Sardonyx is a stone of youth and longevity, for whom it suits according to the horoscope

This mineral from the chalcedony group, being a semi-precious ornamental stone, has had an inexplicable attractive force since ancient times. Sardonyx is revered equally by jewelry makers and magicians of all calibers. He was highly valued by the magnificent Cleopatra. The ancient Roman commander Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus did a lot to popularize it. It was he who, 2000 years ago, seeing this variegated gem, ordered a signet to be made from it - a ring with a name imprint, to which wax would not stick. The name of the stone comes from the place from which it was brought - the city of Sarda.

Story

There are two versions about the origin of the name of the stone:

1. It is a combination of the words "onyx" and sard. The stone was first found before our era in the vicinity of the Lydian city of Sardis (today it is the territory of Turkey). And the Greek “onyx” means “nail”. That is, the name of the stone means “nail from Sardis.”
2. The mineral incorporates the red shades of sardis and white onyx.

Sardonyx was valued in all ancient civilizations:

• This is Cleopatra's stone: the queen of Egypt wore sardonyx jewelry as a talisman to maintain and strengthen personal power. It was also considered an amulet against poisoners and envious people. Her favorite incense was kept in vessels made from this gem.
• Wax and resins do not stick to its surface, so for Roman emperors and patricians they made seals from sardonyx, mounted in a ring. This is probably where the signet ring jewelry came from.

Scipio Africanus owned such an artifact. This sybarite, consul and conqueror of Hannibal himself claimed that he owed everything to a sardonyx talisman. He remained faithful to the stone all his life, setting an example for the Romans.

• The first Christians dedicated the stone to the Apostle Philip, who healed the poisoned and raised the dead.

The heat resistance made the mineral part of the armor of the Roman army.

It made excellent dishes, boxes, vases, and other household utensils. But it was available only to the nobility.

Description

The mineral sardonyx belongs to the chalcedony family. Mineralogists classify it as a red-brown banded variety of agate with its own name - sardonyx.

Traditionally, the mineral is divided into two types - male and female:

• The male stone is distinguished by a dark (brown, brownish, burgundy) background. This gives the mineral restraint and solemnity.
• The color palette of ladies' sardonyx looks more delicate, softer, and lighter. The multilayer structure is dominated by warm colors of tea rose, sandy-orange, amber-yellow shades.

Both varieties of sardonyx contain the same shades, but the type determines the prevalence of dark or light layers.

Women's stones are “warmer”, silkier, softer. In men's hair, the layering is more pronounced, and the overall background is darker.

Colors and varieties

The color range of sardonyx includes brown, red, pink, orange and dark brown (almost black). In addition, white or milky layers may be present. Such specimens are considered rare and are especially popular among stone carvers.

The mineral is divided into two main types:

1. Masculine stones, that is, those where dark colors and a clearer pattern predominate.
2. Female sardonyx are lighter, softer tones, reddish-pink stones with a blurry striped pattern.

The color of the mineral is given by the presence of iron (red shades) and aluminum silicates (brown and brown) in the composition. Lighter layers are obtained due to admixtures of other minerals.

Physico-chemical characteristics

The composition of sardonyx is quartz sand. The main component of the formula is silicon dioxide.

Incomplete melting of quartz crystals creates a silky shine. The color variety of layers is due to impurities: iron - brown, red; aluminum – brown.

Color palette

Sardonyx is a mineral with many shades and combinations. Many people confuse it with agate, but the difference between these stones is noticeable - sardonyx is characterized by wider stripes, while the contrast between the layers is maximum.

The color range of sard varies from warm, light orange tones to red-brown, brown or almost black shades. Such bright colors are interspersed with light layers, white, white-pink, blue.

Place of Birth

Sardonyx are found in places where baked quartz sand is brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions or during mountain building. This origin created the colored layering of the stone.

Mineral Sardonyx

The low price of the stone is compensated by its popularity, so there are enough deposits with industrial-scale mining on the planet:

• The largest volumes of gemstones are extracted from the depths of India.
• Picturesque examples come from hot Arabia and Mexico.
• Dark stones are mined in Uruguay.
• The homeland of light sardonyx is northern Africa (Egypt, Algeria) and southern Asia (Pakistan, Afghanistan).

India, the USA, and Brazil sometimes delight connoisseurs with semi-precious giants.

Russian gem deposits are concentrated in the Urals, the Far East and Kamchatka. Prospectors find rich deposits of stone in the Siberian taiga and tundra.

Where is the gem used?

The only area of ​​application of stone is aesthetics and beauty:

• Master stone cutters place the multi-layered structure of the stone in the first place. Especially if among the layers of the gem there is a milky one: this expands the range of subjects and allows you to show personal mastery.
• For jewelers it is an ornamental stone; the best specimens are considered semi-precious.

Product from Sardonyx
Large translucent stones with alternating orange, cherry, purple, pink and brown shades are especially valued.

Jewelry sets are especially important, since it is difficult to choose inserts of the appropriate texture. The price of sardonyx parures increases several times compared to single products.

Collectors like decorative or jewelry “substandard”: these specimens are the most unusual.

Cameo Gonzaga

The multilayer structure made sardonyx a valuable source for glyptics - the art of stone carving. It originated three centuries BC in Ancient Greece. The “subjects” were episodes of life, portraits of gods and heroes, landscapes.

Cameo Gonzaga

If the carving on the stone is convex, it is a cameo; if it is recessed, it is an intaglio.

In the 18th century, the “cameo” fashion amazed the high society of Russia.

Uniqueness

The most famous sardonyx product is the Gonzaga cameo. It is a portrait of the brother and sister Ptolemy and Arsinoe. They were also consorts and rulers of Ancient Egypt.

The cameo is unique for three reasons:

1. Dimensions (the largest in the world, 15.7x11.8x3 cm).
2. Three-layer pattern.
3. Paired image.

Only a top-class master can do this kind of work: usually there are two layers, but one image.

Story

The cameo is kept in the Hermitage of St. Petersburg.

Her story is reminiscent of a detective story:

• It was added to the Hermitage collections in 1814 as a gift from Emperor Alexander I.
• He received it from Napoleon's wife Josephine when the Russian army conquered Paris.
• Napoleon stole it from the Vatican when the French entered Italy.
• Before this, the jewelry had several owners - the Duke of Milan Gonzaga (the cameo has been listed in the register of his jewelry since 1542), the Swedish Queen Christina, the Czech King Rudolf II.

It was named after the first owner of the cameo known to Europeans.

How to care for stone

Sardonyx is durable, but you need to take care of it carefully:

• Contact with harder substances (for example, in a box) can cause the gem to be scratched or break if dropped or hit.
• Harsh sun, frost, and temperature changes are destructive for sardonyx.
• Jewelry should not be worn to the beach, to the sauna or while doing housework.

Jewelry with Sardonyx
Clean the jewelry with a soft brush and a weak solution of baby soap.

Jewelry with mineral

Sardonyx jewelry looks great. But the crystal is not compatible with all noble metals. Jewelry in cupronickel or silver becomes real talismans. And in gold or platinum, the healing and magical properties of the semi-precious stone are reduced. At the same time, do not forget the horoscope, because the crystal does not go well with all zodiac signs.

• A ring made of ribbon agate is suitable for a lady of any age. The amulet will protect the owner from the machinations of spiteful critics who spread gossip behind her back.

Sardonyx women's ring.

• Small earrings are worth buying for young and windy people, and massive ones for ladies of Balzac age. Stylish jewelry will protect you from migraines and rash actions.
• Thin bracelets - threads with gems - are worn on thin hands. And massive products look great on full hands. The amulet will allow the lady's hidden talents to emerge.
• Beads will highlight the beauty of a woman's neck. The talisman will instill in the owner the idea of ​​her beauty and uniqueness.

Sardonyx beads

• Jewelers turn ribbon agate brooches into real works of art. A lady, depending on her mood, can wear one or another product. During an epidemic of influenza and ARVI, the amulet will protect against infection.
• A pendant on a long chain is placed where the heart chakra is located. Then the lady will not have problems with an important organ.
• Cufflinks made of dark crystals will match any shirt color. The amulet will give a man strength when making difficult decisions.

Cufflinks.

How to spot a fake

Ornamental sardonyx, as the best material for gems, was equal in value to precious stones. It is not surprising that they learned to counterfeit a gem back in the Ancient world by gluing together three different stones. Pliny the Elder spoke about this method in his “Natural History”.

Beads from Sardonyx

This was the case before the era of new technologies. Today, instead of gluing stones together, the production of plastic or glass imitations of sardonyx has been launched.

But it’s easy to distinguish a real stone from a fake:

• The plastic is too lightweight.
• The glass immediately heats up in your hands.
• Both types of imitations are betrayed by the surface: the layering is too ordered and coloristically “noisy”. The natural dim harmony of chaos cannot be reproduced.

Much more often carnelians or agates are passed off as natural sardonyx. Even in product descriptions this is sometimes indicated.

Stone cost

An ornamental gem is valued in grams: a processed stone on the world market costs $9–12 per gram.

Russian prices are also moderate (RUB):

• cabochon (18x13 mm, 1.2 g; Amur region) – 259;
• bracelet – 420–960;
• brooch (insert 4–5 cm; silver plated cupronickel) – 880 – 1,200;
• beads – 1,250 – 2,390;
• ring (silver plated cupronickel) – 520–790;
• earrings – 560 – 1,290;
• ball (50 mm, Botswana) – 2,750.

Uruguayan sardonyx insert (60–80 g, 75–80x30–35x10–15 mm) can be purchased for 650–750 rubles.

Price

Sardonyx is an inexpensive stone, most of the jewelry made from it is costume jewelry.

Designer items made of precious metals, supplemented with sardonyx, have a higher cost.

It is difficult to select identical inserts for a set of sardonyx jewelry. Therefore, the price of payurs is higher than that of single products.

Russian online stores offer this stone and products made from it at the following prices:

• earrings — 340 rub. ;
• tumbling (50 x 35 x 27 mm) - 408 rub. ;
• beads — 649 rub. ;
• rosary (d = 10 mm, 30 grains) - 1,050 rub. ;
• ball (50 mm) - 2,750 rub.

The magical properties of sardonyx

The magical properties of sardonyx have been studied since Antiquity and Ancient Egypt.

The magic of the stone helped Queen Cleopatra win in palace intrigues and in war. Papyrus scrolls claim that the iridescence of the red-yellow stripes of the gem blinded enemies, sowed confusion, causing panic.

Sardonyx bracelet

Today, the magical properties of sardonyx are also in demand:

• The significance of the stone as a talisman is recognized by extreme sports enthusiasts and travelers.
• For married couples or people in relationships, this is a guarantee of maintaining peace and understanding. Paired sardonyx pendants are worn to preserve contacts that already exist. Never take them off during separation. But a stone cannot create mutual understanding that does not exist.
• Yogis associate sardonyx with the solar plexus chakra.
• Indian sages recommend that people who want to establish connections with the subtle worlds wear earrings, hairpins, and other similar items.
• Sardonyx relieves a person from anxiety, phobias, and depression. Esotericists claim that the gem itself will arrange everything in the best possible way.

It is impossible to forcibly bewitch a person protected by the magic of sardonyx.

Sardonyx gives the owner luck and longevity. This is an attribute of professional philosophers and people who crave harmony with themselves and the world.

Healing abilities

Since ancient times, sardonyx was considered a remedy that promotes the regeneration of the human body after damage. This nugget was used for the rapid fusion of cartilage and bones due to fractures, restoration of ligaments after sprains, to stop bleeding and heal wounds.

Our ancestors have always divided sardonyx into female and male gems. Stones of light shades were considered feminine, and dark nuggets were considered masculine. At the same time, the owners and owners of the talismans felt the power of the stone in different directions - the amulet helped women get pregnant, and men - to recover from ulcers and various skin lesions.

Records of sardonyx are contained in the medicine books of ancient Rus'. In those days, the mineral was used as an analgesic and anti-inflammatory agent. Also, Russian healers used the gem to cure “fragility of the body” or, in modern terms, osteochondrosis (arthrosis).

For this purpose, pink or light orange beads were applied to the problem area, secured with fox fur. People believed that the stone “came to life” under the influence of animal heat, eliminating severe pain.

Do you know that the ancient sages of Christianity, when describing the deeds and accomplishments of the saints, dedicated the “onyx from Sardis” to Philip, the apostle who brought people back to life and healed the poisoned.

In Rus' it was believed that sardonyx, ground into powder, kills tumors growing in the abdominal cavity. Russian healers used this powder for severe abdominal pain. Modern research in this area has shown that in fact this method takes place in cases of disorders in the intestines, since the effect of the powder from the striped mineral is equal to the effect of sorbents.

Today, lithotherapists have studied the range of problems of the human body that can be eliminated with the help of sardonyx:

• disorders of the thyroid gland;
• infertility;
• ulcer;
• hearing problems;
• impotence;
• fever;
• epilepsy attacks;
• diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

The gem helps the body in the process of resorption of cysts. And for small children, the stone helps with acute ear pain.

Esotericists who study the influence of minerals on various chakras of our body have identified sardonyx to the solar plexus chakra. Therefore, the action of this mineral is aimed at overall improvement of physical and mental well-being. If the solar plexus chakra works harmoniously, then the liver, spleen and other digestive organs, along with the thyroid gland, work like clockwork, and the person feels a surge of strength and energy.

Also read: Corundum is a rare and precious mineral

Therapeutic effect

European healers began using sardonyx in the 15th century. Today the following medicinal properties of the mineral are known:

• Male sardonyx powder stops bleeding (including internal bleeding), disinfects the wound, and it heals faster.
• Light pink beads or stones are applied to bruises, fractures, cramps or joint pain. This is how osteochondrosis and arthrosis are treated, and “weather-related” bone aches are eliminated.
• Female sardonyx heals female infertility.
• The finest powder acts as a sorbent, cleansing the intestines.
• They treat ulcers, fevers, cysts, tumors.
• The stone is considered “rejuvenating”.

The authors of ancient Indian treatises advise wearing sardonyx bracelets for the health of the pelvic organs or restoration of reproductive functions.

Sardonyx and Zodiac

Astrologers are not unanimous about the influence of this gem on the signs of the Zodiac.

But everyone agrees that it has a special meaning for a person born under the sign of Leo. Sardonyx will make the owner luckier and braver. Will help in career, family well-being, love affairs.

• It is also suitable for Taurus, Libra and Capricorn as an assistant in maintaining mental balance and composure.
• Virgo ladies will arrange a family nest with the help of a gem, and men of this sign will make a dizzying career.
• A “calm” stone is incompatible with Scorpio.
• Gemini will feel a confusion of feelings with him, an influx of doubts.

Red or orange sardonyx are suitable for the fire triad; stones of yellow or brown shades are suitable for the rest of the zodiac signs.

The gem will protect the remaining signs of the Zodiac from the evil eye, anxiety or depression.

Who is suitable according to their zodiac sign?

Astrologers express the opinion that the sardonyx stone is not suitable for all zodiac signs.

• Hot-tempered Aries should wear a sardonyx amulet. Under its influence, a person’s self-confidence will gradually disappear. He will begin to engage in charitable projects, which will have a positive effect on his character.
• Taurus will not be afraid to show their true feelings and will direct their energy in the right direction. People will learn to listen to the opinions of others.
• Pisces and mineral are neutral towards each other. The stone will not help, but it will not harm the individual.
• The life of Cancers will become balanced. They will stop getting irritated over trifles and will be able to build positive relationships with loved ones and colleagues.
• For Gemini, a pacifying gem will give optimism. People will begin to look positively at the world around them and see not only the minuses, but also the pluses in everything that happens.
• Proud Virgos will stop hiding their altruistic impulses from their households. Representatives of this zodiac sign will find the strength to talk frankly with their family about their desires.
• Leo can wear a semi-precious stone no more than once a week. Otherwise, a person will cease to realistically perceive reality, and scammers will take advantage of this situation.
• Libra the ability to compassion and care. People will stop looking at others with disdain.
• Scorpios are not recommended to wear sardonyx talismans. Otherwise, negative character characteristics will appear even more clearly.
• Sagittarius can have gem jewelry. But people will not receive support from him.
• The compatibility of Capricorn and Sardonyx is simply ideal. People will get rid of constant worry. Harmony will fill their lives.
• Aquarians under the influence of the stone will stop doing things their own way and will begin to listen to the opinions of their relatives. People's family life will improve.

Sardonyx pendant

The beautiful sardonyx stone will give all its amazing properties to some zodiac signs. It will become a real birthstone.