Blue Lace Agate
Pale blue agate from a single Namibian farm, and nearly gone.
- Family
- Chalcedony
- Formula
- SiO₂
- Mohs
- 6.5 to 7
- System
- Trigonal
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Science
Blue lace agate is chalcedony with fine, wavy bands of pale blue and white. The colour is natural and delicate, and unlike most agate it is not dyed. It fills veins rather than nodules, so slabs are thin and cabochons small.
- Mineral
- Chalcedony (variety)
- Formula
- SiO₂
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5 to 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.58 to 2.64
- Refractive index
- 1.530 to 1.540
- Lustre
- Waxy to vitreous
- Colours
- Pale blue, White
Composition
SiO₂. Made of Silicon, Oxygen.
Origin
- NamibiaYsterputs, near Karasburg
Filled dots are primary sources
Rarity
Effectively one source, worked since the 1960s and close to exhaustion. Prices have risen sharply.
- 1 Abundant
- 2 Common
- 3 Uncommon
- 4 Rare
- 5 Exceptional
Hardness
Blue Lace Agate sits at 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. It will scratch glass and holds a polish in daily wear.
Energy
Associations from crystal-healing tradition, recorded here as folklore. They are not medical claims.
Chakras
- Throat
Element
- Water
Zodiac
- Pisces
- Gemini
Planets
- Neptune
- Mercury
Properties
- Calm speech
- Soothing
- Communication
- Peace
Lore
It has no ancient record; the deposit was found by George Swanson in 1962. Its whole reputation is modern: the stone for speaking gently, and for calming nervous talk.
Its scarcity has made it one of the first crystals in the trade to be valued explicitly for depletion.
- SourceYsterputs farm, southern Namibia, is the only commercial deposit.
- CareAvoid heat; the pale blue can fade.