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Why Buy A Black Onyx?
Home » Jewelry » Onyx » Why Buy A Black Onyx?Black onyx looks elegant as a piece of jewelry. Onyx is one of the banded varieties of Chalcedony or Agate. The attributes of the onyx range from translucent to opaque in some stones and strongly white or black banded. Coming in a variety of colors including brown, white, gray and black, the most stunning is the black onyx. It is basically Agate that is dyed to get the black color. Used traditionally for carving cameos, you often find it as a shiny background for any jewelry due to its fine texture and smoothness. Sardonyx is onyx with white bands or ribbons on black or brown background and is different from the black colored onyx.
From the beginning, onyx as a stone was dyed to improve the color and texture. Dyeing is a process to alter the color of a gem by dipping it in a solution to allow the dye to penetrate through fractures that are present in the stone. Black onyx was first made some 4000 years back in Harappan civilization.
Most of the black onyx that is produced commercially is heated and permanently dyed to enhance the depth of the black color making it exotic. The natural onyx is extremely rare. The dye used in the process is stable and you should be careful when cleaning to avoid removing or dulling the stone. Irradiation is another process that is used for producing different colors.
Black onyx is an affordable stone and is available in various sizes. When buying, check for smooth marble like surface. The stone should not have any scratches or dents. Sometimes black onyx is confused with black jade, black Chalcedony, black diamond, glass or plastic. The black onyx jewelry is beautiful when put together with stones like pearls.
The colored gemstones are in high demand in the international fashion circuit. Amidst the cluster of bright colored gems, onyx stands out with its black beauty. Because black is one of the basic colors, this stone is hugely used along with light colored gems to bring out the contrasting effect. The richness of the black in onyx ix best displayed when teamed with dollops of pearls. Necklaces made with onyx beads or onyx rings surrounded by dazzling diamonds, or simple drops of onyx in earrings are common.
In addition to its beauty, it is the affordable price of the stone that makes it popular among jewelry lovers.
Resources:
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- Why Buy A Black Onyx?