Angel wing Agate

Object/Artifact

-

Crater Rock Museum

Name/Title

Angel wing Agate

Entry/Object ID

2023.7.48

Description

About Agate Colour: colorless, gray, red, white, any color due to embedded minerals, multicolored specimen not uncommon Lustre: Waxy, Dull Hardness: 6½ - 7 Specific Gravity: 2.6 Name: The name is derived from its occurrence at the Achates River in southwestern Sicily. A variety of Chalcedony The term "Angelwing Chalcedony" refers to chalcedony formation characterized by groups of chalcedony filaments often intricately woven or connected together.They occur most often in the center of a vein or vug of agate, but can also occur in the center of a hollow thunderegg. Sometimes the chalcedony forms can group together in a wing shape. This is especially common in the Graveyard Point Agate where the chalcedony gets its shape from the plume formation that lies underneath. I do not know if the term “Angelwing Chalcedony” originated with Graveyard Point Agate or not. The term is used to describe this type of chalcedony formation wherever it is found and whether or not the underlying formation is plume, tubes, or moss. The “Wing” type of structure is especially prevalent in the agate from the Graveyard Point area.