Pink chalcedony nodule

Pink chalcedony noduleLocale: Yankee Dog Claim, Hidalgo, New Mexico Approx size: 1. 75" Approx weight: 38g Pink chalcedony nodules, sometimes called "chalcedony desert roses," have been discovered across the southwest. They were prolific from this locale back in the 1990s, but today are much harder to come byat least with any size or quality. The material is known for its strong UV reaction and undulating ropy, botryoidal forms. Pink chalcedony often grows shapes like a

Locale: Yankee Dog Claim, Hidalgo, New Mexico

Approx size: 1.75"

Approx weight: 38g

Pink chalcedony nodules, sometimes called "chalcedony desert roses," have been discovered across the southwest. They were prolific from this locale back in the 1990s, but today are much harder to come by—at least with any size or quality. 

The material is known for its strong UV reaction and undulating ropy, botryoidal forms. Pink chalcedony often grows shapes like a nest, cup, or knobby "ear" with raised rims of concentric banding. 'Agate' refers to chalcedony with banded color, whereas this chalcedony has banded structure. It has a dynamic, fluid appearance similar to its relative hyalite, as if someone piped icing on a cake when it was still warm so it's starting to melt down the sides.

This flat "ear" of a specimen has a small opening and shallow cavity. The piece has a nice light pink coloration and good translucency in the top layers, with some more opaque whitish layers inside, creating faint agate banding. The exterior details are well-formed, with ropy banding rippling around lumpy botryoidal growth.

UV reactivity this material has an excellent UV reaction, most pieces glowing a strong green under 365nm UV light. The translucent material at the top of this piece has strong UV reaction, as does the interior, with the lower banding fainter. There is a small material fluorescing orange, visible through the pink chalcedony (in the botryoidal form just to the left of my thumbnail). No phosphorescence detected.