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Agate is a member of the family of Chalcedony which is a variety of Quartz. It features no crystals, and is translucent to transparent in its
forms. It may also be faintly fluorescent. Banded agates occur in basalt on the shores of the Great Lakes in Ontario, Brazil and Uraguay.
Agates are fashioned primarily into cabachons or used in the manufacture of cameos. Other members of the Chalcedony family include jasper, heliotrope, onyx,
sard, carnelian and bloodstone.
Chalcedony derives its name from the ancient Greek city, Chalcedon.
Agate is a birthstone for May.
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