Description
Onyx is a mineral and a variety of quartz, more specifically a variant of chalcedony. Onyxes are two-colored nesosilicates, with the colors interwoven as layers or bands. Onyx is related to agate, a four-colored quartz variety. There are several types of onyx, with the basic name onyx normally used to indicate a mineral with white and black layers. We also know sardonyx with white and reddish-brown (the color called sard) layers, and carnelian or carnelian onyx (fiery red and white layers). Onyx is found in Brazil, Madagascar, Mexico, Uruguay, the United States, and Pakistan. In ancient times, carnelian was mined in North Africa as an ornamental stone. During the imperial period, onyxes were primarily used for making gemstones; rings with such stones were regularly found in the western provinces. In the late Roman period, carnelian beads were also found in the eastern provinces. Above the Alps, carnelians were found only occasionally, such as in Pfyn and Switzerland. References to the onyx appear in several places in the Old Testament of the Bible, the first in Genesis 2, verse 12. According to Rabbi Bahya ben Asher, the word "shoham" in Exodus 28:20 means onyx. According to him, onyx was also the stone on the ephod that represented the tribe of Joseph. In addition, the shoulders of the ephod were also adorned with two such "shoham" stones. The onyx has an esoteric history almost as long as its secular history. In the Middle Ages, the onyx was already seen as a "stone of misfortune," a symbol of mourning and misery. Other sources state that it was also a healing stone, with a positive effect on the skin, hair, and nails. Within the zodiac, onyx is associated with Capricorn and Saturn. Onyx is also said to have a beneficial effect against nausea, hypersensitivity to the weather and stomach and intestinal complaints.
