Rebecca Zemans Jewelry Blog — onyx

The traditional birthstone for the month of May is the emerald, a beautiful gemstone known for its deep green color. Some of us cannot afford emeralds or might be looking for more variety in color. Chalcedony, the alternative birthstone for May, offers both. Chalcedony is a term that includes several varieties of cryptocrystalline quartz gemstones rather than one specific gemstone itself. The chalcedony is very common and can be found in all 50 United States. It also comes in a variety of colors, shapes and transparencies. The word chalcedony comes from the Latin word chalcedonius, which was first used in...

Onyx, our alternative birthstone of the month, is a variety of microcrystalline quartz, called chalcedony and found worldwide. Onyx was used in Egypt as early as the Second Dynasty to make utilitarian items such as bowls. Today it is often used for ornamental carvings and jewelry. Onyx jewelry is commonly found with cut cabochons or beads. The piece we made with onyx features a faceted cut version.  The onyx is formed by deposits of silica in gas cavities found in lava and measures 7 on the Mohs Scale of Hardness. Because of the environment where the stone is formed, the...