This mid-quality Aguascalientes fire agate gemstone measures 18.30 mm by 13.28 mm by 8.38 mm and weighs 15.3 carats. It features a small bubble style fire display with green, gold and blue colors. This gem needs strong lighting for best fire display and has a darker brownish hue in low light conditions. This polished stone is ready for final setting or display in a gemstone collection.
This fire agate gemstone comes from the Calvillo fire agate (Agata De Fuego) mines located in Aguascalientes, Mexico. Renowned for their high quality, these mines yield fire agates exhibiting a diverse range of rainbow colors, including reds, greens, purples, and blues.
The photographs shown highlight the stone’s color and formation under both artificial full spectrum indoor lighting and natural sunlight to best display its internal fire layers. The vibrant colors within fire agates arise from the Schiller effect, like what is seen in mother-of-pearl and opals. This phenomenon results from alternating layers of silica and iron oxide that diffract light, creating the interference patterns known as fire. Optimal lighting enhances this color play while in dimmer conditions the colors will be less vivid and the stone will appear darker with a brownish hue.
Aguascalientes Mexico is known for producing quality fire agate gemstones, celebrated for their mesmerizing play of color and intricate internal fire. The rough from Aguascalientes is a treasure trove of fire agate beauty for collectors and carvers which prize this locality for its rough specimens. Mexican fire agate rough often features these traits: Multiple stacked layers of limonite fire banding which creates dynamic flashes of red, orange, green, purple, and even electric blue. Some pieces from this area have a dark colored chalcedony which provides a striking difference from the colorful fire layers and enhances the carving potential. These natural features make Aguascalientes fire agate ideal for lapidary artists who seek material that allows for high contrast gemstones. This contrast helps reveal the stone’s full spectrum of fiery brilliance.
