Sardonyx Chunk Rough Stone - per kilo

A blend of sard and onyx, this stone is found worldwide but the best specimens are mined chiefly in Brazil, India, California and Uruguay. The colour bands of sardonyx are white against a black or brownish-red background and it is usually cut into beads or used to fashion cameos and intaglios (reversed cameos). Indeed, the first cameos ever discovered were fashioned from sardonyx. The name derives from the Greek sard and onyx, which means "brownish red" and "white stone." According to legend, sardonyx aids in communication and provides its owner with elegant speech, as well as being a valuable ward against evil.

Once considered to be a charm against such assorted afflictions as warts, boils, cramps, the "evil eye" and the wicked thoughts and impulses of witches, this gemstone was a favorite of the Ancients and used by the Egyptians to carve scarabs and beetles which would be worn as talismans. Exceedingly popular and greatly valued throughout antiquity, the sardonyx was held in high esteem by the Romans who used it as material for carving, particularly in the manufacture of seals since it was said never to stick to wax. Roman legions would carry sardonyx images of Mars (God of War) or the valiant Hercules into battle to guard against evil, bring good fortune and hopefully bestow the courage and daring of such heroic figures upon their armies.

During the Renaissance, the sardonyx was thought to eloquently bless those public speakers who chose to wear it. Perhaps the most famous sardonyx in history is the one carved with the likeness of Elizabeth I of England and set within a gold band which the Queen then presented as a memento and keepsake to one of her favorite courtiers, the Earl of Essex.