Fakebusters: Fire Agate

Here we have a fakebusters that is really a bit of a pet hate for me. The first picture is of fire agate, real fire agate. The second is crackled carnelian. It is not, nor ever will be, fire agate. Fire agate is a gorgeous botryoidal agate with goethite in the layers, creating a stunning iridescent sheen in a bubbled pattern. The agate around it is orange to brown, with a white agate matrix. For that reason it is very similar to carnelian, however the presence of the goethite makes it fire agate. It is quite rare, and gorgeous! Crackled carnelian is ordinary banded carnelian that has been heated to crack it without breaking. This creates the spiderweb of lines that gives crackled carnelian its unusual appearance.