Unique Dendritic Agate Necklace with One Sterling Silver Nugget (BLK-001)
Miriam’s series of Black and White Dendritic Agate & Silver Nugget Necklaces have extraordinary natural patterns. Shown here is the necklace with one sterling silver electroplated* nugget. Because the dendrites form at various depths, each stone is cut to bring the most intricate and decorative natural patterns to the surface. This often results in uneven and undulating surfaces – which add to the beauty of each stone, and is shown in Miriam’s close up photos. The close up of the center stones clearly shows the natural dendritic features of this natural stone.Longer versions of this necklace are also available on this website with two and three nuggets, respectively.
- The full length of the necklace is 17.25 inches,
- including the handmade sterling silver clasp.
- The necklace is composed of natural White & Black Dendritic Agate in oval and marquise pillow shaped stones, measuring 0.5 to one inch.
- The sterling silver nugget is hollow and measure approximately 0.5 to 0.75 inches.
- Small round accent beads are sterling silver.
The series of three necklaces look beautiful as a set that is specially priced!
About Dendritic Agate: Dendritic agate is an interesting stone that is distinguished by its beautiful and distinct tree or fern like markings known as dendrites—which are brown to black traces of iron or manganese. Considered as one of the rare varieties of agate, Dendritic Agate is technically classified as chalcedony quartz, and not a true agate. That is because it lacks the typical banding seen in most agate stones, but has a translucent to opaque quality, and is usually colorless to whitish-gray or blue-gray. Some stones may include shades of brown, golden brown, and reddish brown due to traces of iron. The iron and manganese crystallize inside the agate in unique branching formations by seeping through fine surface fractures. Some of those fractures appear in many of the stones, which add to their natural beauty. A few stones Miriam used in this series of necklaces are deeper reddish brown due to the iron, but still show the distinct dendritic markings and areas of translucency—which is why they are called “agates.” Agates available on the market today, originate from deposits all over the world including Myanmar, Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Mexico, Botswana, India, Australia, and the USA.
*Electroformed sterling silver beads are created through an intricate process that begins with a bead made of wax. The wax bead is immersed in a solution that electrically forms pure silver over it. The next step is to burn out the wax, leaving the hollow, sterling silver formation. The sterling silver is then highly polished to produce the lighter-weight Sterling Silver bead. This process is perfect to produce Sterling Silver beads that are highly sculpted or that have unusual shapes, such as the nuggets Miriam used to highlight the chunky look of this necklace.