Description
Also known as "Royal Aztec" or "Royal Purple Lace" agate, this material is usually seen as a very thin layer and comes from Durango, Mexico. There is another agate, nodular in shape, sold under the names "Aztec Purple" or "Royal Purple" agate. It is not banded and not as beautiful. Rating: The Royal Purple Aztec Lace has a volatile dye. Long exposure to sunlight will fade it. Agate is a transparent, but sometimes opaque, variety of quartz and a subvariety of chalcedony. The chemical structure of agate is identical to jasper, flint, and chert, and it is often found with opal. The colorful, banded specimens are used as semi-precious stones. The name agate comes from the Greek Ἀχάτης, Achatès, the name of the present-day Dirillo River in southern Sicily, where agates and other chalcedony were found.
