• Option A, detail of a moss agate tower with large cavities. The material has mossy green formations lined with translucent chalcedony, then white. It is rough and light brown on the unpolished outside.
  • Option A, a six-sided moss agate tower with mossy blue-green inclusions swirling through clear and white chalcedony. The tip is missing a side, which is a rough cavity
  • Option A, angle showing a large cavity in the base of the tower, with a hole going through the piece.
  • Option A, detail of the moss agate pattern of green inclusions.
  • Detail of the tip of the tower, with good mossy pattern and small pockets of green in translucent chalcedony.
  • Option A, the tower on a flat surface with a right angle showing it has a decent lean
  • Option A, detail showing the tip is intact
  • Option A, showing scale of three and a half inches on a measuring mat
  • Option B, a six-sided opaque white moss agate tower with translucent areas with moss green inclusions snaking through them. There is a cavity in the center.
  • Option B, tower angled with the cavity on the left, with a forest-green mossy inclusions in a thick band going around it.
  • Option B, detail of the thick band of green, showing the inclusions are thin and wispy. The base of the tower has swirling white, green, and translucent agate.
  • Option B, a side of the tower that is mostly white with light minty green inclusions snaking through it, and translucent agate with an almost lavender tint.
  • Option B, side of the tower with mixed colors, patches of white, mint green, and forest green mixed together.
  • Option B, the tower on a flat surface with a right angle showing it is close to straight
  • Option B, detail showing the tip is intact
  • Option B, showing scale of three inches on a measuring mat
  • Option C, the tower on a flat surface with a right angle showing it has a bit of a lean
  • Option C, close view of a six-sided moss agate tower with large cavities and good pattern. It is white with translucent areas and some mossy blue-green inclusions. There is parallel striped white agate pattern near the tip.
  • Option C, angled view looking up from the base through a good-sized flat pocket that goes through one corner of the tower.
  • Option C, detail showing the tip is intact
  • Option C, showing scale of two and a quarter inches on a measuring mat
  • Option D, a six-sided moss agate tower that is primarily opaque white with some light mint green mossy inclusions and a small cavity lined with druzy
  • Option D, side of the moss agate tower with some more translucent crystalline growth near the base, and green inclusions striped through white agate.
  • Option D, white agate with snaking green mossy inclusions through it.
  • Option D, detail of the base showing the texture of the moss agate, light mint green mossy inclusions in veins of translucent agate through the white agate.
  • Option D, the tower on a flat surface with a right angle showing it has a decent lean
  • Option D, detail showing the tip is slightly chipped
  • Option D, showing scale of two and three quarters inches on a measuring mat
1 30

Moss agate tower

Moss agate tower

$14.00 USD
$14.00 USD
Sale Sold out
Shipping calculated at checkout.
Pick your own...

Approx height:

A  3.5 inches
B  3 inches
C  2.25 inches
D  2.75 inches

 

Alternately called points or obelisks, these towers are cut and polished from extra-holey moss agate. Agate is another member of the quartz family: the term is used to describe chalcedony (a cryptocrystalline form of quartz) that is banded, meaning it has stripes of color. The trade name 'moss agate' has stuck for this material even though it does not display the banding characteristic of agate (though C does have some!).

Instead, moss agate is known for its splotches, mottling, or dendritic inclusions composed of green minerals like chlorite and celadonite that give the agate an appearance similar to moss. These pieces can be fascinating to study up-close, because the squiggly green 'moss' inclusions are suspended in translucent chalcedony.

Note: Towers like this are often cut haphazardly and may not stand straight. In images showing a right angle over the tower, the piece has been rotated to show the most off-square angle.

View full details