WES286, "Igneous" brooch

Chalcedony with quartz, sterling silver

By Camilla West

This chalcedony and quartz gemstone is sourced from Brazil.

The stone's story is incredible: it started off as agate, which was pulled deep enough under the earth's crust that it melted and transformed into chalcedony. It was physically spewed out in molten form during a volcanic eruption and solidified where it lay in its splattered shape on the mud. In the many millennia that followed, it accumulated an accretion of quartz crystals on its surface, which give it its subtle sparkle.