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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Bronwen, post: 9599784, member: 5833&quot;]She is chalcedony; she is just not chalcedonyx nor sardonyx, terms which designate the color under the white (onyx) layer in a cameo.&nbsp; There really ought to be an accepted term for ones like this, where one layer is carnelian/cornelian in color, besides banded agate.&nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>It easily gets muddled: Quartz&gt;microcrystaline quartz&gt;chalcedony.&nbsp; Chalcedony is translucent.&nbsp; Colors of chalcedony: white; pale blue; pale lavender; orange (cornelian) dark brown (sard); green (chrysoprase). Microcrystaline quartz that is opaque is called jasper. </p><p><br /></p><p>Agate is not a mineral, it is a term used for chalcedony in various formations.&nbsp; The majority of hardstone cameos are cut in banded/layered/ribbon agate.&nbsp; The dendritic agates, those with spiky or leafy inclusions, do not make good cameos.</p><p><br /></p><p>I cannot say for certain that the orange layer on your lovely lady was not achieved by dyeing, a practice so old the Romans were already doing it, but the stone looks natural to me.&nbsp; Hardstone cameos with a black or very red background layer have been dyed.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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