Ruby & Black Onyx Necklace

18.5" long, Ruby & Black Onyx briolettes, sterling silver wire, chain, & clasp.

Named for it’s red color, Ruby was not recognized as belonging to the corundum species until about 1800. Up til then red spinel and red garnet were also designated as ‘ruby’. Since the red color varies so much within each individual deposit, it is not possible to tell the source area just from the color so the designations “Burma ruby” & “Siam ruby” refer more to quality than origin. Rubies are the hardest minerals after diamonds but it can be very brittle when being shaped for jewelry. Inclusions are common and are not necessarily indicative of a lower quality, but rather shows the difference between a natural and synthetic stone and the type of inclusions can indicate the source area. Deposits have been found in Sri Lanka, Burma, Thailand, India, Brazil, and the United States. In European lore in the Middle Ages, Ruby was believed to convey good health, resolve disagreements, and remove negative thoughts and was long revered as a stone of royalty.

The name “onyx” is Greek and means “fingernail”, probably because of its weak transparency. It is defined as a banded Chalcedony and is frequently used in carving cameos since the contrasting layers create a background and foreground. Black Onyx is a unicolored Chalcedony and it is known as a stone of inner strength and persistence.