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 Post subject: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 8:35 am 
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I recently saw on Etsy this strange Agate with an animal shape
I don't think it's natural... Is it glass?
As the stone is set in a medallion, the back is not accessible for a more precise approach... It's quite amazing !


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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 9:08 am 
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I see no reason to suspect that this is not a natural Agate.


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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 9:48 am 
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I think the agate is natural, but the animal imprint I don't believe is natural. I believe a chemical was used to create the animal, either with a stencil or the inverse.


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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 1:20 pm 
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Sugar has been used to dye agates this color at least since the classical era, thogh there are other methods now. The outline is definitely unnatural, note how imthe outline of the undyed zone crosses the bands and doesn't follow any logical zones of differential porosity (while the colored zone only has colors in some more porous bands).

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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 1:28 pm 
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Without seeing it in person, this is a blind speculation. 2 pieces bonded together? One thin and translucent shaped like an animal, the backing, a dyed agate.
A doublet of sorts.


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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 2:59 pm 
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Agree, natural Agate with a treatment to create the animal figure.


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 Post subject: Re: Supposedly old agate with an animal on the stone
PostPosted: Tue Oct 25, 2022 5:11 pm 
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Barbra Voltaire, FGG wrote:
Without seeing it in person, this is a blind speculation. 2 pieces bonded together? One thin and translucent shaped like an animal, the backing, a dyed agate.
A doublet of sorts.

The outline definitely resembles a masking technique, something waterproof was painted over the agate before the dyeing process.
There's even colour infiltration making the borders less sharp where the porous layers occur, notably on the legs.


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