Welcome, August! And a warm welcome, also, to one of its (two) birthstones: Sardonyx. Sardonyx is a banded variety of Chalcedony—a “crypto crystalline quartz”—which is a volcanic silica with extremely fine crystals, too fine to see. Sardonyx was first discovered by the ancient Greeks in what is now modern-day Sicily and it has been used decoratively for the last 3,000+ years. The name, Sardonyx, is derived from the stone’s multi-colored layers of Sard and Onyx. Sard is usually brown, red or yellow while the onyx (in this case) is white. The larger family to which sardonyx belongs, chalcedony, includes agates, bloodstones, carnelians, jasper, and onyx. Amongst New Age practitioners, sardonyx is associated with relaxation and feelings of security.
This week, we’re sharing some of our latest finds from my recent buying trip to England—and, coincidentally, I found several Edwardian Scottish sardonyx pillboxes (whilst) there. The pillbox shown above was made around 1910 and displays vibrant, irregular bands of sard and onyx (sardonyx). It’s perfect on a dresser or desk to hold rings, baby teeth, mints or even . . . pills. Please come into the shop to see it (and the full collection of such boxes) or call us for further information.
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