Black Onyx Crystal Bracelet

Onyx is chalcedony - microcrystalline quartz, SiO₂, Mohs 7 - in its solid black form. True onyx is banded in straight parallel layers, black against white; the all-black stone worn as beads is the black layer alone, and it takes a deep, even polish.

The colour reads as a complete, matte-to-glassy black with no translucency at the bead scale - a stone defined by its evenness rather than by pattern. Hard-wearing at Mohs 7, the same durability as the rest of the quartz family.

Honest naming: most solid black onyx in the trade is chalcedony that has been dyed black, a stable practice dating to Roman times.

Asked often

Is black onyx dyed?
Most solid black onyx is colour-stabilised chalcedony - a stable practice the Romans already used. Some is naturally black.

What is the difference from agate?
Both are chalcedony. Agate is banded in curved layers; onyx is banded in straight parallel layers. The all-black bead is the black band of onyx, polished on its own.

Is it hard-wearing?
Yes - Mohs 7, the same as the quartz family. It takes a high polish and holds it. Keep the cord dry and it lasts well.

How do I care for it?
Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry. Hard and stable; keep the cord dry and avoid hard knocks that can chip a polished edge.

1. Worn on either wrist, over the hand, on a durable elastic cord.
2. Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry.
3. Hard-wearing at Mohs 7 - keep the cord dry, and avoid knocks that chip a polished edge.

Many traditions rinse or air their stones from time to time; that is a matter of preference, and the rest is yours.

The elastic cord lasts longest kept dry - remove before swimming, bathing, or applying scent. Do not soak.

• Stone: Black onyx · chalcedony
• Composition: SiO₂ · microcrystalline quartz
• Hardness Mohs 7
• Colour: Even, deep black · glassy polish
• Treatment: Commonly colour-stabilised
• Band: Durable elastic cord
• Origin: Brazil / India
• Care: Wipe with a soft cloth · keep the cord dry

Onyx was among the most prized carving stones of antiquity. Its straight bands let Greek and Roman lapidaries cut cameos in two colours - a pale figure raised from a dark ground - and seal-stones whose carved faces pressed a clean image into wax. The name comes from the Greek for fingernail, for the pale translucence of its lighter bands.

Across many cultures the deep black stone was carried as a steadying, sober token - named here as what people believed. The black is the whole of its character; what gravity it carries is the wearer’s to decide.