Its name comes from the Greek “ onyx ” and means “ nail ” or “ claw ”.

According to legend, this gem was created when Cupid cut the nails of sleeping Venus and left them scattered on the floor. Since the parts of a divine creature are not mortal, the deities transformed them into a gem, which was later called Onyx.

In ancient Greece, all the colors of Chalcedony were called “ Onyx “: from white to dark brown to black. It was the Romans who later used this name only for the black and dark brown Chalcedony gems.

Like Agate , Onyx is also a striated gem. In ancient Rome it was used for glyptic, or the art of carving, where, thanks to the different layers of color, the relief part, normally lighter, clearly differentiated from the darker one, giving rise to wonderful carvings. With this technique the Romans produced cameos with images of famous people or scenes.

The red-brown variety with white bands was called “ Sardonyx “. In ancient Rome it was highly valued as a seal, as it did not stick to wax.

Onyx is often linked to instinct and intuition. For this he should develop authority and analytical thinking.

Onyx is normally considered as a black gem, but in reality, being a variety of Agate , it has white streaks. Onyx is an opaque gem and its color varies from dark brown to black.

• How to care for jewelry with Onyx

Onice can be subjected to normal cleaning, including steam and ultrasonic cleaning.