Agate has been loved by people since ancient times.
It is not only regarded as one of the seven treasures of Buddhism but also once called “Qiongyu” and regarded as a fine jade. Today, with advanced technology, the widely favored agate is inevitably imitated. Various synthetic, dyed, and high-temperature agates are rampant in the market, so today we will talk about the easiest way to identify agate. What?
1. Observe the lines
The grain is the most significant feature of agate, and it is also the easiest way to identify agate. Real agate generally has concentric rings, parallel strips, and corrugated strips, while imitation products rarely have such lines, but this is only for the whole agate raw material, for the cut Onyx, it is also very likely that you will not see the striped pattern.
2. Observe the gloss
Agate is generally opaque to transparent, and its luster is greasy or glassy, and real agate is a kind of silica gel condensed from silicon dioxide, so it will present a warm gel texture on the senses. However, imitation agates generally have relatively strong gloss, no gel texture, and strong stone properties. This is also one of the easiest ways to identify agate.
3. Observe internal bubbles
Because natural agate is formed by the cooling of silica solution from a volcanic eruption, gas will infiltrate during this process, resulting in the formation of a hollow structure inside the natural agate, which looks like a bubble at first glance, but the hollow shape is irregular Shaped, translucent or opaque, but also with small crystal particles. However, agate imitation of glass contains bubbles inside. The shape of the bubbles is round or elliptical, and it is transparent. In addition, the surface of the glass imitation agate can also be observed with shrinkage pits, so you can carefully observe the surface of the agate when selecting.
