Chalcedony is a cryptocrystalline form of silica, which is composed of very fine intergrowths of quartz and moganite. Both are silica minerals. Chalcedony has a waxy luster and can be translucent. It can assume a wide range of colors, but those most commonly observed are white to gray, blue or a shade of brown ranging from pale to nearly black. Its name comes from Latin and is probably derived from the town of Chalcedon in Turkey. Another reference to a gem by the name of khalkedon (χαλκηδών) is found in the Book of Revelation (21:19).
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