Questions and Answers

Answer::::::One way to determine if a fire agate is high grade, I call them A, AA, AAA, with any number of plus signs beside them like this: AA++.....If you are looking at the stone in low light, like shadowed from direct light, the colors will still appear very bright. However B grade fire agate will require strong direct light to see color at all, otherwise it will appear brown, but put B grade fire agate under strong direct light and the colors will appear very bright, thus fooling even the gemologists.

2.What is the difference between the fire agate I see on this web site compared to the commercial grade fire agate I see sold in jewelry stores and rock and gem shows?

Answer:::::::The fire agate sold by 2Dakota Stones is cut botryoidally, which means, it is carved along the stones natural shape, staying just on a color layer. The color in fire agate is formed in layers, one upon the other. These color layers are very thin, perhaps the same width as a hair. So cutting and polishing them is pretty tricky, and must be done by hand. It will take a cutter 18 to 50 hours to cut one stone this way. Commercial cutting and polishing machines are not the tools used in this process.

3.Why do they cost so much compared to other fire agates I've seen?

Answer::::::::They cost this much because of the time it takes to cut them this way and because they are so beautiful. Commercially cut fire agate appear domed and come in standard sizes. They are cut and polished on, or in, a machine. Commercial cutting is much less time consuming, labor costs are lower.