and the reason is that I have seen strands of these banded agate round beads hanging in the gem markets of Chinatown, Manila, and also in China.
I am returning to Manila in a few days, and hope to get some photos.
Of course this could also mean that this sort of agate stone has been valued for generations, continuing today, and there must be many older stones of this type on the market too.
I like mixing them with white or black glass, but do not have any examples left to show.