Can Blue Lace Agate Go In Water? (Yes, But...)

Yes, blue lace agate can go in water, though we don’t recommend that you soak your materials for extended periods of time.

In the article that follows, you’ll learn more about blue lace agate, and why it is that it can go in water.

Can Blue Lace Agate Go In Water? (EXPLAINED)

Agate comes from the quartz family, which are generally harder materials.

One of the first ways to determine whether a material can go in water is how hard the material is.

The softer the material is, the closer it is to 1 on the scale (goes from 1-10), the less time it should spend in water.

The closer the crystal is to ten, the harder it is, and the safer it will be in water.

Blue lace agate is generally rated between 6 and 7, which makes it from a hardness standpoint, relatively durable in water.

That being said, there are other considerations, such as whether a material is soluble in water, whether it contains metal which can rust, and whether the material has a nice polish/finish, which can be damaged by extended soaking in water.

Because there are many considerations when it comes to materials in water, we generally don’t recommend that you soak a material unless you know what your material is, and you understand what will likely happen to it if it is placed in water for extended periods of time.

Let’s Learn More About Blue Lace Agate

To understand the question of can blue lace agate go in water, we have to first understand its lowest common denominator.

It’s a bit like being born into the Brown family; you married a Morgan, but you’re still a Brown.

In this instance, the Brown family is chalcedony.

Chalcedony isn’t a type on its own.

It’s rather vaguely in the quartz family. It forms agate when it’s in combination with other rocks, such as a geode in an igneous rock.

Chalcedony forms blue and white stones to distinguish it from the riotous colors of quartz.

Chalcedony crystals form the layers found in blue lace agate as well as the optical attributes of Tiger Eye.

One of the most amazing manifestations of chalcedony is in the coral of Florida.

The crystalline chalcedony replaces the coral, yet preserves it perfectly.

Chalcedony has a hardness of seven on the Moh’s scale.

So, too, do agate, Tiger Eye, and many types of quartz.

This is high enough on the scale to prevent its damage from cracking or rusting in water.

It’s safe to leave blue lace agate in water for a short period of time.

How Does Blue Lace Agate Come From Quartz?

That’s not actually how it happened.

A geological event caused liquid silica or quartz along with liquified crocidolite or the blue coloring to fill up cracks and fissures in the surrounding volcanic or igneous rock.

This kind of rock is known to hold groundwater over thousands of years.

This is the basis of the layers in agate.

The first layer of this liquid includes variations in the liquification and the rock it forms in. This is the chalcedony layer.

This layer alternates with bands of quartz crystals.

Over thousands of years and many layers later, agate is formed.

The lace effect in blue lace agate is the result of this layering.

The liquid filled the cavity and clung to its walls.

The liquid also picked up characteristics of the soil it flowed through on the way to the volcanic rock fissures.

These, along with the characteristics of the igneous rock, contributed to the layers forming into agate.

Where Did Blue Lace Agate Originate?

In 1962, George Swanson owned a farm in Namibia to the northwest of South Africa.

On that farm, he mined blue lace agate from two rich veins.

The agate varied from a very light blue to the intense blue of the sky.

Swanson, and later his son Lionel, mined the agate first by hand and then by machine.

They processed the stone on the farm at first.

Later, the stone was processed again for export in Swanson’s yards in Springbok, South Africa.

From there, it was sent to the East to be made into jewelry.

Blue lace agate isn’t a large item; jewelry is generally found in beads or cabochon stones.

Blue lace agate has also been found in small deposits in North and South America, China, India, Brazil, and Turkey, but the stone is becoming quite rare.

This drives prices up, so don’t look for cheap blue lace agate.

Blue Lace Agate Special Qualities

People looked askance at copper back in the day, when it was reputed to help with pain.

No one had ever heard of pain management outside a pill or a physical therapist.

However, they tried it, and son of a gun, it worked. People actively began seeking other things that helped with or alleviated pain.

For different people, holding certain stones or crystals helps to calm and soothe them. People once called them “worry stones.”

The idea is that everything in the Universe is energy and works on a frequency, even us. So the stones that benefit us the most work at our particular frequency.

Blue lace agate is thought to radiate peace, calm, and tranquility.

The stone is said to work with the Throat Chakra, aiding in calmly expressing thoughts and feelings.

If you need to speak with clarity and a shot of confidence, then blue lace agate is thought to help.

Blue lace agate is thought to support the emotionally impaired, helping them to get a clear idea, and then to speak about that idea calmly and with balance.

Since blue lace agate enables communications skills, it makes sense that the stone is associated with Mercury, the messenger. The stone is also associated with the zodiac signs Gemini and Pisces, both of which have something to say about communication. They are two of the four immutable signs that keep the fixed and the cardinal signs in a talking mood.

As far as the body goes, blue lace agate has been found to neutralize fever, inflammation, and infection. It aids in healing and repairing bones. Use blue lace agate if your thyroid isn’t up to snuff. Throat and lymph node irregularities might be healed using blue lace agate. Do you have red, itchy skin or eyes? Blue lace agate is the answer.

Did You Know?

• The ancient Romans used agate to make the mortar and pestles in which they ground herbs for medications.

• In ancient Mesopotamia, agate was inset with the seals of the rich and powerful.

• Agate is associated with the Archangel Michael.

• Folklore has the eagle carrying agate pieces to the nest for the protection of its young.

• Agate goes back to the Neolithic peoples when it was primarily used as a healing charm or amulet. Its helpful qualities were revered by ancient Egyptians and Greeks alike.

• Ancient Persians thought agate would prevent storms. The ancients also thought agate would relieve its carrier from being thirsty.

• Carvings made with agate have been found on the Bronze Age Knossos archaeological site on Crete, which tells us a lot about the Minoan peoples.

• Agate has been used for hundreds of years as leather processing tools.

• Agate is used industrially to make the balances and pendulums used in laboratories.

Final Thoughts

Blue lace agate has formed over millions of years to give us the beautiful stones that charm us today. Can blue lace agate go in water? Absolutely. Should it sit in water for a long period? Nope.