agate

Agate drawer pulls.  Chloe is using these in her new kitchen.  So pretty.

Most agates occur as nodules in volcanic rock or ancient lava floes where they represent cavities originally produced by the disengagement of volatiles in the molten mass which were then filled by siliceous matter deposited in regular layers upon the walls.

I love how in the side view you can see some quartz that has been embedded.  When agate is forming if water with a certain composition filters through may cause layers of crystalline quartz.

The stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

In many traditions agate is believed to soothe the mind, still thunder and lightning, promote eloquence, secure the favour of the powerful, and bring victories over enemies.

Nature is pretty cool.

* Agate pulls, £14 each, Chloe Alberry Ltd