Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-08-02
ONYX.
Something About Its Working and Its
Use in House Decoration.

From the New York sun
Onyx is coming into general use for deco
ratiye purposes. With the formation of a svn-
dicate 10 work the Mexican mines and with the
discovery of onyx in other places, its use has
extended until 1t is becoming one of the most
fashionable decorations in New York. ONYX
Is peculiar formation caused by drippings
mixed with mineral and earthly substances
under heat and pressure This is not an exact
geological definition of it, but il tells what it is
Onyx is usually discovered in caves or other
natural openings and in mineral neighbour
hood The most beautiful kind of ONYX is
formed by various kinds of minerals running
through il in streaks and tints.
Onyx IL the same improvement over fine mar
BILE that marble is over ordinary stone. II also
costs as much more. These are two reasons
why people who are putting up fine houses in
this town are beginning TO use a. II differs
from marble in taking on higher degree OF
polish, IN being harder. with greater refec-
sion. a hrmer grain. more refined and delicate
tints and prettier streaks. Streaked marble IL
not popular because IL Is usually not streaked
in way to add to its decorative effect la
onyx the delicate green fern. reddish and
brown streaks, appear beautifully on an ivory
| background.
Onyx is got out in as large blocks as il can
be quarrled. The quarrviug has to be done
! with wedges and saws, as II cannot be blasted
| or dug out with safety. The grain and streaks
are so delicate that a blast might spoil thou
| sands of dollars worth. One cave of ONYX was
| ruined by the of powder The man who
owned the cave started to get out the oEyx by
the slow process of saws and wedges he got
out several car loads. when the thought struck
him that he could take all the ONYX out of the
cave at one blast So he put has men To work
and drilled around the cave, arranging his blast
| SO that he would have $4,000 or 1000 worth
OF onyx to be shipped at once. The drill holes
were charged and the blast was exploded.
None of the onyx was lit for except i'm
mosaics and such work. There WIS not 10
sound bit four feet long in the cave This
taught the other onyx miners lesson. and no
shocks and blasts or detonations are allowed in
the cave or in the neighborhood for fear that
the onyx may be cracked or that some small
cracks may be enlarged.
Onyx is worth in the rough from % to els
per cubic foot. The price Is rot steady, as 10
depends on the demand aud the length and
shape OF the block got out well as the APP
pesrance Of the onyx The market for ONYX is
something like the market for meerschaum,
only less regular A man who buys a block Of
onyx takes il to some extent on speculation.
He does not know how IL viii saw and polish.
There may be cracks inside of IL which no
does not see, and the grain aud streaks on tho
outside may not be carried through.
The onyx in Its rough state looks like other
stalactites and staiagmItes, though ii migt DO
taken for marble by any one not in the busi-
ness. IL is worked much AZ marble is. by saw
ing and polishing. except that more care has to
be exercised and that the polishing is more diff
fcult. When IL is worked up il will sell for 81
to IS square foot, according 10 its appearance
and size.
Some dealers make onyx up in mantels, but
even though an onyx mBntel is costly. the
dealers do not like TO make IL up in that shape.
as they say that II vulgarlZes the onyx and viii
end in cheapening 1t. Onyx is beautiful for
tables, mirrors and panels. There are only
four or five dealers in il now ia New York but
when the new syndicate begins shipping here
| steadily onyx will be pushed 1t is no moro
rare now than the finer marble used to be.