{"product_id":"caramel-banded-botswana-agate-cabochon","title":"Caramel Banded Botswana Agate — Madras Oregon — The Africa Compromise","description":"\u003cp\u003eI 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eI 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHold 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. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/the-130-million-year-clock\"\u003eThe 130-Million-Year Clock →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/pages\/the-richardson-strike\"\u003eThe Richardson Strike →\u003c\/a\u003e  ·  \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/richardsons-rock-ranch\"\u003eThe Richardson's Rock Ranch Collection →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRichardson's Rock Ranch was Day 3 of our 3,000-mile run. Read the full trip. \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/the-3-000-mile-run\"\u003eThe 3,000-Mile Run →\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot dyed. Not enhanced. One of a kind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/all\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll Stones →\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e   \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/rockhound-logbook-hub\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAll Tales →\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Stone\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eType: Botswana Agate (Banded Chalcedony)\u003cbr\u003eOrigin: Africa via Richardson's Rock Ranch, Madras Oregon\u003cbr\u003eDimensions: 30 x 40 mm oval\u003cbr\u003eFinish: High Polish\u003cbr\u003eMohs: 6.5–7\u003cbr\u003eOne of a Kind: Yes\u003c\/p\u003e\u003chr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLoose Stone\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003eUndrilled. Ready for your setting of choice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e— Bob \u0026amp; Janyce, Rockhound Studio, Spokane Valley WA\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cdiv class=\"rockhound-dwell-links\" style=\"margin-top: 2em; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; gap: 10px;\"\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/tails-and-trails\" class=\"button\" style=\"padding: 10px 15px; background: #f4f6f8; border: 1px solid #c9cccf; border-radius: 4px; text-decoration: none; color: #202223; font-weight: 500;\"\u003eAll Tales\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-3-000-mile-run-1\" class=\"button\" style=\"padding: 10px 15px; background: #f4f6f8; border: 1px solid #c9cccf; border-radius: 4px; text-decoration: none; color: #202223; font-weight: 500;\"\u003e3,000-Mile Run Collection\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/the-shopped-rock\" class=\"button\" style=\"padding: 10px 15px; background: #f4f6f8; border: 1px solid #c9cccf; border-radius: 4px; text-decoration: none; color: #202223; font-weight: 500;\"\u003eThe Shopped Rock\u003c\/a\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/the-shopped-rock\" class=\"button\" style=\"padding: 10px 15px; background: #f4f6f8; border: 1px solid #c9cccf; border-radius: 4px; text-decoration: none; color: #202223; font-weight: 500;\"\u003eShopped Rock Collection\u003c\/a\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Rockhound Studio","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47925507686651,"sku":"RS-BOTSWANA-003","price":40.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0796\/8391\/1931\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_0da7b38d-b126-42d0-9257-4d711b3535d0.jpg?v=1777947930","url":"https:\/\/rockhoundstudio.com\/products\/caramel-banded-botswana-agate-cabochon","provider":"Rockhound Studio","version":"1.0","type":"link"}