First things first, fire agate is a pretty new discovery. It’s only been found and polished into gemstones in the last few decades. One of the unique attributes of the stone is that it doesn’t form a normal crystalline structure gem. It forms more like sedimentary rock. This means that the gems end up being really strange shapes and sizes making it much harder to use for jewelry.
Even though fire agate is hard to work with and even harder to shape and facet it still commands a premium price since it’s only found in a really small part of the world. In fact it has only been discovered so far in some areas of central and north Mexico and in the southwest of the US – New Mexico, Arizon and California.
It was around 24-36 million years ago that there was massive volcanic activity in the above mentioned areas and this led to the formation of fire agates when hot water, saturated with silica and iron oxide filled the cracks in the surrounding rock.
If you manage to get your hands on a piece of rough fire agate you’ll have to be extremely careful when shaping and polishing it. If you take off too many layers of sediment you’ll ruin the entire finish. It’s a much better idea to hire a professional to bring out the beauty of the stone.
For those concerned with spirituality fire agate represents the creative explosive power of nature. It can be used to ward off depression as well as to defend against negative burst of energy from hateful individuals.
If you are looking to harness fire agate for healing it’s red color most represents the circulatory system and should address those issues.
Whether you are choosing fire agate for its sheer natural beauty or for its spiritual qualities it’s a unique beautiful gemstone that looks great in any setting.
I didn’t know that fire agate gems could only be found in a small part of the world. I can see how making sure you do your homework can help you find the best quality you can. It makes sense that finding a reliable jeweler can help you find the design you want.