When it people envision black gemstones used in Southwestern-style Indian jewelry, they most commonly think of jet (which we’ve covered here before, and which really isn’t a stone at all). It’s been popularized as a traditional staple of both Navajo and Pueblo jewelry. But many Native silversmiths, Wings included, use a much wider array of gemstone materials than the iconic turquoise/coral/mother-of-pearl/jet combinations.
One of these is another black gemstone: Onyx.
Of course, not all onyx is black — indeed, not even most of it. But it is the most popular form: When you hear the word “onyx,” your mind probably jumps immediately to the glossy pure-black form of the stone.
So what is onyx, anyway?
Mineralogically, onyx is actually a form of chalcedony. So is agate, and the two often resemble each other, since most onyx actually manifests in banded patterns, rather than solid colors. The difference between the two rests largely in the banding patterns themselves: Onyx appears with parallel bands, like striations; agate contains bands that need not run parallel to each other throughout the stone. [Agate also comes in a wider array of colors and color combinations; most onyx tends to appear on the black/brown/red/yellow spectrum, with most of it falling somewhere in the red portion.] You will sometimes see references to “banded onyx,” as though it’s a wholly separate stone; it’s not. It’s merely a way to distinguish it from the more solid-colored (e.g., black) form of onyx.
One subcategory of onyx, called sardonyx, contains bands that fall into the red part of the spectrum, rather than black. You may see color variation among the bands that includes some yellows, browns, and grays. You will also see among Southwestern Native art, particularly fetishes and other carvings, a type of sardonyx labeled “Mexican onyx.” It is indeed common to Mexico, although it is also no doubt found in other areas, as well. It manifests in earth tones, shades of warm rusty red and a range of grays. It’s not often used for jewelry, but it’s popular among some fetish carvers. The small lidded pot shown above (part of Wings’s personal collection and not for sale), is carved of polished Mexican onyx.
The names given to this group of minerals have a colorful history, too. The word “onyx” itself ultimately derives from the ancient Greek word meaning “fingernail” or “claw,” so-called because much of the stone appears in banded pale hues ranging from light reds to a pinkish shade that resembles the “flesh” tone of Europeans, and which the ancients apparently thought resembled a human fingernail. The original Greek word is also “onyx”; it has survived Latin and subsequently French translations to reach English in its original form.
Sardonyx might seem to be rooted in the same etymology as “sardonic,” but it’s not, nearly identical spelling and pronunciation notwithstanding. “Sardonic,” which means, roughly, an affect that is mordantly or sneeringly cynical, actually derives ultimately from the name “Sardinia” (i.e, Sardigna), an island off the coast of Italy where, in ancient times, a plant of the same name reportedly grew that was said to induce hysterical and ultimately fatal convulsions.
“Sardonyx,” on the other hand, is a literal compound of the words “sard” and “onyx.” Sard refers to the brownish-red form of chalcedony that comprises the reddish bands in most onyx; the word derives ultimately from the ancient Greek sardius or sardis, which, in Greek translations of the Hebrew Old Testament, is used to describe a gem used in the High Priest’s breastplate, thought to have been a ruby. Sardonyx, of course, of nowhere nearly as valuable as ruby, but it’s a beautiful stone in its own right.
Onyx is found in cultures across the world. In some, it carries particular symbolic meaning; in others (probably like most of ours), it’s simply a beautiful glossy stone, one well-suited to jewelry and gemwork, carving, and other art forms.
One of early use of onyx involving deep spiritual significance, of course, was in ancient Judaism. As with several of the other stones we’ve covered here, onyx is one of the gems that was used in the original breastplate worn by the High Priests, those entitled to enter the Temple’s Holy of Holies. [As noted above, sardonyx shares a connection here as well; its name comes from the same Greek root as the word used to describe the red stone or ruby in the High Priest’s breastplate.]
Among more modern traditions, particularly those “New Age” types that involve “crystal work,” onyx is often seen as a “grounding” stone, good for balance and rooting one’s metaphorical feet on solid earth. Some consider it a bringer of courage or bravery; others believe it can absorb grief or other forms of sorrow.
Artistically, onyx has long been used all over the world. Today, the most popular art form is jewelry; it’s susceptible to cutting, cabbing, and stabilizing treatments to ensure longevity (treatments, I might add, that have been known and used since ancient times by cultures the world over). It has also been used in traditional intaglio work, and to create “hard-carved” cameos.
Jewelry is far from the only art form where onyx plays a significant role, however. It has been used in carving, from fetishes and tiny ornaments to larger sculptural pieces, for millennia. Artists and artisans of ancient Greece and Crete, ancient Rome, and ancient Egypt all were known for creating stunning works with both onyx and sardonyx. In Egypt, onyx was used to create pottery, including bowls. In more modern times, slabs of the stone have even been used in architecture: In his Villa Tugendhat in the Czech Republic, famed architect Mies Van Der Rohe built one interior wall out of onyx in bands of warm sandy earth tones, large slabs of the stone that had been extracted from Africa’s Atlas Mountains.
Wings uses onyx for its deep, mysterious beauty. Some of the cabochons he’s used, like the large oval one shown in the last image in this post, are less highly polished, with a bit of textural depth in the stone; some appear, much like the Apache tears form of obsidian, to meld brown and black in one seamless substance. Others, like the stone in the cuff at the top of this photo, possess such a high gloss that they seem nearly translucent; gazing into them is like gazing into the deepest, darkest, yet clearest waters.
As you can see from the diversity of work shown in this post, he uses it in all sorts of jewelry forms, including some not pictured here. Tiny cabochons as accents in pins; slightly larger cabs as both focus and accent point(s) of earrings. Medium-sized cabs in barrettes and belt buckles, as accents in necklaces in bracelets. Onyx beads to hold his silverwork pendants. And, of course, large cabochons that serve as the focal points of large, bold cuffs, some of my favorites.
At the moment, we have only one of his onyx pieces remaining in inventory, one that appeared a year ago as a part of his one-man show. From its description in the Bracelets Gallery here on the site:
Night Waters Cuff Bracelet
Female spirits are often associated with sustenance — with bringing gifts of rain, and with it, fertility and abundance. The moon, the archetypal feminine symbol, likewise connects them to the powers and blessings of night. Here, a large liquid pool of onyx, a stone of earth and evening, rests atop a hand-scored silver cuff. Smaller pools of silver, hand-texturized with hundreds of tiny “ripples,” flank either side of the center cabochon.
Sterling silver; onyx
$525 + shipping, handling, and insurance
However it’s used, as focal point or tiniest accent, it’s a beautiful stone, and a popular one, too. Several of the pieces shown above, including the necklace, the water bird earrings, and the cuff at the very top of this post, have found homes with dear friends. Over the years, there have been many more, far too many to show here: additional cuffs; earrings in several designs, from a melding of Native and Art Deco looks to fully Pueblo-style conchas; belt buckles, including one commissioned for a family member in a wolf’s-paw design; his signature Warrior Woman pins; and many, many more. Most of the time, they sell rapidly. Perhaps it’s the contrast between the purity of the black and the near-white metallic finish of the sterling silver. Perhaps there’s something to the traditions that regard onyx as grounding and balancing, something that attracts people at a level far below conscious thought.
Or perhaps it’s simply a beautifully elegant stone, one that, in solid colors or banded lines, speaks to the spirit across cultural lines, as well.
~ Aji
All content, including photos and text, are copyright Wings and Aji, 2015; all rights reserved. Nothing herein may used or reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the owners.
