The agate stone was given its name by Theophrastus, a Greek philosopher and naturalist, who discovered it along the shore line of the river Achates in Sicily, sometime between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. Colorful agates and other chalcedonies were obtained over 3,000 years ago from the Achates River, now called Dirillo. The range of colors and patterns is quite breathtaking.