![]() Today, onyx still means something dark and mournful, with some mysticism thrown in. Most of the use of black onyx in jewelry had been for cameos and brooches. This symbolism occurred after Queen Victoria donned a piece of onyx jewelry to represent her sadness about Prince Albert’s passing. It was used mostly for jewelry worn at funerals or in times of mourning. Its debut headed off the start of the Victorian era in 1861. Greek mythology tells us that while Venus was sleeping, Cupid clipped her fingernails and the clippings were onyx.Īrtisans and early cultures have been using onyx in jewelry for thousands of years. The name “onyx” is derived from the Greek word for “claw”. But scientists have settled against this. There's some argument over if onyx is an agate, another layered chalcedony. This type of quartz has very fine mineral crystals. ![]() However, it's the same variety you might be familiar with, like rose quartz or smoky quartz. Chalcedony is a type of microcrystalline quartz. Onyx gemstones come from the rock family of chalcedony (KAL-SID-NEE). ![]()
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