Onyx - Beautiful in Black

Gem Family: Quartz family Chalcedony, ( SiO2 with impurities).
Color: Onyx is usually black, ray or brown with white bands. The bands are typically straight.
Refraction Index: 1.55 - 1.54
Specific Gravity: 2.65
Moh's Hardness: 6.5 - 7
Uses: Black Onyx is often used as a backdrop in jewelry, such as cameos. It is also used as cabochons and as a building material.

Onyx is found worldwide in large and small deposits. Important locales include Mexico in the state of Oaxaca. Other deposits exist in Brazil, Madagascar, India, Algeria and Pakistan.

Mental Healing

Onyx has served as a worry stone and material for rosary beads for centuries. Crystal healers believe that it has the ability to soothe fears and worries, to control overwhelming emotions. They say it can help a person maintain a positive outlook while awaiting the result of a source of anxiety. They also recommend it for improving concentration and devotion, calming sexual tension and ending marital disputes. The stone is also reputed to have bad mental consequences that can include depression, nightmares and losses in legal matters.

Chakras

Good for opening all Chakras. The following colors work best with relieving ailments associated with the Chakras indicated:

Black Onyx -Root/Base Chakra
Green Onyx -Heart Chakra
Yellow Onyx -Solar Plexus Chakra
Blue Onyx -Throat Chakra

Physical Healing

New Agers use Onyx for treating glaucoma, epilepsy, hearing problems, heart trouble, ulcers and cell damage. They also recommend it for athletes, who should wear it on a necklace that reaches the Solar Plexus to increase vigor, strength and stamina. It also works on the structural and epidermal systems including bones and teeth, bone marrow and aching feet, and soft-tissues fingernails, skin and hair.