Ball bracelet 4mm made of Moss agate from India.

Moss agate is a semi-precious stone. The stone owes its name to the greenish inclusions (drawings) that resemble moss. Moss agate is a variety of agate. The white background of the moss agate consists of quartz. The dendritic inclusions are chlorite or iron and manganese minerals that have a great similarity to moss. Depending on the valence of the metal, the inclusions show different colors. Despite the name, moss agate contains no organic material. The stone is formed from weathered volcanic rocks. The chemical structure of moss agate is identical to that of jasper, flint and chert, all also variants of quartz. The green/blue/red/yellow and brown stones are polished/cut and used for jewelry or as a talisman. The most important locations for moss agate are India, China, USA and occasionally in South Africa and Brazil. Moss agate is found in the US in the deposits of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries, between Sidney (Montana) and Billings (Montana). In this variant, called Montana moss agate, the red color is caused by iron(III) oxide (rust) and the black by manganese(IV) oxide.