Black Onyx - the story of a gemstone

How does Goddess Venus give her earthy boons upon us human? She lets Cupid trim her fingernails for them to fall upon Earth to manifest into Black Onyx stones. Or so the myth goes.

“Onyx” is a semi-precious gemstone which borrows its name from the Greek work for “fingernail”, hinting at the above legend. Like all stones, the black onyx gemstone has its own vibrational energy which can be attributed to its formation process under tremendous pressure. Its black color is because of carbon in its trigonal or rhombohedral crystal system.

Introducing the vibrational energy of the black onyx to the energy field of the human body has been believed to have great benefits. The ancients believed that these gemstones have healing properties when introduced to the aura and subtle energy of a being.

The black onyx stone emits an energy frequency which corresponds to the basal or root chakra of one’s subtle self, hence helping one connect to one’s earth element and becoming more grounded and stable-minded. It gives one a strong sense of self and makes one more centered in one’s unique presence, ideas and channels. One’s will power and ability to identify with one’s inner strength gets boosted resulting in enhances self-confidence. It also helps prevent any drainage of one’s personal energy and allows negative energies to be absorbed and transformed.

The black onyx gemstone belongs to the Chalcedony family and has a hardness of 6.5 - 7 on the Mohs Scale (diamond has the highest hardness scale of 10 while the household steel knife has a hardness of 5.5). This allows it to be beautifully carved into pendants, rings and other jewelry, while still being a very hard stone impermeable to many scratches, bumps and blows. The Romans had even used it in their shields. Black Onyx was believed to be a powerful protection stone throughout various civilizations in the early human history. The black onyx is a beautiful gemstone that creates a protective aura around one’s self and helps one get over losses and grieves. It was the lifelong choice of Queen Victoria who had worn it after the death of her husband, Prince Albert.

It is believed that wearing this gemstone closer to the root chakra, such as the center of the solar plexus or in the form of bracelets or rings, yields maximum benefits. The healing properties of the black onyx have been believed to be real since the dawn of the human intuitive understanding of matter and energy.