'Strength' Onyx Necklace - Noir

Onyx is a found in many places including Italy, Mexico, Peru, USA, India, Uruguay and Afghanistan  It has a Mohs hardness factor of 7 and is a variety of the silicate mineral chalcedony. Onyx gets its name from the greek word 'onux' which means claw or fingernail. Mythology says that cupid clipped the fingernails of venus while she slept and these clippings turned to stone. However, it was also thought that the banding on the stone itself can sometimes resemble a fingernail, but personally l like the cupid story. The history of onyx crosses the globe and the generations, and was even mentioned in the bible. It has been used for ornaments, jewellery and also made into bowls by the Egyptians as  early as the second dynasty. We think of onyx as black (that is the primary colour we use) but many famous artists and architects have famously created pieces using green and also yellow onyx. Many cultures have beliefs on the powers of onyx; ancient romans carried it into war for courage, renaissance Europe believed it bestowed eloquence, Persians said it helped with epilepsy and english midwives used it to ease childbirth.