What is synthetic agate?
Natural agate is much harder than synthetic agate.
For many years, agate jewelry on the market was not usually natural agate, but some low-quality agates were made by mixing resin and dye at high temperatures after being powdered.
The color of synthetic agate is dark and dull, and some fake patterns are mostly petal shaped, lacking natural agate’s unique agate pattern.
How is synthetic agate made?
Synthetic agate is typically made of unsaturated polyester resin as an adhesive, filled with fine powdered crystal stone, glass powder, and fine powdered pozzolanic silica, and colored with raw materials such as chrome oxide green, medium chrome yellow, and carbon black.
Aside from synthetic materials, a portion of the fake agate is made of high-quality stone.
Its main characteristic is that, while the hand feel is cool, there is no waxy feeling or luster.
Some of them are soft and can be carved with a knife. Some illegal traders apply a thin layer of organic matter to the surface of the artificial agate to give it a waxy luster and feel.
Baking produces another type of synthetic agate.
The majority of the brightly colored agates on the market have been artificially baked.
Although some of the best agates have bright colors, the colors will be more natural and vibrant, and the color part will appear to be full of grain.