Caramel Banded Botswana Agate — Madras Oregon — The Africa Compromise

I had one rule going into that pile at Richardson's Rock Ranch: no white. Not a trace. I spent an hour in 95-degree Oregon heat turning over stone after stone looking for a piece that was solid caramel all the way through.

I found it. Then we got it home, put it on the saw, and the center came out almost solid white. The edges though — crisp, layered caramel all the way down. That's the compromise. The saw won the middle. We won the edges.

Hold it up to the light and it goes translucent. The clear band has pyrite flecks in it — little gold sparks frozen in the silica 130 million years ago. Those bands aren't color, they're time. Each ring is one tick of a geological clock that ran for millions of years before the stone sealed shut. The 130-Million-Year Clock →

The Richardson Strike → · The Richardson's Rock Ranch Collection →

Richardson's Rock Ranch was Day 3 of our 3,000-mile run. Read the full trip. The 3,000-Mile Run →

Not dyed. Not enhanced. One of a kind.

All Stones → All Tales →

The Stone
Type: Botswana Agate (Banded Chalcedony)
Origin: Africa via Richardson's Rock Ranch, Madras Oregon
Dimensions: 30 x 40 mm oval
Finish: High Polish
Mohs: 6.5–7
One of a Kind: Yes

Loose Stone
Undrilled. Ready for your setting of choice.

— Bob & Janyce, Rockhound Studio, Spokane Valley WA