Onyx, that's one of the most classic stones we can put in Sote Jewellery. Deep black, high gloss finish, adds the timeless elegance to both silver and gold. This mineral still enjoys unflagging popularity and we set it in all of the essential pieces.
Onyx is a variety of quartz, in addition to black it is also available in green, similar to malachite. It is also available in other colours, often with striped tone transitions, and different subspecies have their own characteristic names. Black specimens owe their dark colour to their iron oxide content and its concentration will depend on how dark the specimen is.
In antiquity, Onyx was seen as the ideal material for making seals, and was believed to be an amulet of happiness. Perhaps this is also why the Emperor of China himself used a seal made of Onyx, and throughout China the use of the Onyx seal was reserved for the ruler only, and the use of stamps made of this ore outside the Tsarist court was strictly forbidden.
Today this mineral is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Egypt and India, although it is found in different qualities and colours all over the world.
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Onyx is a variety of quartz, in addition to black it is also available in green, similar to malachite. It is also available in other colours, often with striped tone transitions, and different subspecies have their own characteristic names. Black specimens owe their dark colour to their iron oxide content and its concentration will depend on how dark the specimen is.
In antiquity, Onyx was seen as the ideal material for making seals, and was believed to be an amulet of happiness. Perhaps this is also why the Emperor of China himself used a seal made of Onyx, and throughout China the use of the Onyx seal was reserved for the ruler only, and the use of stamps made of this ore outside the Tsarist court was strictly forbidden.
Today this mineral is mined in Brazil, Uruguay, Egypt and India, although it is found in different qualities and colours all over the world.