Condor agate was discovered and named by Luis de los Santos in 1993. It is found in the mountains near San Rafael, in

Mendoza Province Mendoza, officially Province of Mendoza, is a province of Argentina, in the western central part of the country in the Cuyo region. It borders San Juan to the north, La Pampa and Neuquén to the south, San Luis to the east, and the republic o ...

, Argentina. This

agate Agate () is a common rock formation, consisting of chalcedony and quartz as its primary components, with a wide variety of colors. Agates are primarily formed within volcanic and metamorphic rocks. The ornamental use of agate was common in Anci ...

exhibits colorful bands and patterns, and has become a popular stone among collectors and jewelry designers.

Mining

In the early days of condor agate collecting, a typical month of effort would yield 1 ton of good agates. Currently, excavation is required to find the agates, so an extra effort is needed to supply the ever growing demand for these gems. Initially, the agates were found scattered loose over the landscape and were readily harvested in quantity. Today, surface collecting is no longer prolific, so these agates are collected from shallow diggings in the cold agate fields in Mendoza province, Argentina.

References

*Pabian, Roger, et al. "Agates. Treasures of the Earth". Buffalo, New York, Firefly Books, 2006 {{ISBN, 978-1554070985 *Faith E. Riesen, "Rock & Gem Magazine, Condor agate", Ventura, California, Miller Magazines, March 1993 *Bob Jones, "Rock & Gem Magazine, South American Condor agate", Ventura, California, Miller Magazines, September 1995 *Si & Ann Frazier, "Lapidary Journal, Soaring from Patagonia, Condor agate", December 1996, Interweave Magazines, Loveland, Colorado Agates