While I was on my fall trip to South Dakota to agate hunt and recover from the crazy summer, I was given a lead from a friend regarding a rock shop that had gone out of business. I met with one of the co-owners the first time to go over the exceptionally large inventory, but we ran out of time. I went back a few days later and bought quite a bit. One of the boxes of specimens I purchased was Royal Aztec purple agate. This agate was mined out in the 1960s, so it is now extremely rare and difficult to find. It is considered one of the best seam agates ever found on Earth. The deepness of the purple color can vary, as can the amount of banding and other structure. One unusual thing about this agate is that if it is stored in sunlight, the deepness of the color will fade.
The agate was found in Durango, Mexico.
Hi, I have an old collection that I acquired a couple of years ago and knew it was from the 50s to around the early 80s. Most of it is stuff I didn’t know what it was. It was half buried and strewn about. I seen your “mineral of the month” article and recognize the Royal Aztec Lace agate. I thought I had Holley Blue. It looks like I have 6 or 7 lbs of it. Some of it is faded like you mentioned in your article. I did cut a piece that was faded and it was more purplish inside. I live in northern Wisconsin near Eagle River. Me and my wife have been wanting to get up that way to check out your shop and museum. I have a large Lake Superior agate in basalt with what looks like Green Stone mixed in. Found it in northern Wisconsin. Thanks for having that article.