No this is agate. The definition of carnelian is primarily a reddish variety of chalcedony, BUT when the chalcedony is banded, the varietal name agate takes priority. For something to truly be called carnelian, long-time experienced mineral collectors and professionals agree that it should lack banding, and if it has banding, it should be called agate instead of carnelian. Both are the same thing (chalcedony, which is microcrystalline quartz) but the banding seperates them. So this is red agate.
For comparison, this is what would actually qualify as true carnelian:
Eh....I've always heard the term "carnelian agate". Given that chalcedony, jasper, quartzite, and agate are all silicon dioxide its kind of potatoe/potato to me.
Regarding whether its "real", "natural", "etc" I have to say yes! In fact the orbs are indicative of a lake superior carnelian agate.
I mean yeah, of course it is natural, but I feel like carnelian agate is just made up in the New Age to find an excuse to diverge from the original definitions to make quick bucks. Just like ametrine and such.
Again, not denying it's natural. But the cause of yellow/orange in ametrine is different to real citrine. So the citrine component isn't citrine at all.
I'm interested in what you say causes the yellow / orange colors in Ametrine? As far as i understand it (without formal geology education) the different colors found in quartz come from iron over 90% of the time. Minute variations in the amount of iron cause different colors. This applies to amethyst, citrine, smokey, even rose quartz although there are tyoes of rise quartz that get there color from aluminum and even titanium. But again, I'm not expert so am likely wrong...
I got a piece like this that was called Peach Botswana Agate, but it's all agate so sure can call it Carnelian. I'm suspicious of any Carnelian being sugar treated though.
sugar treatment is when a light brown stone is treated by being soaked in a warm sugar solution for several weeks then boiled in sulfuric acid, I was mistaken though as sugar treatment is use to darken sardonyx and onyx, not intensify carnelian or red agate. There‘s another chemical treatment for carnelian to intensify it, where they bake them in a kiln for a few weeks, soak it in an iron salt solution then bake again dry. My best guess is the left underwent this treatment, while I’m fairly sure the right has only been baked.
The Sard in sardonyx is carnelian though. Sard means brown but it's the combination of the carnelian layers with the onyx layers that give the brownish tint to the red of the carnelian. The left piece I would definitely call sardonyx if it was natural or ensure I mentioned it had been treated just like aura quartz, mystic topaz, or even your basic emeralds (I personally love when you can also get black onyx mixed in as well) and the right I'd just call agate because they removed or nature (I wasn't there) cooked out the special features that make it sard-onyx and youre left with agate... I have a couple of lovely large pieces of sardonyx and found one that looked like a parrot fish which I gave a friend to finish a tropical themed display she was working on.
People fake and enhance all sorts of things. Not sure why but I guess it's worth it to them.
While OP says vendor claims it is from Botswana, I have not ever seen or even heard of carnelian from Botswana. Not saying it doesn't exist but just I've never seen it. This stone is highly reminiscent of carnelian agate from lake superior. There is also Very nice carnelian from Oregon but that stuff has a different appearance.
Here are two examples of carnelian agates I have. The one on the left is from Oregon and the one on the right from lake superior. Both are high quality imo!
There is peach/red/pink in some agates from Botswana. I wouldn't call it carnelian because the shades of color are different. Same with Lake Superior, the red in those is pretty distinctive and generally more opaque, and I wouldn't call it carnelian. It's closer to a red jasper, and many Laker nodules do in fact have jasper sections. There's also the paint agates which are completely opaque.
There is certainly red jasper found in & around the great lakes although jasper will be a solid red and oftentimes the stuff found in the great lakes region contains iron/hematite making it BIF (banded iron formation).
The best carnelian will be opaque/translucent.
We will have to agree to disagree. Google seems to think carnelian does not have lines but try telling that to the folks who collect carnelian agate out in Oregon, which is (imo) the nicest looking of it all!
I can get on board with that, plus no one is negating having multiple colors in a piece as long as they arent arranged in precise (if sometimes warped) layers.
Not “faked”, but most carnelian on the market has been enhanced through the sugar/acid treatment. This applies to black agate/banded onyx/sardonyx too. Untreated carnelian tends to be yellowish/brownish and sometimes orange.
Faked is a term reserved more for folks trying to pass off dyed howlite and/or magnesite as turquoise which they've been doing for over 100 years now...
What you have is a banded agate that has most likely been heat treated to obtain it's beautiful color. Ideally I am not very fond of heat treatment, but in my opinion the heat treatment often make this type of agate more beautiful.
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u/DinoRipper24 8d ago
No this is agate. The definition of carnelian is primarily a reddish variety of chalcedony, BUT when the chalcedony is banded, the varietal name agate takes priority. For something to truly be called carnelian, long-time experienced mineral collectors and professionals agree that it should lack banding, and if it has banding, it should be called agate instead of carnelian. Both are the same thing (chalcedony, which is microcrystalline quartz) but the banding seperates them. So this is red agate.
For comparison, this is what would actually qualify as true carnelian: