Onyx: the stone that gives nothing away
Six pieces in the shop are set with black onyx — a shield ring, two statement rings, a shield pendant and two beaded bracelets — hand-forged in oxidised sterling silver and made to order in Nashville. Below: what onyx actually is, the thing the trade doesn’t volunteer, and everything I set it in.
What onyx actually is
Onyx is a variety of chalcedony: microcrystalline quartz, the same family as agate and carnelian. Properly speaking onyx is banded, in straight parallel layers, which is exactly why the Romans carved it into cameos — cutting down through a pale layer into a dark one to raise a portrait.
The solid jet-black stone most people picture when they hear the word is the modern meaning, and it is the one I set. It is hard, around 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale, takes a glassy polish, and against Oxidized silver it reads as depth rather than Color.
It has been a stone of protection and endurance for as long as anyone has written these things down — grounding, stamina, holding the line. That is why it keeps ending up in shields and Armor shapes.
The thing most sellers won't tell you about black onyx
Nearly all solid black onyx on the market has been dyed. That is not a scandal. It is standard, it has been done for roughly two thousand years, and the trade treats it as normal. But almost nobody says it out loud, so here it is.
The process is old and simple: banded or grey chalcedony is soaked in a sugar solution and then in acid, which carbonises the sugar held in the stone's pores and turns it permanently black. It does not rub off, it does not fade, and it does not wash out. The stone underneath is genuine chalcedony.
Naturally solid-black onyx exists, and it is uncommon and expensive. If you see a large flawless black cabochon at a low price, it has been treated. That is fine — you just deserve to know what you own.
I would rather tell you that than have you find it out from someone else.
Set in onyx
Six pieces, each one forged to order.
How I set it, and why onyx is the easy one
After turquoise and lapis, onyx is a relief. At around 6.5 to 7 on the Mohs scale it is harder than most of what it will meet in a day, it is not porous, and it does not mind being cleaned.
That means I can set it in a plain bezel and let the stone do the work. The polish is the whole point: a domed onyx cabochon against dark oxidised silver is an argument between a surface that swallows light and one that scatters it. So I keep the silver around it hammered or stamped rather than mirror-bright, or the two compete.
It will still scratch if you take something harder to it. Everything does.
Looking after it
Warm water, mild soap, a soft cloth. Onyx is the least fussy stone I set.
Skip ultrasonic cleaners and steam anyway — the stone can take it but the oxidised finish on the silver cannot. No ammonia, no bleach, and never a supermarket silver dip: those strip the black out of the silver in seconds.
Off before the gym and the pool. Store it where it isn't rattling against harder stones.
The silver is meant to darken. If it ever goes further than you want, bring it back — polishing and re-oxidising is free, forever, for anything I've made.
Questions I get about onyx
Is your onyx dyed?
Almost certainly, like nearly all solid black onyx sold anywhere. It is a permanent, centuries-old treatment applied to genuine chalcedony, and it does not fade or rub off. Ask me about a specific piece and I'll tell you what I know about that stone.
Will the black wear off?
No. The Color is Carbonized into the structure of the stone, not sitting on the surface.
Is onyx tough enough for a ring I wear every day?
Yes. It is one of the harder stones I set, and in a bezel it is well protected. It will pick up fine surface scratches over years, as any polished stone does.
Can you make something specific in onyx?
Yes — commissions start with a conversation, so just submit a commission request And if you’re buying for someone else and aren’t sure of their size, a gift card lets them tell me.
The air gets thinner up here, and everything gets clearer.
Faceted Turquoise rounds run the length of this one, set against matte black Lava Rock and dark Onyx roundels — chunkier and rougher than anything else in the collection, built for wherever the road turns to dirt. This is the piece for higher elevations, literal and otherwise.