Sakura Agate
Chalcedony & Agate Family
Sakura agate is a recent trade name for pale pink to nearly colorless chalcedony with white or pink flower-like structures. Mineralogical study found cryptocrystalline quartz with some moganite in the groundmass and crystalline quartz forming the blossom-like inclusions.
Identity
- Material or variety
- Chalcedony
- Scientific or material identity
- Agate (banded chalcedony)
- Classification
- Natural mineral or mineral variety
- Aliases or trade names
- Flower agate · Cherry blossom agate
- Composition or formula
- SiO₂
- Crystal system or structure
- Aggregate or composite structure
- Geological or manufacturing origin
- Forms from silica- or mineral-rich fluids in cavities and fractures.
- Mohs hardness
- 6.5 to 7
- Specific gravity
- 2.58 to 2.64
Origins
Madagascar
Appearance & optical properties
pink and white agate with flowerlike plume inclusions.
History & discovery
The trade name pairs sakura, the Japanese word for cherry blossom, with agate because the rounded plumes resemble flowers. It is a market variety of chalcedony rather than a separate mineral species, and entered the gem market relatively recently.
Uses & care
- Common uses
- Its three-dimensional floral patterns are displayed in cabochons, beads, spheres, palm stones, carvings, and polished decorative pieces.
- Handling and cleaning
- Clean with warm water, mild detergent, and a soft brush or cloth. Protect thin edges from knocks, store it away from harder gems, and avoid mechanical cleaning if fractures or inclusions reach the surface.
Jewellery
5 pieces of Sakura Agate jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.
Petalfall Pendant
Pendant
A teardrop of blossom-pink agate hangs from a rose-gold vine, its feathery plumes drifting like petals on still water.
Hanami Tiara
Tiara
A spring-festival tiara sets a single oval sakura agate above the brow, its pale bloom repeated in pink sapphire buds along the band.
First Bloom Ring
Ring
A brushed-silver ring cups a round sakura agate in four claw prongs shaped like opening petals.
Cherry Blossom Kanzashi
Jewel
An imagined Japanese hairpin topped with flowers of sakura agate, whose round pink spots look like falling cherry blossoms.
Hanami Festival Necklace
Necklace
An imagined necklace of cherry blossoms carved from sakura agate, pink flowers drifting along a gold branch.