Agate

Agate is a type of quartz (silica), chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color.

Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks but can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.

The colorful agate and other chalcedonies were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now the Dirillo, in Sicily.

The stone given the name by a Greek by the name of Theophrastus, who discovered the stone along the shore line of the river Achates sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries BC.

De Ferranti often use agates in their Pietre Dure and Cosmatesque creations.

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DE FERRANTI
South Park Studios - Suite 10
88 Peterborough Road, London SW6 3HH
United Kingdom