Antique Nineteenth Century Genuine Natural Ninety-One Carat Hand Crafted/Polished Siberian "Lace" Agate Semi-Precious Gemstone. Contemporary 14kt Gold Fill Bail. Handcrafted Greek Leather Cord with Sterling Silver Ends.

CLASSIFICATION: Polished Agate Cabochon Semi-Precious Gemstone. Bail and cord are contemporary.

ORIGIN: > Russia; 19th Century; Siberian Southern Urals near Yekaterinburg.

SIZE: Length: 50mm. Width: 35mm. Depth (Thickness): 5mm. Measurements approximate.

WEIGHT: 91.02 carats.

NOTES: Contemporary 18 inch (45cm) handcrafted genuine Greek leather cord with sterling silver ends (clasps) and sterling silver bail is included at no additional cost.

DETAIL: In the ancient world Persian magicians were believed to possess the power to divert storms through the use of agate talismans. Colored agate gemstones such as this were highly valued throughout the ancient world, including the ancient Persians, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Romans, Celts, and Greeks. Particularly beautiful specimens could fetch enormous prices, and massive collections of agate by royal families was quite common in the ancient world. Here's a very nice quality century, antique hand crafted/shaped/polished agate semi-precious gemstone from the Southern Urals Region of Siberia (Russia). Yes! This is a natural gemstone, colored only by mother nature, it is not dyed. The variety is most often referred to as "lace agate".

The gemstone was produced in the late nineteenth or early twentieth century by Russian artisans famed for centuries for the elaborate jewelry produced using precious and semi-precious gemstones mined in the fabled Southern Ural Mountains of Siberia. Agate has been popularly used through recorded history for the production of jewelry, beads, and amulets due to the vibrant rainbow of colors agate naturally occurs in. Agate amulets produced by Stone Age man in France has been discovered, dating the known use of agate back to approximately 20,000 B.C. Though the classical source of agate for the ancient Mediterranean world was Sicily, the Southern Urals of Siberia have been producing agate gemstones for use in Russian jewelry for at least 1,000 years. And Russia was famous for its elaborate jewelry through the Medieval, Renaissance, and Victorian worlds.

Handcrafted by a nineteenth century Russian artisan into this beautiful polished cabochon, it was intended for use in the domestic jewelry production. This is a jewelry quality gemstone, and was colored entirely by nature! The gemstones has not been dyed or altered in any respect, except to be cut and polished. However close examination of the gemstone reveals that the gemstone has been hand shaped and hand finished. The slight irregularities which are the hallmark of a handcrafted gemstone are generally regarded as appealing to most gemstone collectors, and are not considered detrimental. Unlike today's computer controlled machine finished gemstones, the cut and finish of a gemstone such as this is the legacy of an artisan who lived two centuries ago.

Such antique hand-crafted gemstones possess much greater character and appeal than today's mass-produced machine-produced gemstones. However for most, the unique nature and character of antique gemstones such as this more than makes up for miniscule blemishes and cutting imperfections which by and large, are only visible under high magnification. The bail is hand crafted of 14kt gold fill (5% gold over 95% silver). The cord is genuine handcrafted Greek leather cord, available only in black. The clasps are of sterling silver, high quality pieces made in the USA; not merely silver-plated pot metal which will break the second time you use them. Cord, sterling clasps, and this gorgeous handcrafted agate pendant come together to make a class piece of jewelry echoing an ancient heritage thousands of years old.

HISTORY: Agate is named after its ancient source, the Achates River in Sicily, now known as the Drillo River, which remains a major source of this gemstone (though some ancient historians believe that the word agate is derived from the Greek word "Agate??" - meaning happy). Agate was used by Stone Age man in France 20,000-16,000 B.C. The ancient Egyptians used it prior to 3000 B.C., and in the Ptolemaic Period carved agate scarabs. Agate was also extremely popular for us in jewelry in ancient Sumeria. Agate was highly valued as a talisman or amulet in many other ancient cultures. It was said to quench thirst and protect from fevers. Persian magicians were believed to possess the power to divert storms through the use of agate talismans. A famous collection of four thousand agate bowls was accumulated by Mithradates, king of Pontus, is illustrative of the high value the ancient world had for agate. Agate bowls were also popular in the Byzantine Empire. Collecting agate bowls became common among European royalty during the Renaissance and many museums in Europe, including the Louvre, have spectacular examples.

The agate-working industry grew up centuries ago in the Idar-Oberstein district of Germany, where agates were abundant. From the 16th century onwards cameos were cut from agate where different colors occur in layers. The background material is cut away, leaving the cameo design in relief. At the same time in Torre del Greco (Italy), a similar technique was used to cut cameos from sea shells. Agate is a common semiprecious silica mineral, colorful microscopic crystals of quartz, a variety of chalcedony occurs in bands of varying color and transparency. Most agates occur in gas bubble cavities in eruptive rocks or ancient lava. Silica laded water is deposited within the bubbles, and coagulates to a silica gel, eventually crystallizing as quartz. One common form of such quartz is onyx. Agate is found in a wide variety of patterns and beautiful colors, and can be transparent to opaque. The primary sources of agate today are Brazil, Uruguay, China, India, Madagascar, Mexico, and the USA.

There are many varieties of quartz (including various agates) which are not generally recognized as quartz. Purple quartz is known as amethyst; yellow quartz as "citrine", green quartz as "adventurine"; and ametrine is a variegated gemstone possessing a color somewhere between amethyst and citrine. More readily recognized varieties of quartz include smoky quartz, rose quartz, onyx, agates, chrysoprase, and rutilated quartz. Rock crystal is the clearest form of quartz. According to ancient history, the sun and universe were contained within an enormous crystal. Rock crystal was used in ancient times to make crystal balls and bowls. Since ancient times colorless quartz crystals have always been popular in jewelry due to mystical legends concerning the "power" of quartz crystals. Even today many people believe that wearing quartz crystals benefits a person's health and spiritual well being. Besides use as gemstones and decorative accoutrements, quartz was also ground by ancient cultures to produce primitive forms of glass and ceramics. For instance, the ancient Egyptians used ground quartz to produce turquoise colored "faience" beads and amulets. Ceramic "glass-like" beads were also produced by the ancient Sumerian and Babylonian cultures.

SHIPPING OPTIONS: All purchases are backed by an unlimited guarantee of satisfaction and authenticity. If for any reason you are not entirely satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a complete and immediate refund of your entire purchase price. Most of these antique gemstones were originally part of two collections, one originating in India principally composed of gemstones originally mined in India, Burma, Ceylon, and Siam, and then hand faceted in India. The addition of a second accumulation of antique gemstones originally mined in the Urals in the mid to late 19th century (including alexandrite) completed the collection. These gemstones as well were hand finished. The Urals have been one of the world's major sources of precious and semi-precious gemstones for many centuries. As well, additional specimens are occasionally acquired from other institutions and dealers in Eastern Europe and Asia. These antique gemstones are now in the United States and are available for immediate delivery.

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