Onyx Rings

Onyx Ring History

Yet another in the group of mystical birthstones for December, the onyx, a chalcedony quartz mineral – 6.5 on Mohs scale of hardness – is quite striking. Mined in Brazil, India, Uruguay and California, the onyx is also striking enough to be representative of two wedding anniversaries; the 7th and the 10th.

Having been around a good while, the onyx was popular with both the ancient Greeks and later on, the Romans. In fact, the name 'onyx' comes from the Greek word 'onux' – which means 'fingernail'. The legend that goes along with this story is the stuff of which dreams are made and is so famous in Greek mythology; it was even adopted by the Romans.

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Eros (Cupid to the Romans) was the playful, prank-loving son of Aphrodite (Venus to the Romans) the goddess of love and beauty, and Hermes (Mercury to the Romans) god of travelers and messenger of the gods. One day, as Aphrodite lay sleeping, the impish Eros cut off her fingernails and left them scattered on the ground. This caper did not meet with the approval of Zeus (Jupiter to the Romans) who was Aphrodite's father and the supreme being of the pantheon. It was deemed that no god or portion of a heavenly body should perish. Zeus solved the matter by turning the fingernail clippings into stone – the onyx.

In Grecian times, chalcedony quartz of all colors was referred to as onyx – not just the black that we know today. It was the Romans who narrowed down the name of onyx to refer to just the dark brown or black stone.

Next: Onyx in the Bible

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Also Read about Onyx Symbolism and Myth