A 51.15 carat dendritic moss agate — 56.21 ratti — at Rs. 35,800, about Rs. 700 per carat.

Dendritic is the accurate word

"Moss agate" is the old trade name and it describes the look rather than the thing. The correct term for these inclusions is dendrites, from the Greek for tree, and this stone is a clear example: the growths branch from a trunk into limbs and then into filaments so fine they fade out at the edges, exactly the way a bare tree does against a winter sky.

How a dendrite forms

Groundwater carrying dissolved manganese and iron seeps into hairline fractures in silica. As it dries, oxides crystallise outward from a starting point, and because each new crystal grows fastest at the tips, the form branches. The same process produces frost ferns on glass and the patterns in a lightning strike. It happens in two dimensions because it happens in a crack, which is why dendrites appear as flat pictures suspended inside a transparent stone rather than as three-dimensional clumps.

That also explains why orientation matters so much in the cutting. A dendrite seen face-on is a tree; the same dendrite seen edge-on is a smudge. This stone is cut to show the pattern flat.

Colour, stated plainly

The dendrites here are cream-white, not the darker tone often pictured, set in a translucent warm brown body. Manganese oxides usually run black to dark brown; the pale growths in this material are the less common presentation and the reason the contrast reads so strongly against the amber chalcedony.

Rate and care

Every stone in this collection is priced at about Rs. 700 per carat, so the total follows the weight. Chalcedony is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale. Warm water, mild soap, soft cloth; no ultrasonic cleaner and no sudden heat, since dendritic stones contain the fractures the dendrites grew along.

Treatment has not been tested on this piece, which we record rather than calling it untreated. No documented origin is held. Dimensions and clarity are not recorded yet; ask and we will measure.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural moss agate, known in Urdu as Shajri Aqeeq, with a weight of 51.15 Carat. Its price is Rs. 35,800 — roughly Rs. 700 for each carat. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-00097-1-1-1 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.