Banded Agate Minerals
Agate is the name given to numerous varieties of banded Chalcedony, a mineral of the Quartz family. Its name comes from the Achates River in Sicily, where Agates were first found. Usually banded in layers, or stripes, some varieties have "eye" markings or specks of color, some have fossilized inclusions, and others are solid. Called the earth rainbow, the concentric bands of Agate form in nearly every color the earth can produce, including a colorless form.