A natural white agate – safed aqeeq – of 22 carats, about 24.18 ratti, at Rs. 15,400 – Rs. 700 per carat. Sold loose.

Buying it unset

Buying the stone on its own means you see all of it – the back and the sides a setting would hide – and you choose the metal, the mount and the maker yourself. On a cabochon that matters less than on a faceted stone, since there is nothing to hide behind a claw, but it still lets you check the dome for flat spots and the rim for chips before anyone touches it.

At twenty-two carats it wants a mount made for it rather than a stock one. A bezel is the obvious choice: on a smooth dome it is the simplest setting to make and the most protective.

Its shape, honestly

An oval cabochon about 1.38 times as long as it is wide. Of the eleven stones in this category this one's outline departs most from a true ellipse – it is a little fuller at one end than the other. Not enough to notice on the hand, but enough that a jeweller cutting a seat for it should work from the stone rather than from a template, and worth knowing before you order a mount sight-unseen.

Dye, and why white agate is the easy case

Our published disclosures: black agate is almost always dyed, strong green agate is usually dyed, yellow agate is often dyed, red agate is often heated or dyed. White agate is usually untreated, because there is no reason to dye a stone the colour it already is.

That is the material, not this piece. The treatment of this stone has not been tested and there is no laboratory report. If you are about to commission a setting around it, that is the moment to have it tested, and we will arrange it.

Hardness and wear

Agate is a chalcedony – quartz – at 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, about the hardness of ordinary dust, with no cleavage plane to split along. It holds a polish and tolerates daily wear. Warm water, mild soap and a soft cloth; avoid harsh cleaners and sudden heat.

Ordering

One stone, sold once. Message us on WhatsApp for more photographs or a video, and we deliver across Pakistan.

This particular stone

This listing is one natural white agate with a weight of 22 Carat. Its price is Rs. 15,400 — roughly Rs. 700 for each carat. Treatment: treatment not tested. Quote reference GS-WH-0008 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 white 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 white 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 white 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): White agate 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.