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This is an
old seal-stone agate with Arabic legend writing on it. It is written in
Nasta'liq style. The legend reads "Abdul-lah", meaning the servant of God. It
must have belonged to someone named Abdul-lah. From its style in calligraphy, it
must have come from Iran. It is in light brown color . It weighs 0.9 gr, almost
round shape (12 X 14 mm.) It is an ideal for framing it in gold or silver as a
ring. Perfect for someone with the same name. The image above shows the actual
image on the left and I have reversed it for easy reading (right). NICE simple
design.
Historical Information about Agate:
Agate is a banded, multicolored, variety of Chalcedony. It occurs in an infinite
amount of colors and patterns, and no two Agates are alike. The extraordinary
beauty and uniqueness of Agate is responsible for its great popularity. There
are hundreds of different Chalcedony varieties, and many have gem uses.
Scientifically, the term "Chalcedony" refers to any type of microcrystalline
Quartz. Chalcedony is not really known by its name. Scientists call it
"Microcrystalline Quartz", and collectors and gem dealers call each variety by
its particular name. The chemical formula is SiO2. The composition is silicon
dioxide. These come in every imaginable color, with the Agate variety being
banded in many different color combinations. Chalcedony (Agate) is "Hardness 7"
on the Mohs scale. This hardness scale indicates how well the stone resists
scratching or abrasion and is rated 1 (softest) to 10 (hardest, like diamonds).
Chalcedony (Agate), being a microcrystalline variety of Quartz, does not occur
in crystals.
Agates were
used for ornamentation and physical healing amulets, dating back to
Babylon.
Their medicinal uses continued throughout Ancient Greek and Egyptian
civilizations, spreading throughout
Africa
and the
Middle East,
into
Russia.
Folklore mentions the use of agates as early as the 8th Century. They were often
added to other stones to secure the actions of a stone. Rhodochrosite, a pink
lace agate discovered by the Incas, was used with moonstone or garnet ornaments
to increase the overall pink hue. The carnelian, an orange agate, was once one
of the agates most prized by the Egyptians to represent nature organized into a
building form or shape. Legends mention the power of agates to secure the wearer
from danger and to protect children from falling. They were believed to endow
their owners with strength, courage, security and even healing of fears. Tree
agate is also a healing stone. It aids in making new friends, promotes peace,
grounding and centering of energies, growth (of gardens, money, personal goals),
business success, stability.
In
Greece,
the power of agate was considered so strong that Orpheus is depicted as carrying
agate on his descent into Hades. Agate was thought to assist in finding hidden
treasures, increase happiness, build confidence and bring victory. In
Persia,
agate was worn to confer eloquence.