In crystal lore today, blue lace agate is the stone people reach for when they want to speak gently and truthfully. It is thought of as a calm stone, and speakers sometimes keep one nearby.
Quartz (chalcedony) · Agate
Blue Lace Agate
Ágata de encaje azul
- Palette
- Blue White Gray
- Mined in
- Namibia, South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Turkey, Georgia
- Hardness
- Mohs 6.5–7.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- Prehistoric
- Named for
- agate, traditionally from the Achates River, Sicily
- Also sold as
- blue lace, Namibian blue lace agate, lace agate (blue)
- Intention
- Calm Strength
- Looking for
- Calm Communication Peace
- Water
- Fine with water and mild soap
- Dye or finish
- Blue lace agate is mostly left as it is, but lower-grade beads can be dyed to deepen the blue and a few are stabilized with resin. A bright, even blue with no soft banding is a sign of dye.
Not in our pieces now
IDAR-OBERSTEIN
The German town of Idar-Oberstein has cut agate on an industrial scale since about 1375, and around 1900 imported Brazilian agate as ship's ballast.
260 POUNDS
Brazilian agate nodules can reach 3 feet across and weigh over 260 pounds.
JURASSIC
Namibia's blue lace agate from the Ysterputz mine formed in volcanic rock dated to the Jurassic period.
What it is
Blue lace agate is a banded variety of agate, a fine-grained quartz. Pale sky-blue layers alternate with white or gray bands in a wavy, lace-like pattern, and polished beads have a soft glassy shine. It is a different stone from yellow crazy lace agate, which is another lace-patterned agate in other colors.
What gives it its color
The soft blue comes from light scattering off extremely fine inclusions or tiny structures in the chalcedony rather than from a dye or a metal, though a trace of iron may add to it. Paler or lower-grade pieces are sometimes dyed to deepen the blue.
Where it comes from
The classic source is the Ysterputs mine in the Karas region of southern Namibia, which supplied most blue lace agate from 1962 until it closed in 2017; similar blue chalcedony also comes from Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Turkey, Georgia and South Africa.
In history
Blue lace agate comes from Namibia, but the agate family is ancient: a Greek writer described agate around 350 BCE and said it was named for the Achates river in Sicily, and Roman gem cutters carved banded agate into signet rings, including a niccolo agate ring with a portrait of Emperor Commodus (AD 180 to 200).
What's said about it
Older gem lore says nothing about the blue kind, but agate in general was long said to make its wearer agreeable and persuasive.
It is often worn near the throat as earrings or a necklace, or carried in a pocket.
How people wear or keep it: As earrings, on a necklace, in a pocket, or at a lectern.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, blue lace agate is paired with the throat and third eye chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: as earrings, on a necklace, in a pocket. People reach for it when they want calm, communication, peace, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraThroat, Third Eye
ZodiacGemini, Pisces
ElementWater
Also calledblue lace, Namibian blue lace agate, lace agate (blue)
Care
- Hard enough for daily wear, but still chips if hit against hard surfaces.
- Clean with mild soap, lukewarm water and a soft cloth, then dry.
- Keep away from sudden heat and strong sun, which can fade pale colors in some agates.
- Store apart from harder gems such as sapphire or diamond.
How to tell what you have
- Real blue lace agate has soft sky-blue and white wavy bands. A bold, uniform blue is usually dyed white or gray banded agate, so check for dye pooled at the drill hole or in cracks.
What sets the price
The price follows whether the soft blue and white banding is natural or the blue was added by dye to a plainer agate, how clear and lacy the pattern is, and bead size; dyed agate is worth much less as a natural stone and bright dye can fade.
Rules and sourcing
Lower-grade blue lace agate beads can be dyed to deepen the blue, and some are resin-stabilized. The FTC jewelry guides call for a seller to disclose dye or resin.
Questions people ask at our table
What is blue lace agate?
It is a banded agate, a fine-grained quartz, with pale blue and white wavy layers. The pattern gives it the lace look.
Is the blue color natural?
The pale blue of the best-known material, mined in Namibia, forms naturally in the stone. Because many other agates are dyed, ask a seller whether a deep, even blue is natural.
Where does it come from?
The main source was the Ysterputs mine in Namibia, which closed in 2017. Smaller deposits are reported in South Africa, Kenya, Malawi, Zambia, Turkey and Georgia.
Is it the same as the agates we sell?
It is the same family as moss, tree and Indian agate, but it is a banded vein agate with its own pale blue look.
Can I wear it in water?
A rinse is fine. At 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale it is hard, but dry it afterwards and avoid heat.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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