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Handmade black onyx necklace with picasso jasper pendant
I've always thought of black onyx as a versatile, dramatic, striking gemstone. I really like faceted onyx - the very shiny, smooth facets reflect the light, creating a contrast of sparkly light against dark. Because it's it's a neutral color, black onyx can be used with many different gemstones, and it has the beauty and drama to be used as a single gemstone.
Onyx is a form of chalcedony, very fine microcrystalline quartz. It is mined in India, Brazil, Uruguay and California among other places in the world. Most onyx is color enhanced. When onyx is mined it is usually gray or light brown. The ancient Romans soaked the onyx in sugar water, then placed it in strong acid. It was then boiled for two hours. The acid dissolved the sugar, leaving pure black carbon. This method still used today. Cobalt dye is used these days to color onyx as well.
Onyx was valued by the ancient Greeks and Romans. The story goes that one day the playful Cupid cut the divine fingernails of Venus while she was sleeping. Because the gods were immortal, the fates turned the cut fingernails into stone - onyx, or onux , the Greek word for fingernail. The Romans used onyx and it's naturally striped form, sardonyx, as seals. Onyx which is reddish brown and white is called sardonyx. There are also other colors of onyx, including green, which is quite beautiful.
Onyx is said to drive away evil and high tempers. It is also said to cool the passions of love and promote independence between lovers. It is said to sooth worries and give a positive outlook. Onyx is a fairly hard stone, having a hardness of 7 on the Mohs scale of hardness, with 10 being the hardest.
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