In jewelry design as in fashion, colors look crisper against a background of black and black and white always looks right. In fine jewelry, the black backdrop is often supplied by onyx, a chalcedony quartz with a fine texture and black color. Some onyx also displays white bands or ribbons against a black background. If the layers are even, this type of onyx can be carved into cameos.
LaPietra can surface you home with this precious stone.
Black onyx shines when used as a backdrop for color play. Its fine texture also makes it ideal for carving, which makes it a favored material for our lapidary artists. Onyx was often used as the perfect foil for carved rock crystal or the red of rubies in Art deco designs. It is also popular in marcasite jewelry.

Onyx was very popular with the ancient Greeks and Romans. The name comes from the Greek work onux, which means fingernail. Even though black isn’t usually the color you would associate with fingernails, in Greek times, almost all colors of chalcedony from fingernail white to dark brown and black were called onyx. Later, the Romans narrowed the term to refer to black and dark brown colors only.
Onyx, which is honey reddish brown and white, is known as sardonyx. Sardonyx was highly valued in Rome, especially for seals, because it was said to never stick to the wax.

Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony, a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. The colors of its bands are white and black.

Sardonyx is a variant, where the colored band are sard, rather than black. It is usually cut as a cabochon, or into beads, and is also used for intaglios and cameos, where the bands make the image contrast with the ground. Some onyx is natural but much is produced by the staining of agate.

Onyx is the mystical birthstone for the month of December. It is also the birthstone for the Zodiac sign of Leo. Onyx is also given on the 7th and 10th wedding anniversary.

As a healing stone, onyx is used to strengthen and cure diseases of the heart and kidneys, to reduce stress and neurological disorders, remove apathy, to improve eyesight and to ensure a good night’s sleep.

Onyx powers include eliminating negative thoughts, sharpening the wits and promoting spiritual inspiration.

Most Black Onyx that is commercially available today is color enhanced, heated and dyed, to increase its depth of color
Available Producs
Tiles and Slabs cut to size