A 21 carat moss agate cabochon — 23.08 ratti — at Rs. 14,700, about Rs. 700 per carat.

Reading a dendritic stone before you buy

Four things are worth checking on any moss agate, and they take about a minute.

Depth. Tilt the stone and watch whether the pattern shifts against the surface. Real inclusions sit millimetres down in the chalcedony and move slightly as your angle changes. A printed or backed imitation does not move at all.

Bubbles. Look for perfectly spherical voids. Mineral dendrites never produce them; glass does, every time.

Edges. Genuine dendrites thin out into filaments too fine to follow. Dyed or painted patterning tends to stop at a definite boundary and to pool in surface cracks.

Light. Hold it against a lamp. The body should pass light — this material is translucent, not opaque — while the growths stay solid. That contrast is the stone working as it should.

This one

A domed oval in translucent warm brown, with cream-white dendrites branching across the upper half and fading to filaments at the edges. Twenty-one carats: a comfortable everyday ring stone, large enough to show the pattern and low enough not to catch.

Rate and care

About Rs. 700 per carat, the flat rate across all seventeen stones here. Chalcedony at 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, which is why agate has been worn daily for thousands of years. Warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth; no ultrasonic cleaner, no steam, no sudden heat.

Treatment has not been tested on this piece, and we record that plainly rather than calling it untreated. No documented origin is held for it. Dimensions and clarity are not recorded yet — ask us and we will measure before you buy.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural moss agate, known in Urdu as Shajri Aqeeq, with a weight of 21 Carat. Its price is Rs. 14,700 — roughly Rs. 700 for each carat. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-00036-1 when you message us about it. The photographs show this exact stone, so what arrives at your door is the piece you chose on screen.

Above twelve carats you are into collector territory. Pieces this heavy are usually set as pendants or kept loose, and they are prized for the size of rough they came from. If you do set it, choose a bezel or a heavy claw to protect the edges.

On the Mohs scale moss agate rates 6.5 to 7. That is middle-of-the-road hardness: comfortable in pendants and earrings, and in rings worn with some care. Store it apart from harder stones so it does not pick up scratches, and wipe it with a damp cloth rather than scrubbing.

Whoever you buy moss agate from, make sure of three things: the stone is natural rather than lab-grown, glass or glass-filled; any treatment is stated in writing; and the weight quoted is the weight of the finished stone. We check every moss agate for those three points before it is listed, a certificate is available on request, and because you pay on delivery you can look at the stone — or have it tested — before any money changes hands.

We sell natural stones only and inspect each one before it is listed. Treatment for this stone: Treatment not tested. Certificate available on request. As general background (not a statement about this stone): Moss agate (shajri aqeeq) is usually untreated. Ask us on WhatsApp and we will tell you what we know about this exact stone; independent lab testing is available on request.

A certificate of authenticity is available on request for this stone, and independent laboratory testing can be arranged. Because you pay on delivery, you can also take the stone to a lab of your choice within the 7-day return window. Read more on our authenticity page.