Triangular Black Onyx, Silver Pendant. This pendant is handmade specifically for the handcut polished Onyx. The solid 1mm thick rear Silver plate covers the unpolished rear of the gemstone.
Onyx is a member of the Chalcedony family of gemstones, of which Cornelian is another, and Lavender Chalcedony, so favoured by up-market jewellers in the 1930s, another. Both Cornelian and Lavender Chalcedony are translucent, while Black Onyx tends to be quite opaque, as is the example in the above pendant. Often enough, however, a piece of polished Onyx will exhibit a slightly transparent window, usually of an orange hue.