العقيق اليماني

Yemeni Agates Information

written by: Ahmed Rawdhan

  • Yemeni Agates

    Yemeni Agate is part of the international agates as a precious stone consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, consisting of a wide variety of colors. Yemeni Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The name Yamani is given to any agate mined for in Yemen

what makes Yemeni Agates different

Yemeni Agate were famous since thousands of years for its highest quality and its variety of colors and types and also for its relation to the religious believes

In this page we re going to talk about some types of the Yemeni Agates available in the Yemeni, Arabic and international markets

Types of Yemeni Agates

  1. Pictorial Yemeni Agates

  2. Ice-color white Yemeni Agates

  3. Cerasus-color Yemeni Agates

  4. Liver-color Yemeni Agates

  5. Yemeni Carnelian, Red Agates

  6. Pomegranate-color Yemeni Agates

  7. Orange-color Yemeni agates

  8. Golden Yemeni Agates

  9. Honey-color Yemeni Agates

  10. Apricot-color Yemeni Agates

  11. Dates-color Yemeni Agates

  12. Yellow Yemeni Agates

  13. Sharaf Ashams Yemeni Agates

  14. Black Yemeni Agates

  15. Shafat Al-abd Yemeni Agates

  16. Sulaimani Yemeni Agates

  17. Jaza Yemeni Agates

  18. Eyes of Yemeni Agates

  19. Dawoody Yemeni Agates

  20. Dendritic Yemeni Agates

  21. Moss Yemeni Agates

  22. Needle Yemeni Agates

  23. Sky-color Yemeni Agates

  24. Yellow Yemeni Agates

  25. Green Yemeni Agates

  26. saffron-color Yemeni Agates

  27. Yemeni Bloodstones

  28. Baqrani Yemeni Agates

  29. Murad Yemeni Agates

  30. Ismael Yemeni Agates

  31. Yemeni Jade

 

Beautiful Rough Yemeni Agate stone

Provinces of Yemen in which Yemeni Agates are mined for

  • Dhamar Province

  • Sana'a Province

  • Ibb Province

  • Taiz Province

  • Shabwah Province

  • Some other provinces

جبل ضوران

Yemeni Agates are mostly mined for in a lot of areas in Anes mountains in Dhamar Province, like Alhan mountain in Hemiar , Bani khaled, Dhuran mountain, And also in Almanar and Asharq mountain. Also Yemeni Agates are mined for in some other places in Dhamar like Ans,....

Also Yemeni agates are mined for in other provinces like Sana'a, khawlan area, Ibb, Taiz and Shabwah

Forms of Yemeni Rough Agates

Yemeni Agates can be found in volcanic and metamorphic rocks after digging to different depths. They comes in a form of rocks in different shapes containing other impurities

حجر خام من العقيق اليماني

Processes of preparing Yemeni Agate stones

  1. Mining

  2. Classification and selection of the suitable ones

  3. Sawing and removing other impurities

  4. Grinding and making the required shape

  5. Polishing

  6. Faceting

  7. Heat treatment for Yemeni Carnelian

 

 

قطع العقيق اليماني

How to identify the original Yemeni Agates

 

we may be able to some degree identify the Yemeni Agates origin depending on some tips, like lab test to check color distribution in a stone, also colors of veins in stone.

Also, we can check the style of Yemeni grinding and Finally compare color to the famous Yemeni agate colors

 

عقيق يماني بعد القطع

Some tools and machines used for making Yemeni Agates

  • Sawing Machine : used for sawing Yemeni Agates using teethless sawing blade

  • Grinding machine: used for grinding Yemeni agates to make the desired shape like oval, round ,square and any other shape. It is used sometimes for polishing with sanding papers. This machine uses silicon or diamond grinding wheels with different grits

  • Tumbling machine: After grinding, stones with similar hardness are put wet inside tumbling machine with certain powders for sometime

  • Polishing powder: different types of powders in different grits are added to the tumbling machine for polishing Yemeni agates

  • Sanding powders: are used for polishing Yemeni agates instead of tumbling machine or as a part of tumbling processes

  • Forming and drilling machines for beads

  • Faceting machines used for making nice facets

  • Some required safety tools: it is important to put on face mask ,glasses and finger caps

Stores for selling lapidary tools in Yemen

Diamond World lapidary tools, sells tools and machines for Yemeni agates workshops

عالم الماس Diamod World

Yemeni Agates as mentioned in historical references

Yemeni Agates were mentioned in old Arabic books which talks about gemstones.They mentioned Yemeni agates types,uses and benefits.It was famous internationally for its beauty and high quality. It was used to make rings,pendants,bracelets,rosary beads,handles of swords and daggers,embroidering crowns and valuable masterpieces. Also some Ayats ,epics and drawings were engraved on Yemeni Agates

Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Hamdani, who died 893 AD, mentioned the Yemeni Agate in his book (The Description of the Arabian Peninsula)

(Yemen has buqran stones(banded Yemeni agates) which worth to much money. It has red layer, on white layer, on black layer, buqran has variery, and its mineral exists in Anes mountain which refers to Anes son of Alhan son of Malek. Sawani Agates from Sawan, valley near to Sana'a, it is black stone with white vein. Also in Shaharah. Ayshan from Hashed close to Hanoom and Dhulaimah and Aljamash from Hamdan. Also Aleshari, it is the sky-color from Ashar close to Sana'a, it has also crystals and Almusanna Agates which is used for making knives handles. Carnelian, red agates , yellow agates , muwasha and banded agates from Alhan. Another type of Yemeni agates Al-nuqumi which is Fahl Al orf, has Sawani and dhasri. Khawlani Agates, jerti agates from Authaiqah and Al Shazab used to make plates, stands and handles of knives and swrods, also Madahin and Qahfah ... etc

 

Abu Rayhan Al-Biruni who died in 1048 AD , mentioned in his book (Al-jamahir fi Marifat Al-jawahir) A geology manual of minerals and gems, he said in the section of Agates (its colors rate from whitish, to yellowish ,and reddish , then to blackish. Its mineral is in Sindh and Yemen).

He also motioned about agate ( It exists only in India and Yemen). He added (Some of agates come in reddish yellow color , polish and humidity, are called Rumi) My personal believe is that the writer mixed between Rumi and Romani which means pomegranate color because they have similarity in Arabic pronunciation and spelling but then he mentioned the Yemeni pomegranate color agates at following sections of his book.

He also mentioned some names of Yemeni agates to 6 types; Golden color, Pomegranate color, Red color, Apricot color, Rotab dates color and Tamar dates color

Ahmed al-Tifashi who died in 1253 AD mentioned in his book Al Ahjar Almoloukiyah (Agates are obtained from minerals in Aden and Sana'a and then brought to Sana'a city )

He mentioned that( Yemeni agates are of five types Red, dates color which is yellowish red, blue, black and white)

He said also that ( Onyx exists in minerals in Yemen)

 

Tifashi also mentioned in another book for him that Agates are found in Sana'a city of Yemen, and then exported to all countries) He named the five types of agates mentioned in his above book