This is where agate slices start to feel like art.

Agate forms when mineral-rich water fills a hollow in volcanic rock and hardens, one fine layer at a time. Slice it and polish it and those layers become sweeping bands of colour, often around a sparkly crystal centre. Every colour but Natural is dyed to make the bands glow; Natural is the agate's own undyed colour.

A slice this size has real presence on a shelf or hung in a window. The light coming through it changes all day long. People also use them as small serving boards for a candle or a plant pot, and they get asked about them constantly.

How to use it

• Display it on a stand by a window
• Set a small plant or candle on top
• Lean it against books on a shelf
• Give it as a housewarming gift

Care: Rinse with plain water and dry right away, and keep dyed slices out of strong sun for long stretches so the colour lasts.

The details

• Stone: Agate
• Unit size: 6" to 7 1/4"
• Options: Black (Enhanced), Blue (Enhanced), Green (Enhanced), Natural, Pink (Enhanced), Purple (Enhanced), Red (Enhanced), Teal (Enhanced)
• Sold as: Single piece
• Country of origin: Brazil