Natural Sulemani Aqeeq 22.52 Carat – Rare Pictorial Agate with Natural Tortoise Formation – Iran

Description

This is a genuine Natural Sulemani Agate (Aqeeq/Hakik) sourced from Iran, weighing 22.52 carats and hand-cut into an oval cabochon. What makes this piece stand out is a striking natural mineral formation set against the deep blackish-maroon body — a rounded, domed shape in warm amber and burnt-orange tones, rimmed with a frosty white-grey border and flecked with tiny green mineral specks, that closely resembles a tortoise shell seen from above. This is not a carving or enhancement; it’s the pure result of mineral deposits trapped within the silica during the agate’s natural formation. The reverse face shows the same rich body color glowing deep wine-red where light passes through.

Pictorial or “picture” agates like this — where natural inclusions coincidentally resemble a recognizable shape — sit in a special category prized by collectors well above standard banded material, valued for their rarity and the improbability of nature producing such a clean, animal-like silhouette. As part of the broader Sulemani Aqeeq tradition, the stone also carries the long-standing cultural and spiritual significance attached to agate across the Middle East and South Asia — protection, grounding, and inner strength.

The cabochon has been expertly hand-cut and polished to a smooth, glossy finish, preserving the natural formation perfectly intact. Ready to be set into a pendant or statement ring by your goldsmith or silversmith, or kept as a striking display/collector’s piece.