6mm Banded Agate Beads. Ornamentally, Banded Agate has a story going back 3000years b.c.e., in the ancient Indus Valley civilization. It has always been prized for its hardness, its non-absorbent quality, and capacity to take a high polish; with its banding it is also attractive and interesting, as is the above 6mm Banded Agate necklace, with its soft palette of colours from pale greys to pinks.
The ancient Greeks and Romans often used Banded Agate in hardstone carving, for example in the carving of a seal or an image, for though it is a hard material it is not entirely crystalline in structure and consequently can be easily worked by a skilled artisan.
Note: the beads are a touch larger than 6mm round, are approx 6.25mm round.