The Versatile World and Many Benefits of Onyx

The Versatile World and Many Benefits of Onyx 
An In-depth Foreword on Onyx Including the Geology, History and Metaphysical Benefits of Onyx 

Maybe you just brought home a small animal statue carved from onyx and you are curious about the material used.  Is it possible that you have a necklace of onyx beads and are searching online to find out about its benefits metaphysically?

Whatever brought you here, you’ve come to the right place for a comprehensive listing of what onyx can do for you along with some of its interesting geology and history.

Onyx is one of the most Common Gemstones of Today and Antiquity

Onyx is spread worldwide and is found in abundance.  It has a large range of appealing colors and patterns.  It is a material that is easy to work with in terms of shaping it into useful items, such as bowls, and decorative pieces like statues and spheres. Due to its versatility in appearance and abundance, it has been and still is one of the more common gemstones in jewelry.

Today, onyx is heavily mined in the United States, Brazil, Uruguay and India.  It is also mined to a lesser extent in Madagascar and Mexico.  However, most small animal statuettes labeled as “Mexican onyx” are actually carved from calcite, which is a much softer mineral, and therefore easier to carve with.  The same goes for carved chess pieces.

Onyx and its Versatile History

• The word onyx has kept its original Greek spelling and originally meant “claw or fingernail,” from Greek mythology.  It was believed that Eros (Cupid) cut Venus’ fingernails while she was sleeping and left the nail clippings scattered on the ground.  Venus’ nail clippings were then turned into stone by the Gods since no part of a heavenly body is allowed to die.  So, her clippings were preserved.  At first this may seem odd to you, however, one of the most common varieties of onyx is pinkish-salmon in color with slight banding, reminiscent of a nail.
  
• In Arabic, onyx is called “el jaza” which translates to “sadness.”  This notion was rooted in China where slaves were used to mine the gemstone.
  
• The early alchemists acknowledged the Arabic notion that onyx relates to sadness, but they didn’t feel that sadness came from the stone itself.  It came from the mind of the one who touched the stone.  Early alchemists used onyx in formulating recipes for lowering one’s sex drive.  (I suppose that’s sad.)
  

The Metaphysical Benefits of Onyx

There are many metaphysical benefits of onyx, operating on all three planes of existence: The Physical Realm, The Spiritual Realm, and The Mental Realm (Please note that there are other metaphysical planes that are dependent on different metaphysical philosophies and teachings.  The three listed are three common metaphysical planes.)

Mental and Spiritual Properties of Onyx

• Onyx is most often associated with absorbing or repelling negative energy, whichever is needed to best suit its owner.  For example, if you keep a polished gemstone in your pocket, it will help absorb negative emotional thoughts from you, and it will also repel the negative thoughts of others.  Energy from within and energy from external sources is kept positive.  The best colored onyx gemstone for this is black onyx.  Most stones that help with negativity are those that are black in color.
  
• The red colored banded onyx, commonly called sardonyx, is associated with the root chakra, the 1st of seven energy centers aligned centrally along the body.  Sardonyx is used at the base of the spine to unblock and give balance to energy involving matters of basic survival needs and basic acceptance needs of others.
  
• Because of the vast color varieties of onyx coupled with its quartz chemical structure, there is a form of onyx that can be used nearly for all of the seven chakras.  That is one versatile stone!
  

Physical Healing Benefits of Onyx

• Onyx, as with most gemstones, aides in metaphysical healing.  It is used to help with the physical pains of childbirth, most likely due to its association with the goddess Venus.
  
• It can be worn by athletes to help with overall physical pain and helps to raise endurance.

• Onyx is one of the most holistically used gemstones in healing surface wounds and giving added strength to bone structure.

• There are other reported uses of onyx as a healing stone.  Please know this is a sampling.
  

Interesting Religious Facets

• It is said that black onyx will protect its wearer from the evil eye of envy.  The evil-eye is one of the most misunderstood symbols of today.  Because of word association, it is incorrectly understood as evil when in fact, the opposite is true.  It is a positive symbol of protection against others who would like to covet what you have even by utilizing ill methods.
  

• The onyx gemstone occurs in the 4th row of the priestly plate, a sacred breastplate worn by the high priests of the Israelites.  Reference to the priestly plate is found in the Book of Exodus.
  

Geology and Other Interesting Notes

• Onyx is a mineral composed of silicon dioxide.  It is one of the quartzes, specifically a cryptocrystalline chalcedony quartz containing impurities within the submicroscopic crystal structure.  The impurities are other minerals in small concentrations that produce the wide array of colors found in onyx.  (Note. Since the other mineral impurities are minute, onyx is classified as a mineral and not a rock.)
• Onyx is similar to agate or jasper, two other quartzes.  You can tell the difference between the three by looking for the following:  Agate and Jasper both have an irregular pattern.  The pattern of onyx is banded.  Also, agate is heavily translucent, meaning you can see into the stone.  Jasper is opaque.  Onyx can be both translucent and opaque.  With onyx, you are specifically looking for the banded pattern.
• Several onyx gemstones in the jewelry and gem trades look uniform in color, and the banding is not seen easily with the naked eye.  Common seemingly uniform onyx stones of the black, green, and white varieties.
• As a specimen collector, one should be weary of finding a specimen labeled “turquoise” or “white turquoise.”  White onyx can be dyed to look like turquoise.  Technically, there is no such thing as “white turquoise.” 

With its many colors and abundance, you see that the onyx gemstone has a versatile history and wide range of use, both historically and to the present.  As previously stated, this represents only a small sampling.  Hopefully, however, you find the information both comprehensive and useful.