Jet black, graphite and dark grey agate stones come in this pouch, cut flat and polished, each with a gold-coloured rune. They are mostly even in colour, with only slight differences in tone. Their shape is roughly rectangular with rounded edges. Country of origin: India.
Gold signs on black
With black and gold side by side, the contrast is strong, so the signs are easy to read by candlelight or an evening lamp. In that light the gold even glints. Because black agate is even in colour, the sign never gets lost in a pattern, as it can on more colourful stones. On a light, plain cloth, such as white cotton or linen, the dark stones stand out sharply.
Named after a river in Sicily
Theophrastus, the Greek scholar, recorded the name agate in his work On Stones. It comes from the Achates, a river in Sicily where the stone was found. Agate is a kind of chalcedony, a fine-grained form of quartz. It is nearly as hard as quartz, which makes it a durable stone.
Drawing a rune at the end of the day
Modern rune drawing became widely known through The Book of Runes, published in 1982 by the American writer Ralph Blum. It is said that a stone drawn in silence, with a question in mind, offers guidance. If you set aside a few minutes for this in the evening, these black stones suit that quiet hour.
According to crystal tradition, black agate is a stone of strength and protection. Keep the stones in their pouch so they do not scratch each other, and wipe them with a soft cloth.