Polyhedral Agate, beauty in rarity

How the multifaceted agate is formed

At the beginning of the seventies in Brazil, numerous rumors circulated in the world of collectors for the discovery of agates with flat and regular crystalline surfaces. It was a very unusual fact, most agates usually appear in irregular nodules, spheres or tunnels. Can agates take on a crystalline form? Experts soon recognized that these pieces could not be "agate crystals" as their angles were totally irregular and it was not possible to determine the shape of the crystal. The pieces that were examined usually showed between 5 and 10 outer sides. It was therefore assumed that the agates were formed between enormous but very thin crystals of pre-existing calcite or barite and that then at a later time they crumbled and only the crystallized agates remained. A wonderful, very rare whim of nature!

The specimens have different sizes, from 3 cm and rarely up to 40 cm. Their outer surfaces show a brown, yellow or dark gray color. Sometimes small quantities of Quartz adhere to the outer shell and for this reason many polyhedral agates are found as a single specimen, with shades of gray, blue, white, brown and black on the inside. Most of the time, due to their unusual shape, these agates are simply cut into slices and used as pendants in jewelry or used as valuable decorative ornaments.

Provenance Paraiba, Brazil

From their mysterious location in the state of Paraiba in northeastern Brazil, these stones have received various names such as Agata Paraiba, Polygonal Agate and commonly in the United States Polyhedral Agate. These agates were first discovered in the 1970s and were mined by Odwaldo Monteiro and his brothers. The American collector and dealer Frank Soklich immediately recognized the rarity of these specimens and for a certain period large quantities of material were extracted and he organized their sale not only in Brazil but also their export to the USA. Today it is difficult to find many, but some specimens can be found in mineral shows, mineral and fossil market exhibitions that are held all over the world.

On our website www.store.didoni.com you will find some slices of polyhedral Agate, if you need bigger and more scenic slices contact us! :)