What do we call red agate in Urdu?

It is usually sold as surkh aqeeq.

Is most red agate dyed?

A good share on the market has been dyed or heated to deepen the colour. That is not automatically bad, but the seller should tell you.

How do I spot dyed red agate?

Dyed stones often look unnaturally even, and under a loupe the colour collects along cracks and band edges.

Can red agate be worn in a ring every day?

Yes. It is 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale and copes well with daily wear.

What does a good red agate look like?

A rich, warm red, enough translucency that it glows when held to light, and a clean, glassy polish.

Red Agate (Surkh Aqeeq) Buying Guide

Your First Surkh Aqeeq: A Red Agate Buying Guide

In short: When you buy surkh aqeeq for the first time, the main thing to check is whether the colour belongs to the stone. Natural red agate shows some variation in shade and soft banding, and it glows when held to the light. Paint-like, perfectly even colour points to dye, while round bubbles and quick warming in the hand point to glass.

2 min read

In this article

What red agate is
Its own colour, or dyed?
Catching glass
What a good stone looks like
Wear and care
Price
Three checks before you pay

Written by Sameer

Reviewed on 21 October 2026

Surkh aqeeq, as red agate is sold in our bazaars, is one of the cheapest ways to own a genuine stone from the earth. It is also one of the easiest to get wrong. With red agate the real question is not whether you are paying enough but whether the colour is the stone's own. This guide takes a first-time buyer through what to look at.

What red agate is

Agate is a type of chalcedony, which is a very fine-grained quartz. Iron gives it its red to orange-red colour, and it often shows soft, curving bands. Hold a good red agate up to a light and it glows from inside instead of looking flat and opaque.

Its own colour, or dyed?

Plenty of red agate on sale has been dyed or heated to deepen the colour. That is not always a problem, but you should know which one you are paying for. Signs of dye include:

Colour so even and intense it looks like paint, with no variation anywhere.
Colour gathered along cracks or band edges when you look through a loupe.
Colour coming off on a damp white cloth rubbed firmly on an unpolished spot (only with the seller's permission).

Natural red agate usually shows some change in shade across the stone and a gentle banded structure.

Catching glass

Glass copies show round bubbles under magnification and warm up quickly in your palm. Agate stays cool for longer, and inside it looks fibrous or banded rather than empty. A flawless, perfectly even, cheap stone is the classic warning sign.

What a good stone looks like

Colour: a warm, rich red that looks alive.
Translucency: light should pass through and make the stone glow.
Finish: a smooth, glassy polish with no chips or cracks around the edge.

Wear and care

At 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, red agate stands up well to daily ring wear. Clean it with mild soap and water and keep harsh chemicals away, as they can affect dyed stones.

Price

Red agate is priced mostly on colour, translucency and finish, and every stone we list carries its own individual price.

Three checks before you pay

Make sure the stone is natural agate and not glass, that any dyeing or heating is written down, and that the weight quoted is for the cut stone. We inspect every stone ourselves and photograph each one alone. Browse red agate, or look at tiger eye and bloodstone. Our gem names page has the Urdu and English names. Cash on Delivery covers Karachi first, where we are based, then Lahore and every other city in Pakistan, with a flat Rs. 500 delivery charge per order.

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