Etched agate is not rare, and as early as 4000 years ago, Mesopotamian artisans knew how to make carnelian "lined beads" (which are a coarser form of dZi beads and sometimes known as chung dZi beads), by which white lines are inlaid in black or red agate.
鑲蝕瑪瑙不稀奇，早在四千五百年前，印度和美索不達米亞地區就有「紅玉髓」或是「線珠」（也稱為「中天珠」，是一種較粗糙的天珠）的製造，在或紅或黑的瑪瑙上鑲著各式白色線條。