin Rockey. Rockey's Gems was a significant business in the early days of Arizona lapidary material, and he was a prominent dealer and buyer in the Arizona area of local lapidary and carving material from throughout the state, along with material from Mexican localities. This stone was kept back from the retail stock for its quality and beauty, in a tray of special gems, and was found in his estate (sold to us only recently). Today, these are not only rarely seen but of a highly desirable old quality, and sought after by collectors and gem / jewelry enthusiasts alike.