HISTORY OF AGATE (AQEEQ, AQIQ, AKEEK) STONE

For centuries, Agate was a precious gemstone for use in jewelry or small art sculptures. The properties of agate in terms of magic and sorcery were also among the items that attracted human attention, including the ancient Persians.
Its name is derived from the Achates River on the Italian peninsula of Sicily. Agate rubble was probably obtained from the bed of this river in ancient times. The Greek philosopher Theophrastus discovered the gem in the river in the fourth century, and named it Agate.

History of Agate (Aqeeq, Aqiq, Akeek) StoneBowls and utensils made of opal were very popular during the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Rome – Constantinople), the connoisseurship of these bowls was common the aristocratic families of Europe during the Renaissance and today collections may be found in many museums, such as the Louvre in France.
A collection has been discovered consisting of more than three thousand bowls of this gem made by Mehrdad, King of Pontus (an ancient land south of the Black Sea in present-day Turkey) as an example of how highly this semi-precious jewel was regarded in the past.