What Color Is Onyx? About Onyx Color

Tucked between black and gray, there’s a color that will really get your attention. More than its bold color, onyx will surely amaze you with its alternating light and dark bands as a gemstone.

Let’s find out more about this color!

What Color Is Onyx?

Stone undertones give onyx a chilly, serious feel. Regardless, it’s a great paint color for your office. Colors range from brown, red, black, white, and grey in the alternating bands of onyx.

Hex code #353935 is an emerald black hue used since ancient Egypt, and it is the current representation of the color.

Named after the gemstone, onyx also appears in a variety of colors, including red and green.

Things to Know About Gemstone Onyx

For millennia, onyx has been used to make jewelry and other sculptures. Gemstones like this are still sought after today because of their hidden charm, astonishing durability, and affordability.

Moreover, onyx appears to be enjoying a renaissance as demand for black jewelry grows.

On the other hand, it’s a common misperception that onyx is exclusively black in appearance. Onyx comes in a range of hues, but the most common is pure black.

Onyx is a form of a mineral known as chalcedony, which is a variation of layered quartz. As a rule, onyx is either partially or entirely opaque.

The most common form of onyx has a black foundation and a white top coating. Parallel bands of various shades may also appear between these layers. Sardonyx, the earliest form of onyx, is often flat striped and has a brownish base with red color bands.

There are several types of 0nyx, but this is among the more popular and economical ones.

After that, there’s cornelian onyx, which has a red foundation and lighter bands of color running through it. It features alternating stripes of red and white that are visually pleasing.

The most common onyx gemstone, black onyx, falls within this type. On the other hand, a pure black onyx is extremely unusual to come across in nature.

Grey chalcedony is commonly treated to produce black onyx. Finally, there is Niccolo Onyx, which has a very thin top layer.

Grey or blue appears through the black base layer because of the transparency of the material.

The Historical Use of Onyx

For centuries, Onyx has been used for hardstone cutting and jewelry, often carved into cabochons or beads. Hardstone cameo etched gems and intaglio engraved gems also utilize this technique.

It’s possible to find natural onyx. However, most of the onyx sold on the market is actually colored agate.

Craftsmen as early as the Second Dynasty in Egypt made bowls and other ceramic pieces with onyx. And sardonyx appears in the art of Minoan Crete, most notably in the Knossos excavations.

For art déco sculptures of the 1920s and 1930s, Brazilian green onyx frequently formed a plinth.

For the bulk of his chryselephantine sculptures, Ferdinand Preiss used Brazilian green onyx as a basis. Trays and pin dishes made of green onyx, mostly in Austria, sometimes came decorated with bronze animals or sculptures.

How to Use Onyx Color

The onyx hue is beautiful as a flooring option. Onyx marble and white baseboard moldings make the ideal combination.

Try white ceramic tiles with an onyx border or vinyl tiles put in alternating onyx and white squares.

Or try a painted onyx floor stenciled with a white border, or white with onyx stencils if you don’t want to go with white ceramic tiles.

Onyx also makes a great decorative element in your design. If you’ve chosen dark worktops, hardware, or appliances, adding a few accents of onyx to the room can help tone the whole look.

You can also decorate your hallway with onyx art pieces for a more luxurious feel.

Accenting with onyx in the hallway, whether a console, storage baskets, lamps, pendants, the balustrade or banister, or even the front door, creates an amazing entry that is both friendly and formal.

Psychology of Onyx

According to onyx’s most popular uses in art and design, onyx is a very flexible hue you can use in almost every area of the creative process.

You may determine the appropriate colors for your home’s color palette by glancing at the color wheel; this is the most straightforward method.

Split-complement shades of purple and blue are onyx’s color complements. Split-complements are the two colors next to a color’s neutral shade on the color wheel that are not the same color.

It is also a great tool for generating skin tones in painting and graphics, as Onyx is mute. As such, when different colors mix with onyx, the hues become more subdued.

Conclusion

Cold, solemn undertones give onyx its name. You can pair it with other neutral hues, such as gray and beige, making it a versatile color choice.

Overall, the color onyx is a beautiful gemstone that comes in a variety of colors and patterns.