Agatized coral cut by Gary WilsonAgatized Coral Necklace
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This extremely unusual and handsome stone could be worn by a man or by a woman. Agatized coral grew in the sea which covered Florida and has been adopted as the state stone. Something happened about 20 million years ago which caused the corals to die. Longtime readers of Lapidary Journal know June Culp Zeitner well. Her wonderful book (see below) has a long and fascinating chapter about the Florida coral geodes and I recommend it most highly. She explains how the corals turned into rock: "A process called metasomatic replacement is responsible for transforming the calcium carbonate reef into gem chalcedony, a variety of quartz... As the calcite passed into solution through capillary action, almost simultaneously the calcium was replaced by silica." Please click on the detailed shot to see the delicate swirls of color and the tiny crystals which encrust the interior.
