Agate, Aquamarine and Chalcedony Necklace

This unique Saturn agate pendant necklace pairs beautiful blue green banding with aquamarine, aqua chalcedony and handmade sterling silver details.

• Materials: Saturn banded agate from Brazil, aquamarine, aqua chalcedony, and solid sterling silver
• Main stone size: Approx. 18 mm x 17 mm
• Pendant size: Approx. 0.79" wide x 1.18" tall (20 mm x 30 mm), excluding gemstone dangles
• Total pendant drop: Approx. 1.97" (50 mm), including dangles
• Gemstone dangles: Aqua chalcedony teardrop with 6 mm and 4 mm aquamarine cubes
• Chain length: Adjustable from 17" to 19"
• Chain: Handmade sterling silver with wire wrapped aquamarine stations and heavy square wire links
• Closure: Sterling silver lobster claw clasp with extender chain
• Extender detail: 4 mm aquamarine cube dangle
• Setting: Sterling silver bezel with open back
• Weight: Approx. 18 grams
• Two individually sold mirror image necklaces available
• One of a kind + ready to ship

I found this Saturn banded agate from Brazil on one of our gemstone buying trips to Tucson. There was an entire display of this newly found agate, including large specimens that showed off all of its incredible natural banding and colors. I was immediately drawn to it. These particular stones have soft blue and green bands that remind me of a beach on a foggy day. There is something about the horizontal banding that almost looks like a distant horizon line.

What makes these two necklaces especially unusual is that the stones started as a matched pair. They were cut from the same material and opened up to create mirror images of one another. I originally began making them into earrings and created matching settings with gemstone dangles, but once I got further into the design, I realized they were going to be too heavy for earrings. Instead, they became two individual necklaces. The colors, dangles and construction match, but each is the mirror image of the other.

I kept the bezel setting fairly simple because I wanted the agate to remain the focus. The back is completely open, so you can also turn the pendant around and wear the reverse side facing forward. From the back, you see the polished agate framed by the smooth silver bezel.

Below the agate, I added an aqua chalcedony teardrop along with two aquamarine cubes in subtly different colors. I loved the way the aquamarine played off the blue and green tones in the Saturn agate, so I continued those stones into the chain.

I individually wire wrapped the aquamarine cubes with a little spiral of silver around each stone. I also created small sections of heavier chain using square sterling silver wire formed into oval links. I love how the square wire and cube shaped gemstones quietly play off the square shape of the main stone.

The chain continues the asymmetrical feeling of the pendant. Both sides contain the same elements, but I reversed their placement so the design is balanced rather than perfectly symmetrical. The pendant is also able to slide freely between the first stations on either side rather than being fixed exactly in the center. As you wear it, things shift slightly and sometimes one side sits a little lower than the other. I really love that movement and the way the whole necklace feels balanced.

The soft aquamarine, blue and green palette feels incredibly calming to me, and all of the small handmade details give you more to notice when you look closely. I also love that there are two of these necklaces available. Each is its own unique piece, but somewhere out there can be another necklace that is its exact mirror image.