White Agate Serving Tray with Brass Handles

About the Agate

Agate grows in bands, and on a white stone those bands show as shifts between chalk white, cream and a pale gray. The lines follow the shape of the cavity the stone formed in, so they curve and crowd together instead of running straight.

Cut thin and held to the light, the paler layers turn translucent while the denser ones hold. On a table the stone looks quiet; under a lamp it shows the structure inside.

How It’s Made

The agate is cut into a 9" x 14" rectangle, a size that suits a cheese course, a fruit course or coffee for two. Every edge is electroformed, metal grown onto the stone and permanently bonded rather than laid on as a coating that can rub off. A solid brass handle is fitted at each short end, in an open leaf or a laurel arch shape, and the finish carries across the handles and the tray together in gold, silver or rose gold.

Details

• Material: natural white agate with an electroformed metal edge
• Size: 9" x 14"
• Finish: gold, silver or rose gold electroformed, on the handles and the tray
• Handles: solid brass, in an open leaf or laurel arch shape
• Food use: serve with a liner or servingware rather than setting food straight onto the stone

Each tray is cut from its own slab, so the banding and the amount of gray in the stone change from one to the next.

A Gift For

The rectangle is the shape people reach for at breakfast, so it works as a wedding or engagement gift for a couple who will use it every week. It also travels well as a host or hostess gift and as a corporate gift where something neutral is wanted.

Use and Care

Wipe the stone and the brass clean with a soft, damp cloth and dry them right away. Keep food on a liner or in servingware rather than in direct contact with the stone.