SARD, a yellow-to-brown variety of Chalcedony

VARIETY INFORMATION:

• VARIETY OF: Crypto-crystalline Quartz , SiO2
• USES: Gemstone and ornamental stone.
• COLOR: yellow to brown
• HARDNESS: 7
• CLEAVAGE: none
• CRYSTAL SYSTEM: none visible (actual crystals are microscopic)
• For natural Sard mineral specimens see our For Sale or Sold lists

Sard is a variety of chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) whose color varies from yellow to brown. It is an impure fine-grained quartz whose crystals are too small to see. While technically translucent, it often appears nearly opaque.

The color is usually a brownish yellow.  If the color was lighter, or the stone was more translucent, or had tones that were more red than brown, it might be called Carnelian.

Sard is only one of several chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) varieties. The primary varieties are as follows:

• Agate is a banded variety (sometimes with translucent bands)
• Bloodstone is green with red speckles
• Carnelian is yellow to orange
• Chrysoprase is green
• Flint is generally black with a fibrous microscopic structure
• Jasper is any colorful agate
• Onyx is black, white, or alternating black and white
• Sard is yellow to brown
• Sardonyx is banded, alternating sard and (usually white) onyx

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JEWELRY: AGATE ALEXANDRITE AMBER AMETHYST ANNIVERSARY AQUAMARINE AZURITE BIRTHSTONE BLOODSTONE CARNELIAN CHALCEDONY CHRYSOPRASE CITRINE DIAMOND EMERALD GARNET GOLD IOLITE JADE JASPER LABRADORITE LAPIS LAZULI LARIMAR MALACHITE MOISSANITE MOLDAVITE MOONSTONE ONYX OPAL PEARL PERIDOT PLATINUM RELIGIOUS RHODOCHROSITE ROCK CRYSTAL ROSE QUARTZ RUBY SAPPHIRE SARDONYX SILVER SPINEL SUNSTONE TANZANITE TOPAZ TOURMALINE TURQUOISE ZIRCON ZODIAC

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