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As early as
the
Bronze Age
chalcedony was in use in the
Mediterranean
region; for example, on
Minoan
Crete at the
Palace of
Knossos,
chalcedony seals have been recovered dating to circa 1800
BC.[3]
People living along the
Central Asian
trade routes used various forms of chalcedony, including
carnelian, to
carve
intaglios, ring
bezels (the upper faceted portion of a gem projecting from the ring
setting), and beads that show strong Graeco-Roman influence. Fine
examples of first century objects made from chalcedony, possibly
Kushan, were
found in recent years at
Tillya-tepe in
north-western
Afghanistan. Hot wax would not stick to it so it
was often used to make
seal
impressions. The term chalcedony is derived from the name of
the ancient
Phoenician town
Chalkedon in
Asia Minor, in
modern English usually spelled
Chalcedon,
today the
Kadıköy
district of
Istanbul.
00000Chalcedony has a
waxy lustre, and may be semitransparent or translucent. It can assume
a wide range of colours, but those most commonly seen are white to
gray, greyish-blue.
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