| In decorating terms Onyx is a semi precious | | | | milky appearance. In many pieces you will find a |
| material, a form of marble that can take a high | | | | variety of other hues popping up in the face of |
| polish, featuring unique swirls of pattern and color | | | | the piece, including hazy reds, soft orange, and |
| which dance across its smooth face. One | | | | even the occasional stripe of green. The nature of |
| property that gives onyx a truly unique | | | | the colors is determined by the chemical mix that |
| personality is that it has a translucent property, | | | | was present when the stone formed. |
| allowing light to actually pass through the stone | | | | One important thing to note is that decorative |
| and come out on the other side. | | | | onyx is a form of marble, and so should never be |
| Onyx Stone is primarily quarried in two places, the | | | | cleaned using any sort of acidic agent. This is |
| Himalayan Mountains, and certain regions of | | | | because marble is a base in an acid base |
| Mexico. The Mexican material tends to be a deep | | | | relationship. When it comes into contact with acidic |
| amber color, often featuring unique striation | | | | substances, a reaction occurs, which can take the |
| patterns that run perpendicularly down the face | | | | form of an unpleasant discoloration in the face of |
| of the stone. The Asian version tends to be less | | | | the material. |
| patterned, with the soft amber color flowing with | | | | Onyx is a beautiful material that can be carved |
| an unbroken perfection over the face of the | | | | and polished into an enormous variety of |
| stone. | | | | interesting products. Clocks, chess sets, lamps, |
| One of the interesting things about onyx is its | | | | jewelry boxes, vases, you name a decorative |
| personality. The material is formed by nature, | | | | item and chances are there is an all onyx version |
| slowly evolving from a chaotic mix of chemical | | | | of it out there. While it can add beauty and |
| factors and enormous pressure. The end result is | | | | elegance to your home, it's also important to note |
| that each and every piece is a one of a kind, with | | | | that it does require some extra care when |
| different features flowing across the face of each | | | | cleaning it off, and so paying attention to these |
| and every stone. | | | | rules will help you to maintain the beauty of the |
| In general onyx tends to run a range of colors, | | | | pieces, and your environment for years to come. |
| going from a deep amber glow, to a soft, white, | | | | |