Moss Agate is a beautiful stone but especially when it has rainbow coloring in it. The earthy vibes it has along with the “organic matter look” make this such an interesting and unique stone!
Background:
Moss Agate, also referred to as Mocha Agate, gets its name from the Arabian city of Mocha in Yemen which was an ancient source for this stone. Moss Agate is a semi-precious gemstone that normally has a clear to milky-white base color. Ancient Greeks in 300 BC used Moss Agate as a protection and warrior stone, and carvings from the Bronze Age have been unveiled and put on display in museums. Moss Agate was also used as a good luck stone in Britain in the late 1800’s. The stone was viewed as having good luck in terms of a plentiful harvest and even a safe birth. Farmers and midwives used this stone in their daily lives to promote luck.
Moss Agate or Moss Chalcedony?
Due to the lack of banding within this crystal, Moss Agate is technically a Chalcedony. It’s formed from silicon dioxide and since Agate is a variety of Chalcedony, and Chalcedony is a mineral of the Quartz family, Moss Agate is technically mislabeled for market use. The chemical formula is SiO2 and the MOHS hardness is 6.5-7 which is good for daily wear.
What makes up the moss patterning?
Within the chalcedony, there are included minerals such as manganese and iron oxides which form looking like moss or greenery. The colors seen within Moss Agate can change due to different levels of certain metals such as Chrome. Along with the regular green coloring, red, brown, purple, pink and blues can even be seen in the moss pattern. Moss Agate is usually formed from weathered volcanic rocks and one place that this can be found is in the Yellowstone river in Montana.
More information!
An agate (chalcedony family) is generally a stone that has concentric banding throughout the stone. The banding on these stones will be very noticeable and in layers like a tree ring. Think about crystals such as Sardonyx or Botswana Agate. Since Moss Agate doesn’t have this banding, it’s not technically considered an agate; but we’ll keep the name since Moss Chalcedony sounds weird. Black dendrites can also be seen within Moss Agate in the shape of a tree (“dendrite” comes from the Greek word dendron, which means “tree”). The Moss pattern can also form in a dendritic formation.
Metaphysical properties!
Moss Agate has been used as a luck and protection stone in the past, but it’s commonly used for its tranquil and nurturing properties. Moss Agate also helps to balance the emotions and lead us through change and turmoil. Abundant energy, grounding properties and cleansing vibes are also what this stone emulates. Mother Nature is said to be represented through this stone and by using it, you will be connected to the earth.
Fun facts!
- Moss Agate and Tree Agate are the same thing, they just have a different transparency level on the chalcedony base stone.
- Moss Agate was known as the “gardeners stone” since it was believed to be good luck for agriculture and farming.
- Moss Agate is a good stone for balancing out masculine and feminine energy.