SARDONYX, a variety of agate with alternating orange and white bands

VARIETY INFORMATION:

• VARIETY OF: Crypto-crystalline Quartz , SiO2
• USES: Gemstone and ornamental stone.
• COLOR: alternating bands of yellow-brown and white
• HARDNESS: 7
• CLEAVAGE: none
• CRYSTAL SYSTEM: none visible (actual crystals are microscopic)
• For natural Sardonyx mineral specimens see our For Sale or Sold lists

The color is usually a yellow-brown alternating with white, but other variants are also called sardonyx.

The banded nature of sardonyx is used to advantage by lapidaries and artisans, as a careful selection of material and design allows the creation of bas-relief art, where one layer is left as a foreground, and another is used as the background for a carving.

Sardonyx is the traditional birthstone for August. It is associated with relaxation and security.

Sardonyx is only one of several chalcedony (cryptocrystalline quartz) varieties. The primary varieties are as follows:

• Agate is a banded variety (sometimes with translucent bands)
• Bloodstone is green with red speckles
• Carnelian is yellow to orange
• Chrysoprase is green
• Flint is generally black with a fibrous microscopic structure
• Jasper is any colorful agate
• Onyx is black, white, or alternating black and white
• Sard is yellow to brown
• Sardonyx is banded, alternating sard and (usually white) onyx