What do unpolished agates look like

For example, a cross-section of a Lake Superior agate reveals thin concentric alternating bands inside, ranging from clear or white quartz to deep red jasper but may also include yellow, orange and violet.

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Things You'll Need. How to Identify Obsidian. How to Identify Basalt. How to Identify Rough Gem Stones. How to Find Agates. Facts About Geodes. How to Tell the Quality of Quartz. What Colors Are Geodes Naturally?

What is a Sardonyx? Lake Superior Agate Festival. In a previous page, Part 1, I offered pictures and descriptions of common beach rocks found on Lake Superior beaches.

In this page, Part 3 , I continue to show and describe more varieties of rocks and minerals that make attractive gemstones. I also show here some recent agate finds and some agate-wanna-bes that some will mistakenly identify as an agate. Karen Brzys booklet on "Understanding and Finding Agates" was helpful in identifying true agates from agate first cousins or agate wanna-bes. Clicking on the small images shown here will bring up a larger view in a separate window.

Once there you can click on it and print it out. Agate Cousins - Agate Wanna-Bees. I initially thought this was a water level agate but because the bands appear more opaque rather than translucent I think not.

The bands are formed like they do in an agate but the crystals of the bands are so small they are opaque. Here's another example of a banded rock that isn't an agate. Quartz has filled a seam in a basalt rock. Here's three quartz occlusions where jasper has been fused with quartz with some agate-like banding around the margins.

Some would consider these true agates. Here is another example of opaque bands formed in a metamorphic rock. How to Find Agates. How to Identify Rough Gem Stones. How to Identify Basalt. How to Identify Obsidian. How to Identify Valuable Rocks. How to Tell the Quality of Quartz.

How to Find Geodes in Idaho. Places to Find Flintstones. Gems Found in Wisconsin. What Colors Are Geodes Naturally? Agate is translucent, which means that only some of the light passes through. If no light shines through, then the stone is opaque. This indicates that your sample is not agate, but most likely is jasper. Test transparency by holding your agate over an image on paper. Because agate is translucent, when you hold it over an image of something, the picture should be able to be seen, but it should be slightly blurred.

This may indicate that what you have is not agate, but a different type of quartz crystal. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. Related wikiHows How to. How to. Expert Interview. About This Article.

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