Jewelry Made from Black Onyx

Onyx is a chalcedony quartz that is mined in Brazil, India, California and Uruguay. It has a fine texture and black color; however some onyx also displays white bands or ribbons against a black or brown background and this variety is known as sardonyx. Black and white onyx is a stone first popularized in the ancient Roman days. The ancients developed a method of permanently coloring clean gray agate to a pure jet black color. This was done to develop a quality black gemstone, there is no true black onyx. The resulting onyx is actually a better than natural onyx since it is harder and more enduring than the onyx one sees carved into little animals. Black and white onyx is especially rare due to its characteristic white bands;. The ancient black color contrasts with the distinctive white lines. As a side note, if the white layers and lines were perfectly flat, this material could be used for making cameos. Black and white onyx is a refreshing gemstone from ancient times. Originally, almost all colors of chalcedony from white to dark brown and black were called onyx. Today when we think of onyx we often preface the word with black to distinguish it from other varieties of onyx that come in white, reddish brown, brown and banded. A variety of onyx that is reddish brown with white and lighter reddish bands is known as sardonyx. A 6.5 on the Mohs scale of hardness., onyx is a very good stone for use in carving. Check out these sites::Opi Black Onyx
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