Everyone knows that each month has its own birthstone/s and many of you may know what they are. Those of you familiar with August’s birthstones are aware that peridot and Sardonyx represent the summer month, with the latter stone being the original birthstone and the former being added later on before becoming the month’s primary […]
Tag Archives: carnelian
Art from Outer Space
Art from Outer Space Formed by the most powerful forces in the universe, meteorites can often seem like works of art. James Hyslop, Head of Science & Natural History in London, selects highlights from Deep Impact: Martian, Lunar and Other Rare Meteorites. 1 The Canyon Diablo: blending art and science This Canyon Diablo meteorite […]
Sardonyx and Onyx in History
The historical uses for Sardonyx and Onyx consists of a long history of use for hardstone carving and jewelry, where it is usually cut as a cabochon or into beads. It has also been used for intaglio and hardstone cameo engraved gems, where the bands make the image contrast with the ground. Some onyx is […]
The Rich History of Sardonyx
Sardonyx combines alternating layers of sard and onyx—two types of the layered mineral chalcedony—to create a reddish zebra-striped stone with white bands. Its name, similarly, combines sard (referencing the ancient Persian city, Sardis, in present-day Turkey, where the red stone was found) with onyx (from the Greek word of the same spelling, which meant “nail […]
Sardonyx and What You need to Know Before You Buy
Before you consider purchasing August’s alternative birthstone, let’s get in to the differences between what you can come across in the marketplace. An educated buyer is always a better buyer! Sard and Sardonyx The terms sard and sardonyx are often subject to confusion in the gemstone world. Do they refer to the same gemstone? How […]