Blue Lace Agate

 

Name: Blue Lace Agate
Color(s): Medium blue, light blue and white, finely banded
Mineral Information: Microcrystalline quartz, banded chalcedony, infused with iron
Chemical Make-up: SiO2
Hardness: 6-1/2 – 7
Where they are found: Namibia, Brazil, China, India and the United States.
About Stone: Blue Lace Agate is a variety of banded Chalcedony, a mineral of the Quartz family. It is usually banded in layers of predominantly light blue, striped with brighter blues, whites, and even brown threads of color. Agate is sometimes called the earth rainbow because, in its various forms, the concentric bands in nature form nearly every color the earth can produce, including a colorless form.
Blue lace agate was discovered in 1967 on a farm in Namibia which was called South West Africa at the time. George Swanson found it and owned the farm, Ysterputs Farm. He called it a “gem of Ecology” because of swirling blue and white reminded him of the earth and the clouds. Some of the best material still comes from a narrow seam on the farm.
Historically, Agate has been discovered with the artifacts of Neolithic people, and was used as healing amulets and ornamentation dating back to Babylon. Its medicinal uses continued through the ancient Greek and Egyptian civilizations, and spread throughout Africa and the Middle East into Russia. Agate sparked a world renowned stonecutting and polishing industry in Germany that flourished from the 15th to the 19th century, and exists today.
Zodiac Association: Gemini
Metaphysical Properties: Provides perceptiveness to situations and awakens inherent talents. Stimulates analytic capabilities and precision. It aids in stress relief, relaxation and peacefulness, and strengthens gracefulness, creativity, inspiration and communication. An excellent asleep aid.