Cross, Numbers and Alphabet Agates from Java - Indonesia!!!

There is a rugged mountain terrain in East Java known for ornamental stones such as Picture & Orbicular Jaspers, Moss Agates, Drusy Chalcedony and recently, Cross and Alphabet Agates. For centuries these mountains were the center of religious retreats, hosting ancient Hindu, Christian and Buddhist scholars prior to the popular modern day Islamist movement.

As a geologist, I don't believe Cross and Letter Agates form only in East Java. The conditions of formation certainly occur elsewhere in the world. Although, I have not noticed it personally and I've seen a lot of rock in my 27 year career conducting regional mineral surveys on 4 continents. It took the ingenuity of East Javanese carvers and craftsmen to bring this phenomenon to our attention.

As noted, the ornate potential of this stone was first recognized by rock hounds in a mountain village in East Java. There are several people now known to collect and cut various scripts from these stones. Most notable was the ability of one man who seems to be the "godfather" of the Alphabet Agate cabochons; lets just call him "Pak Hurup" which means Mr. Letterman. I first visited Pak Hurup in 2003. He lived in a small cabin with a dirt floor lit by a gas lantern. There was a big pile of fist sized agate in the yard and a crude, hand crank bench grinder cemented to square meter foundation on his front porch (Photo #2).... [link to www.indoagate.com]