Onyx July
Onyx is a semi-precious gemstone, and it is the birthstone for the month of July, along with Ruby, which is a precious stone, and Turquoise, which is a semi-precious stone. Originally July was the official birthstone of July, however, Ruby replaced it around the 1900s. A birthstone is a form of microcrystalline quartz. The stone is mostly said to have a black color, but it is also found in other colors.
Color
The July birthstone is a shiny stone that comes commonly in the dark black color. The stone also comes in white color that has a band of stripes on it. Apart from black and white, the most common colors of the stone, onyx can also be found in red, yellow, brown, and blue layers. These colors come in variations of lighter or darker shades.
Symbolism
The Onyx gemstone is probably one of the few birthstones that aren’t associated with good virtue. The black birthstone is said to mean sadness in Arabic, however, it does have good virtues as well. The stone is said to be a protector of evil in the Indian and Persian tales of the olden times and it promotes harmony in relationships. Onyx stone’s layer structure and appearance symbolized love.
Origin
The stone gets its name from the Latin word, which also has the same name, and from the ancient Greek ὄνυξ, which also means a fingernail or claw. The stone kind of looks like a nail and hence it gets its name from the Greek word. It is said that the onyx is able to absorb negative energy. Cleopatra was rumored to wear Black Onyx because of its reference to protecting its wearer. It was said that since onyx can sense the negative energies and it makes the stone darker.
uses
As of now, the stone is used mostly only to curate jewelry pieces. The stone is said to have spiritual healing powers and could cure various diseases.
Care & cleaning
While cleaning your Onyx at home, use mild-warm water that doesn’t have chemicals or acids. Take a soft cloth and dip it in the water and start gently wiping your Onyx Jewelry. Repeat this procedure once again. We recommend Onyx should be wiped and cleaned after every wear to get rid of any residue. Never use brushes, steam cleaners, or ultrasonic cleaners to clean the pearls as they may create irreversible damage. Onyx jewelry owners should keep one thing in mind, they should avoid letting onyx get in contact with water. The gemstone is porous and can easily be damaged with excessive water or soaking in water for a long time. Onyx should be stored separately from harder gems. We recommend you store your Onyx jewelry in a cotton or velvet pouch to avoid it from getting damaged.
Types of Onyx
The types of the Onyx gemstone depend on color bands, they are Sardonyx, Cornelian Onyx, Niccolo Onyx, and Black Onyx.
Sardonyx
Affordable, flat banded, brown base with color bands of the red shade, Common
Cornelian Onyx
Red base with bands of light color, alternative bands of red and white, attractive looking
Niccolo Onyx
Thin upper layer, black base, looks like grey or blue
Black Onyx
The most popular and common color of the Onyx gemstone is black. This variety of Onyx has just a single color and no mix of other colors as bands. It is rare to find a completely single-color stone in nature