Agate is the best among colored gemstones and one of the seven treasures of Buddhism. It is very popular.
Agate is a colloidal mineral of silica (Si02), and its formation is closely related to volcanic activity. When the underground magma with complex composition breaks through the weak parts of the overlying rock layer under the influence of geological action and ejects out of the surface, the magma rapidly cools and solidifies due to the sudden drop in temperature and pressure. An aqueous solution of silicon oxide, this hot aqueous solution (referred to as “hydrothermal fluid”) flows along the cracks and cavities of the surrounding rocks and fills, and continues to cool and solidify to form agate. If moisture originally exists in the rock cavity, this silica hydrothermal fluid will wrap the moisture in the cavity to form a so-called “liquid inclusion”, which forms what people call agate.
Other formation principles and processes such as water urinary crystal and crystal aquamarine are similar to this.
それで, what are the agate producing areas in my country? Where is the “land of agate”?
my country’s agate production areas are widely distributed, almost in all provinces and regions. The main production areas are Liaoning, Heilongjiang, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Hubei, 山東, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Tibet and Jiangsu (mainly agate is produced).
Fuxin City in Liaoning Province of my country has long been known as the “Hometown of Agate”. The development and utilization of agate resources in this area has a long history. Since the Qing Dynasty (1636 広告), there have been records of local people picking agate.
現在のところ, there are thousands of people in various townships engaged in the mining and processing of agate, and about 500 tons of agate can be harvested every year, with an annual output value of more than 10 百万元.
There are many kinds of agate jewelry crafts produced in Fuxin area, with complete styles, mainly including:
(1) Agate crafts: there are figures, flowers and birds, animals, Go pieces and buttons.
(2) Agate jewelry: There are bracelets, ブレスレット, ネックレス, sweethearts, ペンダント, 等.
(3) Agate industrial products: agate mortar, industrial bearing standard parts and agate abrasives.