In jewelry, as in fashion, colors against a background of black, and black and silver always look right.  In fine stering silver jewelry, the backdrop is often supplied by onyx, a black quartz with a fine texture.  Onyx was very popular with the Greeks and Romans.  The name comes from the Greek word "onyx' which means claw.  The story is that one Cupid cut the divine fingernails of Venus, while she was sleeping.  He left the clippings scattered in the sand and the fates turned them into black stone.  Onyx was highly valued in Rome, especially for seals, because it was said that it would never stick to wax.  Roman generals wore it a great deal for jewelry.

Black onyx shines especially well when used in sterling silver jewelry.  So, if you need to add a little black magic to your sterling silver jewelry collection, try some ONYX.