| Dendritic agate is a whitish-gray or colorless | | | | a stone of long life, good health and prosperity. |
| chalcedony with tree- or fern-like markings known | | | | Like other chalcedonys, agate has a hardness of |
| as dendrites. The variety name agate is used for | | | | 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, a specific gravity of |
| this gem even though it does not exhibit the | | | | 2.59-2.67 and a refractive index of 1.530-1.540. |
| banding typical of agate. | | | | Since chalcedony has no cleavage it is quite |
| The dendrites in these stones are iron or | | | | durable and can be used for all sorts of jewelry. |
| manganese inclusions, usually brown or black in | | | | Because of its dendritic inclusions, this agate bears |
| color. Though they appear organic due to their | | | | some similarities to moss opal. But the dendritic |
| fern-like structure, they are actually inorganic; | | | | agate is not called moss agate. In fact there is a |
| they are formed at fine fracture surfaces | | | | another gemstone called moss agate, which has |
| through crystallization of weathered solutions of | | | | inclusions of green hornblende in moss-like |
| neighboring rock. | | | | patterns. |
| These agates can be tricky to cut because the | | | | Dendritic agate deposits are found in Brazil, India, |
| dendrite inclusions occur at various depths in the | | | | Madagascar, the USA, Mexico and Khazakstan. |
| rough stone. The lapidary needs to cut the | | | | This special agate is believed to aid in |
| material to expose the most interesting patterns. | | | | communication with nature. It is associated with |
| The famous Russian jeweler Carl Faberge, who | | | | the protection of the earth, rain, prosperity, |
| was a supplier to the Russian Imperial Court from | | | | abundance, healing, restoration and creativity. It |
| 1885 to 1916, used dendritic agates together with | | | | said to improve self esteem and emotional |
| diamonds and other precious stones for many of | | | | balance. |
| his pieces. This unique agate is prized in Russia as | | | | |