Sankt Egidienengl

Agates from the Sankt Egidien area are highly searched after by agate-collectors. Sankt Egidien is the title for three small neighboured finding-locations: the region north of the nickel-smelter (the so called “west-field”) near Sankt Egidien, the area near the little village Kuhschnäppel and the area near to Hohenstein - Ernsthal. Those agates are forming lithophysae in a rhyolithic rock. Mostly the lithophysae are having a globular shape and are reaching sizes up to three feet diameter (Leonhard). The primary places of origin are only small (up to 20 x 50 meters). But on the surface the deposites are widespread by erosion.

Depending on how the lithophysae is cut, the nodules are bearing stars or irregular formations of fortification - agate. Besides the agate a lithophysae can bear phanerocrystallinic quartz and / or red to greenish jasper. Very interesting is the formation of so called “atoll - agates”. This variety is showing a concentrical formation of ring-shaped agate-filled cells. Near to the nickel-smelter “´water-level-agates” are very rare, at the region Hohenstein-Ernsthal this formation of agate is more common. The agates from Sankt Egidien are showing reddish colours - bluish, greenish and yellowish tones are rare.