Comparative analysis of the agates of China and Siberia, and the prospects of their use in design

Abstract

During the training geological excursions in the delta area of the Yangtze River, China, samples of natural gemstone raw materials such as agates, have been collected. The present study has been carried out with the objective of investigating the agates and comparing them with those of the Siberian deposits and other deposits worldwide. Criteria for the comparative evaluation of the agates and their suitability for design purposes have been determined; the artistic features and the history of the use of agates in creating jewelry and stone-carved artworks from antiquity to the present have been studied. The research and analysis of the gemstone raw material samples and artworks has been based on the methods of the visual analysis of the color and texture features, the theoretical studies of scientific literary sources, and the art history analysis of agate jewelry and stone-carved artworks. As a result of the study, the ways of using agates in modern jewelry design have been outlined.