Gem Profile- Fire Agate and Iris Agate

by Dale Armstrong

Fire Agate and Iris Agate

Fire Agate

Fire agate is a special kind of agate that appears brown from a distance. However, upon closer inspection, this agate is botryoidal in appearance (as I mentioned in the Gem Profile - Orbicular Agate and Botryoidal Agate, that means it looks like a boiling pan of water caught bubbling, frozen in time - or like a bunch of grapes). What makes fire agate more interesting than typical botryoidal agate is its color play. Upon its brown background, a rainbow fire plays, with iridescent red, green, gold, and sometimes blue lighting up the surface of the stone. Fire agate received its name from the feeling of staring into the embers of a fire, resulting in a similar color play.

Fire agate stones from Mildred Schiff's collection

How did fire agate acquire its firey colors? It is thought that hot water, filled with colloidal silica and iron oxide and heated by volcanoes, raced into cavities in rock and then slowly cooled, forming a hard agate. Alternating layers of silica and iron oxide, forming over time, cause the schiller and iridescence. Fire agate is especially rare because unlike regular quartz, which is found all over the world, fire agate is only found in pockets of the southwestern US and northern Mexico. It's estimated that fire agates are 24-36 million years old, due to the timing of volcanic activity in that region of the world.

Jane Elizabeth Duke brought this fire agate home from Wire-SCulpture and created a magnificent Argentium and Gold Filled cabochon frame for it, attaching a peridot stone and a fire agate bead to the orbit design.

There are 3 factors that contribute to fire agate's rarity and high cost to be used as a gem in jewelry: as I mentioned, it has a unique creation, and is only found in specific locations. The third factor is lapidary effort. The botryoidal agate must be carefully shaped, removing the outermost layer to perfectly reveal the best colors. Removing too much chalcedony from the top layer will ruin the iridescent effect, and too little will leave the surface dull. This is why, when you visit Tucson or other gem shows and see fire agate cabochons resting in a tub of water or polished in a case, most are not calibrated-cut, but freeform.

Wirejewelry had a small selection of beautiful freeform genuine fire agate cabochons (limited supply)

Despite the delicate process of finishing a fire agate stone, the stones themselves are very sturdy and durable. Although it has a strong resemblance to opal, fire agate does not share the danger of cracking or crazing. The layers will not flake off, nor will the stone lose its shine: like its quartz and agate siblings, fire agate has a Mohs hardness of 6.5-7, much tougher to scratch than window glass.

Metaphysically speaking, Fire Agate is said to have a deep, calming energy bringing security and safety. It is also linked to the fire element, of course, bringing vigor and opening the root chakra. it is also said to aid in conquering addictions and harmful desires.

Crackle Fire Agate

There is another type of stone that is often called fire agate by vendors, which we call crackle fire agate. This "stone" is typically either glass or carnelian that has been heat treated to produce the lava-like lines in the stone. While also in demand, crackle fire agate is not its rare and pricey cousin, real fire agate. The crackle fire agate on Wire-Sculpture is real agate that has been dyed and heat treated to achieve the firey, crackle effect.

Crackle Fire Agate Cabochons

Iris Agate

Iris agate is another, lesser-known kind of iridescent agate. Iris agate is also called rainbow agate, although some vendors simply call any agate that is colorful, "rainbow agate," even when it does not have the iridescent effect. When true iris agate is thinly sliced, it shows all the colors of the rainbow! The effect is more delicate than fire agate. This rainbow effect is the result of very tightly packed, very thin layers and banding, and can occur in colorless or pale chalcedony. It is also mostly found in North America, although some has been recorded in Argentina. Because it must be sliced so thinly, iris agate is fairly rare in jewelry.

Iris agate slice - image courtesy of Karen Brzys, Gitche Gumee Museum, Grand Marais, MI www.agatelady.com and www.agatelady.blogspot.com, used with permission.

Resources

AgateLady's Iris Agate at https://agatelady.blogspot.com/2011/06/golf-friends-and-iris-agate.html
Mindat.org Fire Agate
Mindat.org Iris Agate

Materials

Wire

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Beads - Agate

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Cabochons - Agate

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Blue Crazy Lace Agate 30x40mm Oval Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-30

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.77
Gold Club Price: $11.08

Out of Stock

Blue Lace Agate 8mm Faceted Square Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-724

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $14.97
Gold Club Price: $11.23

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New Brazilian Agate 13x18mm Oval Cabochon

E8-28C

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $2.67
Gold Club Price: $2.00

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Pink Crazy Lace 4mm Round Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-803

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $6.30
Gold Club Price: $4.73

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Purple Crazy Lace Agate 30x40mm Oval Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-340

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $22.05
Gold Club Price: $16.54

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Rainforest Agate 12mm Round Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-400

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $8.08
Gold Club Price: $6.06

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Turritella Agate 12mm Coin Beads - 8 Inch Strand

A1-783

Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $8.47
Gold Club Price: $6.35

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Tools

WireJewelry - Ultimate Wire-Pliers Jewelry Pliers with Case, Set of 5

G15-20

G15-20
Lesson Quantity: 1.00 pieces
Purchase Quantity: 1.00 each
Price: $170.72
Gold Club Price: $128.04

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Bench Tools

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Category: General Education
Technique(s): General Education

Reviews

Dale Armstrong

A die-hard rockhound, lapidary, and wire jewelry designer, instructor and author, Dale credits her mom for spurring the main interest that led to Dale's chosen career. Her mother was an avid rockhound and many, weekend family adventures involved traipsing through the White Mountains of New Hampshire in search of abandoned pegmatite mines. This is where Dale’s fascination with, and education of rocks and minerals began, some 40 years ago.

With more than 40 years of experience, Dale uses absolutely no solder or glue in her traditional wire jewelry designs, and teaches how at jewelry making events in North America, Russia, Ukraine and Switzerland. Her award winning work is sold in galleries and has appeared in many printed publications.

Author of numerous magazine and Internet articles and the bestselling book, “Wirework: An Illustrated Guide to the Art of Wire Wrapping”, Dale has made several series of instructional DVDs for WireJewelry.com.

hen she is not teaching or writing, Dale creates new designs in SE Tennessee where she enjoys her family, furry friends, gardens and tons of rocks.