A natural sulemani agate of 13.25 carats, about 14.56 ratti, at Rs. 9,300 – roughly Rs. 702 per carat. An oval cabochon.

What a cabochon is, and why agate is always cut this way

A cabochon is shaped and polished into a smooth dome with no facets at all. You will almost never see faceted sulemani, and there is a good reason for it.

Facets work by bouncing light around inside a transparent stone and throwing it back at the eye. Agate is opaque to barely translucent, so facets would do nothing useful – they would simply break the surface into small planes and create edges, which are exactly what you do not want on a stone that will be knocked about in a ring. A dome instead gives an unbroken sweep across the banding, which is the whole point of the material, and leaves no sharp corner to chip.

Every stone in this category is cut this way, and the measurements agree: they fill between 0.77 and 0.82 of their bounding box, where a true ellipse fills 0.785.

This stone

About 93% of its face reads as a warm colour, with banding varying by roughly 41 units of lightness – mid-range for this category, so a clearly visible pattern without strong contrast. It is not black and white; nothing in this category is. At a shade over fourteen and a half ratti it is a generous ring size.

Hardness

Agate is chalcedony at Mohs 6.5 to 7, with no cleavage planes. That combination – reasonably hard, genuinely tough – is why it has been a working ring stone for thousands of years. Its polish softens slowly over years of daily wear and is easily restored.

What has not been tested

There is no laboratory report for this stone and its treatment has not been tested. Sulemani agate is sometimes dyed to sharpen its banding. We do not claim this one is untreated, and we will arrange an independent test if you want the question settled first.

Care and ordering

Warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth. Avoid ultrasonic cleaners, steam and bleach. One stone, sold once. Message us on WhatsApp for more photographs, and we deliver across Pakistan.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural sulemani agate with a weight of 13.25 Carat. Its price is Rs. 9,300 — roughly Rs. 702 for each carat. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-SU-0011 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 sulemani 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 sulemani 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 sulemani 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): Sulemani agate is sometimes dyed to sharpen its banding. 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.