As gemstone wholesalers we at www.gemrockauctions.com offer a wide range of Gemstones, loose gemstones and other high quality products Including Fire Agate which a layered stone. The layers are small enough that light entering them forms interference colours known as "fire." The gem is thought to be formed when hot water saturated with colloidal silica and iron oxide invades cavities in country rock and begin to cool. Chalcedony with iron oxide begins to grow on any available surface (the iron oxide gives the basic brown colour to the gem). As the solutions began to precipitate and grow layers of silica and iron oxide would be deposited depending on the relative level of those elements in solution and underlying conditions. These alternating silica and iron oxide layers (Schiller layers) cause the brilliant fire in the gem. As iron oxide ran out in the solution colourless chalcedony continued to grow.., iron oxide gives the basic brown colour to the gem. - Fire agate is found only in the American Southwest and Mexico and wasn't brought into commerce until after World War II. This, combined with the fact that it's one of the most difficult opaque materials to cut properly, keeps it scarce and mostly unknown to the general public. - Its hardness ratio is 7. The owners of www.gemrockauctions.com have their own factory and source their rocks and gemstones directly from miners or as close as possible in order to receive the right price, our factory can offer high discounts on sales we have 16 staff who cut gemstones full time and produce high quality products - we don’t cut artificial gemstones.
