The facts
What crazy Lace Agate actually is
Crazy Lace Agate is classified as chalcedony (agate), with the composition SiO₂. It crystallises in the cryptocrystalline trigonal system.
Colour comes from iron oxides and hydroxides give the cream, butterscotch, red and brown banding; the contorted pattern comes from repeated brecciation and resilicification, which is also what a laboratory looks at when it is asked whether a colour is natural.
Refractive index 1.530–1.539. Specific gravity around 2.58–2.64. Cleavage: none; conchoidal fracture. Those three numbers separate it from most of what imitates it.
Where crazy Lace Agate comes from
Crazy Lace Agate is produced at Sierra Santa Lucía, Chihuahua, Mexico and Rodeo, Durango, Mexico.
The locality is part of the description, not a footnote — two stones of the same weight from two of these places are not the same stone.
How crazy Lace Agate is treated
Genuine crazy lace is untreated — the colours are natural iron oxides. Beware brightly dyed agate from Brazil and China sold under the same name; dye concentrates along porous bands and is obvious under a loupe.
Treatment changes value, sometimes by a multiple, so it belongs in the description before the price and not after the sale.
What crazy Lace Agate is confused with
In the trade crazy Lace Agate is most often mistaken for, or substituted by, Dyed agate, Ocean jasper, Wonderstone or Laguna agate.
The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.530–1.539 and specific gravity 2.58–2.64 settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.
What crazy Lace Agate is used for
Demand for crazy Lace Agate comes from jewellery, carving and sculpture, decorative objects and architecture and interiors, which is why one price per carat never covers it.
We quote each application in the unit that trade actually buys in, by the carat, by the block or by the piece.
Durability and care
Crazy Lace Agate is 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale, with none; conchoidal fracture cleavage.
With no cleavage plane to worry about, the practical limit is abrasion rather than breakage, and it takes daily wear well.
Warm water, mild soap and a soft brush. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners on anything fracture-filled, stabilised, dyed or visibly included.
What crazy Lace Agate costs
As a guide, crazy Lace Agate trades around Rough 5–30 USD/kg; good cabochons 15–80 USD.
That is a range, not a quote. Colour, size, clarity, cut and origin move the figure a long way inside it, and the only honest price is one given against a specific stone. Send us what you need and we will price it.
Questions
Is crazy Lace Agate treated, and how?
Genuine crazy lace is untreated — the colours are natural iron oxides. Beware brightly dyed agate from Brazil and China sold under the same name; dye concentrates along porous bands and is obvious under a loupe.
Where does crazy Lace Agate come from?
Sierra Santa Lucía, Chihuahua, Mexico and Rodeo, Durango, Mexico. Origin affects price, so we name the locality rather than the country on every quote.
Is crazy Lace Agate hard enough to wear every day?
Yes. At 6.5–7 on the Mohs scale with no cleavage plane, it handles daily wear well. The practical limit is gradual abrasion rather than chipping.
How much does crazy Lace Agate cost?
Indicatively Rough 5–30 USD/kg; good cabochons 15–80 USD. Colour, size, clarity and origin move the price a long way within that, so treat it as a range and ask for a quote against a specific stone.
What is crazy Lace Agate confused with?
Most often Dyed agate, Ocean jasper, Wonderstone and Laguna agate. A refractive index of 1.530–1.539 and a specific gravity near 2.58–2.64 separate it quickly.
What is crazy Lace Agate used for besides jewellery?
carving and sculpture, decorative objects and architecture and interiors. Each of those trades buys it in a different form and a different unit.
Related stones
Looking for crazy lace agate?
Tell us the size, the quality and what it is for. We source it, photograph it and quote it — with the locality named.
Ask about crazy lace agate