Onyx

View our range of beautifully handcrafted onyx gemstone jewellery.

The name originates from the Greek word onyx for "fingernail" or "hoof," probably because of its weak transparency or possibly its color. Onyx is one of the 12 stones mentioned in the Bible as adorning the breastplate of the high priests. Roman soldiers wore talismans engraved with heroes such as Hercules or Mars, god of war. They believed that the stone would make the wearer as brave and daring as the figured carved on it. The chief localities of onyx are India and South America.