This substantial polished freeform fire agate gemstone from Deer Creek, Arizona, weighs 37.3 carats and measures 36.1 x 29.2 x 4.8 mm. It features a rich palette of earthy hues including copper, bronze, gold, orange, green and a bright fiery red center. Ideal for collectors, it also offers potential for innovative jewelry designs or can be recut to emphasize the vivid red interior, which exhibits a significantly higher fire refraction level than other areas of the stone.
This gemstone hails from Deer Creek, Arizona, a region renowned for its premium fire agates exhibiting striking red, orange, green, purple, and blue color variations. Images were captured both indoors under artificial lighting and outdoors in direct sunlight with the stone dry, to best showcase its vibrant fire and color play.
The vibrant colors in fire agates result from the Schiller effect, similar to that seen in mother-of-pearl and opals. This phenomenon arises from alternating layers of silica and iron oxide that diffract light, creating the interference colors recognized as fire. Optimal lighting is essential to reveal the gem’s full fire display, as in dimmer conditions the stone tends to appear darker and more brownish.
Aguascalientes Mexico is known for producing quality fire agate gemstones, celebrated for their mesmerizing play of color and intricate internal banding. The fire agate rough from Aguascalientes is a treasure trove of fire agate beauty for collectors and carvers which prize this locality for its rough specimens. The fire agate rough often features these traits: Multiple stacked layers of limonite fire banding, creating dynamic flashes of red, orange, green, purple, and even electric blue. Some pieces from this area have a very 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, which help reveal the stone’s full spectrum of fiery brilliance.
