Coon Hollow Fire Agate Pendant | 14kt Gold Burton’s Gems and Opals Outlet Stores

A Bit About The Piece:

Historic Californian fire agate pendant with flashes of bright “oil slick” pattern.  Over one troy ounce.

Details, details…

The Stone: Fire Agate

• 3 freeform cut polished slices
• largest piece: 25.68mm x 11.44mm
• elongated triangular piece: 25.82mm x 8.69mm
• bottom piece: 14.47mm x 17.67mm
• origin: Coon Hollow in Mule Mountains, California
• predominant color flashes of purple, green, blue, and red
• “oil slick” pattern

The Setting: Textured Flush Set Custom Hidden Bail Pendant, chain not included

• 14kt yellow gold, solid
• pendant height: approximately 2 inches
• pendant width: approximately 1.75 inches
• weight: 38.29 grams
• Made in USA
• chain not included

More About This Piece:

The loose stones were discovered in Coon Hollow, California by the famous Joel Hauser of the Hauser Geode Beds.  We acquired these pieces from his estate in the early 2000’s.  What makes them unique is that they prove fire agate does not always form in a botryoidal (bubbly) structure, but that it can also very rarely form in oil slick-like puddles.  The pendant was custom made by us in-house many years later.

About Fire Agate:

Gem limonite, more commonly referred to as “fire agate” in the trade, is an unlikely combination of several minerals that find themselves encapsulated in agate, a variety of quartz.  Higher grade stones are iridescent and glow similar to opal, changing vivid colors when held at different angles.  It has become increasingly more difficult to find quality gem grade material on the market; the Slaughter Mountain deposit, known for producing some of the world’s finest rough, sits on the San Carlos Apache reservation in Arizona.  Outsiders are charged hefty fees to mine with most excursions being fruitless.  Specialists in the field insist that what little high grade material is left on the market today is actually older material mined in the 1970’s.  This is also believed to be the case of material from the high quality Deer Creek (also Arizona) and Mexico deposits as well.

While gem limonite is not a variety of agate (despite being called “fire agate” by most in the industry), being encapsulated in agate has its advantages.  Though the material only ranks 6 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale, it has an incredible toughness.  This means that stones can scratch but cannot easily be broken.  Gem limonite makes perfect rings for those who work a lot with their hands and want a piece of jewelry they can wear every single day.  It can be safely used in both engagement rings and men’s rings, as well as make a durable alternative option for those considering opal.  Gem limonite can safely be used with chemical jewelry cleaners.

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