The facts
What agatized Dinosaur Bone actually is
Agatized Dinosaur Bone is classified as fossil dinosaur bone in which the marrow cavities have been filled with agate, chalcedony or jasper while the bone cell walls are preserved, with the composition SiO2 chalcedony and quartz, with apatite relics and Fe, Mn, U and V traces. It crystallises in the aggregate (cryptocrystalline quartz) system.
Colour comes from iron oxides (red, yellow), manganese (black), and in the Colorado Plateau material uranium and vanadium minerals (yellow-green), which is also what a laboratory looks at when it is asked whether a colour is natural.
Refractive index 1.53-1.54 (spot). Specific gravity around 2.5-3.0 (higher where uranium and iron minerals are present). Cleavage: none; cell-wall network gives the 'cellular' pattern that defines quality. Those three numbers separate it from most of what imitates it.
Where agatized Dinosaur Bone comes from
Agatized Dinosaur Bone is produced at Morrison Formation, Colorado Plateau, Utah and Colorado, USA, Wayne and Emery Counties, Utah, USA and Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA (less commonly gem grade).
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 agatized Dinosaur Bone is treated
Normally untreated; some is stabilised. LEGAL: under the US Paleontological Resources Preservation Act 2009, vertebrate fossils - which this is - may NOT be collected from federal land without a research permit, so legitimate commercial material comes from private ranch land with a documented agreement. Some Colorado Plateau gembone is mildly radioactive from uranium minerals. Ask for provenance in writing; seizures happen.
Treatment changes value, sometimes by a multiple, so it belongs in the description before the price and not after the sale.
What agatized Dinosaur Bone is confused with
In the trade agatized Dinosaur Bone is most often mistaken for, or substituted by, Jasper and agate, Petrified wood or Coprolite.
The separation is rarely a matter of opinion: refractive index 1.53-1.54 (spot) and specific gravity 2.5-3.0 (higher where uranium and iron minerals are present) settle most of it in a minute, and magnification settles the rest.
What agatized Dinosaur Bone is used for
Demand for agatized Dinosaur Bone comes from jewellery, mineral collecting, 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 specimen or by the piece.
Durability and care
Agatized Dinosaur Bone is 6-7 on the Mohs scale, with none; cell-wall network gives the 'cellular' pattern that defines quality 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 agatized Dinosaur Bone costs
As a guide, agatized Dinosaur Bone trades around $5-50 per gram for fine red-and-black cellular material; cabochons $50-1,500; large slabs higher.
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 agatized Dinosaur Bone treated, and how?
Normally untreated; some is stabilised. LEGAL: under the US Paleontological Resources Preservation Act 2009, vertebrate fossils - which this is - may NOT be collected from federal land without a research permit, so legitimate commercial material comes from private ranch land with a documented agreement. Some Colorado Plateau gembone is mildly radioactive from uranium minerals. Ask for provenance in writing; seizures happen.
Where does agatized Dinosaur Bone come from?
Morrison Formation, Colorado Plateau, Utah and Colorado, USA, Wayne and Emery Counties, Utah, USA and Hell Creek Formation, Montana, USA (less commonly gem grade). Origin affects price, so we name the locality rather than the country on every quote.
Is agatized Dinosaur Bone hard enough to wear every day?
Yes. At 6-7 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 agatized Dinosaur Bone cost?
Indicatively $5-50 per gram for fine red-and-black cellular material; cabochons $50-1,500; large slabs higher. 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 agatized Dinosaur Bone confused with?
Most often Jasper and agate, Petrified wood and Coprolite. A refractive index of 1.53-1.54 (spot) and a specific gravity near 2.5-3.0 (higher where uranium and iron minerals are present) separate it quickly.
What is agatized Dinosaur Bone used for besides jewellery?
mineral collecting, decorative objects and architecture and interiors. Each of those trades buys it in a different form and a different unit.
Related stones
Looking for agatized dinosaur bone?
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 agatized dinosaur bone