Onyx Stone is one of the most beautiful, special, luxurious and high-quality stones in the world and Iran. It is known under the brand name Onyx all over the world.
Its Greek root is marmoros. Onyx is composed of calcite and aragonite, and it is from metamorphosed limestone family that has been metamorphosed over millions of years due to pressure and temperature, and has high resistance to heat and cold. In fact, Onyx is the same travertine stone that has experienced a relative transformation. Onyx is a flat stone with high strength and can also be used as a sanitary stone.
Onyx has a very high color variety and unique transparency, which distinguishes it from other building stones. Its transparency reason is the existence of clear crystals in its layers, which gives it the ability to pass light.
One of the main categories of Onyx is based on its color, which includes various types White Onyx, blue Onyx, red Onyx, pink Onyx, orange Onyx, honey Onyx, cream Onyx, chocolate Onyx, green Onyx, golden Onyx, etc.
Green Onyx
Green Onyx often has yellow, red, white and orange streaks and Kerman (Sirjan) province has many Onyx mines. Sometimes this stone is imported to Iran from Italy, and among the most beautiful and famous samples of green Onyx imported to Iran, we can mention Emerald Onyx and Esmeralda Onyx.
One of the important points about green Onyx is that this stone, compared to other types of Onyx, does not transmit light well, and for lighting it’s back, the stone must be cut and processed in laminate way with a thickness of one centimeter.
White Onyx
Pure white Onyx is a very unique stone that is very valuable and expensive, if found. This stone is very similar to porcelain stone, with the difference that it has beautiful colored lines and halos, and it also allows light to pass through it. The tonality of white Onyx ranges from pure white to light creamy and off-white with golden and yellow lines. In the background texture of the stone, there are often beautiful colored halos that double its beauty.
Pink Onyx
Pink Onyx is one of the most attractive Onyx stones, which is also considered among the rare stones. In Iran, pink Onyx can be found in the mines of Naqdeh city in the northwest of the country. Naqdeh pink Onyx is a uniform pink stone with white, bright and dark pink streaks. This stone has clear and bright crystals and even its thick slices allow light to pass through. One of the disadvantages of this stone is having many streaks. In fact, the more transparent and uniform the pink Onyx is, the higher the price and value. Afghanistan also has this very beautiful stone in Herat mines.
Orange Onyx
One of the finest and most desirable orange Onyxs is extracted from Mashhad mines and is known as Mashhadeh Onyx. In Iran, orange Onyx is mostly extracted and processed from Khorasan and Kerman mountains. Orange Onyx has two types of wavy and undulating and has white, yellow and brown streaks in its texture.
Golden honey Onyx
One of the most eye-catching colors in Onyx is honey Onyx. This stone, which is mainly extracted from mines in Yazd, Khorasan and Kerman provinces, has attractive orange, brown and white streaks, and the red and yellow lighting behind this stone gives it a unique effect. Sirjan is one of the most important centers of honey Onyx extraction. Honey Onyx has similarities with golden Onyx that sometimes this stone can be considered as golden Onyx.
Blue Onyx
Blue Onyx is one of the relatively rare, unique and beautiful species and it can be found in the color range of blue, light lilac, purple and cyan. In the main texture of the stone, mainly white, golden and yellow colors stand out. The mines of Kurdistan and Kerman provinces are rich in blue Onyx.
Traonyx Onyx
Among other types of Onyx, we can mention Traonyx stone. Traonyx is a combination of travertine and Onyx and has common features with both. In case the necessary environmental conditions such as high pressure and temperature are not met for the transformation of travertine into Onyx crystals or extraction from the mine, before termination of the long transformation process, only a part of crystals texture will be transformed and Traonyx stone will be formed. Parts of the Traonyx stone, which is made of Onyx, has the ability to pass light, but the parts that are made of travertine, due to the waves similar to travertine, have given this stone a unique beauty. The attractive lighting of this stone leads to the creation of beautiful stone designs.
An example of onyx stones with various colors and designs
Application of Onyx
The presence of clear and transparent crystals has made Onyx one of the most attractive and widely used stones in interior walls and floors. In such a way that one can design walls with hidden light for the interior of buildings, hotel lobbies, receptions, etc., and due to the light passing through it and the use of hidden light behind the Onyx building stone, it can create a unique view of the stone design. This stone is widely used in the lobby of hotels and luxury residential, commercial and office buildings. Also, this stone is used in places of pilgrimage, especially the shrine of Imam Reza where green Onyx is used on the walls and floors of the main courtyards of the shrine.
The presence of Onyx in the building walls, beauty aside, insulates the environment against heat. In addition to the mentioned issues, Onyx can be used in the building inside stairs. The advantage of using Onyx as stairs and flooring is that Onyx does not absorb dirt and dust, and for this reason, it is one of the first choices for flooring and stairs in religious and busy places. Due to the unique patterns and texture of Onyx, their types can be used in the form of slabs in the space behind TV or fireplace.
One of the characteristics of Onyx stones is their high ability to be sanded and polished, they can be used to produce all kinds of stone artefacts such as water fountain and stone tables, statues and vases.
Onyx preservation conditions
Onyxs react against weak acids and become cloudy, so it is suggested that Onyx should not be used as a kitchen counter as much as possible and strong detergents should not be used to wash Onyx stones. Instead, you can use mild soap or dishwashing detergent with a neutral pH. The best cleaning option is special stone washing items. Also, Onyx surfaces do not like liquids and the remaining moisture on them for long time will leave stains. It is better to clean the Onyx surface immediately after any pollution with a damp cloth and then dry it. Furthermore, since it is fragile, it can easily scratch and chip, and it should not be used as a work surface in places where high abrasion is possible. If Onyx is used for island countertops, vanities, and other surfaces, they should be sealed at least twice a year with a special stone sealer to help protect onyx surfaces from stains, scratches, etching, and acid.
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Disadvantages of Onyx |
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The three largest producers of Onyx stones in the world are Italy, Iran and China, but in terms of variety of mines and variety of designs; Iranian Onyx is unique. Italy is one of the oldest and largest producers of Onyx in the world. Italy's Onyx mines are located in Sicily Island and Lazio city, and its high quality is famous. In Iran, the existence of rich and abundant mines in the provinces of Kurdistan (Qarwah), Khorasan (Mashhad), East Azerbaijan (Azershahr), West Azerbaijan (Naqdeh), Kerman (Deh Maryam Sirjan and Deh Rostam Bam) has also led to the production of rare and high-quality species.
Among the famous mines in Iran, the following mines can be mentioned:
- Azarshahr red Onyx
- Kashmar orange Onyx
- Naghdeh pink Onyx
- Deh Rostam Bam white Onyx
- Abbasabad Jolfa green Onyx
- Sanandaj Gharveh white Onyx
- Yazd Burgh green Onyx
- Turan Posht Yazd green Onyx
- Azarshahr Ab-barik green Onyx
- Sirjan Tanguyeh and Gezouyeh Onyx
- Rafsanjan Sardoye Onyx
Distribution map of onyx mines in Iran