Onyx is one of the more popular precious gemstones. While it is original formed from quartz, it is known to be extremely similar to agate. If you are looking for precious gemstones that are incredibly beautiful and have wonderful traits, here is some more information on Onyx.
Onyx is formed from quartz. Quartz is the most common type of mineral found in the world and makes up 12% of the world’s crust. Onyx is also similar to agate, another quartz material. Onyx has a cryptocrystalline structure that includes very small crystals. Cryptocrystalline structures are very grainy and fine. While they have crystals, they can not be seen by the naked eye and must be viewed by at least a light microscope.
Onyx is similar to Agate, except for the fact that its bands are parallel with one another and are the same consistency. Onyx comes in several colors, most notably black, black with white bands, red, brown and reddish brown. It should be noted that red, brown and reddish brown quartz are usually called Sardonyx.
Onyx makes a great precious stone for jewelry. It has a hardness of 7 on the Moh’s scale and works great with many jewelry gemstones and precious metals. Most consumers love the look of gold and onyx, or silver with onyx. Platinum and white gold are also popular precious metals to mix with onyx. Onyx is found in many regions of the world due to large quartz deposits. However, it can be found in the United States, Brazil, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Madagascar. |