Calandria AGATE--The Latest Treasure of the Sierra Madre

摘要

The member of the oriole family that is known to residents of Chihuahua, Mexico, as the "Calandria" is remarkable forpossessing a song far superior to that of any other bird in thatstate. Its song is powerful and beautiful—just like the bands of theagate that derives its name from the bird.I first saw this agate in the 1970s when Ramon and Ernesto Pena, of Juarez, first brought it out from the Matachic and Santo Tomas area of Chihuahua. It was common in that day for new varieties of agate to be sold under existing agate names that were already popular with the lapidary world. Such was the case when many unknowingly purchased Calandria agate labeled as the famous Parcelas and Casas Grandes agate from popular localities farther to the north.