Blue Dyed Agate Bookends

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 colour, some have fossilized inclusions, and others are solid. Called the earth rainbow, the concentric bands of Agate form in nearly every colour the earth can produce, including a colourless form.

Metaphysically, Agate has a lower intensity and vibrates to a lower frequency than other stones, but is highly regarded as a stabilizing and strengthening influence

The layered bands of microscopic quartz in Agate may appear delicate, they are actually very strong. Agate is excellent for balancing emotional, physical and intellectual energy, and in harmonizing yin and yang, the positive and negative forces of the universe.