The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-03-23
MEXICAN ONYX.
Really n Species of Marble, aud thu
Price Is Constantly Falling.

Price Is Constantly Falling.
New York Sun.
Some officers of the United States army
in the war with Mexico noticed in a chapel
of that country a rarely beautiful window
made of thin translucent pieces of richly
home some pieces Of the stone, and left
it with a jeweler of this city to be dressed
and shaped; but being , ordered rt to the fr fbe
finished material back from the Jeweier.
This was the first of the stone seen In this
country, and 1t attracted no great atten-
ton. About thirty years later considerable
quantities of the material were exnipited
as Mexican onyx at the Centennial EXPOSE
The Mexican onyx of that day was great
ly admired, but the price was SO high. about
ten times what it is now, that the material
was looked upon as q semi-precious stone.
Ever since 1876 the material has become
cheaper and cheaper, until now IT is used
sive structures. One of the earliest build
ing to contain a large quantity of Mexican
onyx was a luxurious London hotel built
not many years ago. Its staircases of Mex
lean onyx cost SIS, 00. Many new buildings
in this city have been by the
lavish use of Mexican onyx. A business
building down town has a stairway of this
stone, and several of the new Fifth avenue
hotels have onyx wainscoting and stairways.
A private house In Chicago has $751; 600 worth
of Mexican onyx in the hall.
Mineralogists have known all along Mex
lean onyx is not a true onyx, but a species
of marble. 1t is specifically an aragonite,
made up of calcium. oxide of iron and
magnesium. 10 inc last Two II OWSo silS
peculiar beauty of color. Several of the
Mexican states send onyx to us, but the
largest deposits are found near Tecali, in
the State of Pueblo. 1t was used by the
ancient Mexicans for masks, idols and other
small objects, and some of the modern
cestors admired by travellers turn out
like objects from the stone and sell them
at good prices, William Cooper, Of Esper-
volcano of Mexico a deposit that is now
called mosaic agate. 1t is a peculiarly
the formation has been broken up under
pressure. There are a California onyx and
an Arizona ONYX. each being a marble of
amber hue, and aragonite is also found in
Iowa.
Mexican onyx is easily worked. and has
been used not only for building purposes,
but for ornamental household articles,
lamp standards, table tops, mantelS and
other articles large and small. Some of the
bly, decreased in value since the price of
the onxy came down.. and 1t has been SO
of course. not suited for statuary because
its variegated colors would give the subject
Sea maaley p aPps absund. T fhat m mGela b IS p 9oo
valuable to be used much in places where
it would be exposed to the weather. Its
use has become so extended in this city
that it is now largely imported by a few
marble dealers. The largest quantity of the
marble yard on the far West side. It hard
ly gives in the crude state the promise Of
its finished se beauty aa and Z scraps and frag,
illChto " hA~ 1890 Fc1tN
that would have been eagerly preserved
were its price what it was nineteen years
ago. 1t may be doubted whether any
church of the United States has been deco
rated as the little Mexican chapel of nearly
fifty years ago.
An extensive dealer in the Mexican onyx
and other marbles says that the stone Is
less used than it was ten or twelve years
ago, so he thinks, because. other and
| cheaper stones. notably African marble,
are more beautiful. There have been
within a few years several notable spec
Yo+fx,a iymnprt lions Of Mexican ONYX In
some of these cases the importers. find
ing the sale UNEXPECTEDLY slow. were un-
able to pay the duties. and the quantity
in port broke the price. Mexican onyx
sells in the rough at s. to $40 a cubic foot.
Large pieces fetch more than their pro-
portionaf price. The saving into slabs adds
about 81 a cubic foot to the price. and the
further cutting, fitting and polishing great
~ increases the value of the stone. There
is often p. loss of 40 per cent. of material
in preparing it for wainscoting, 20 that the
| finished product fetches as high as So a foot
When one inch thick specially beautiful
specimens fetch even more. /. is possible Il
run UP the cost of a building decorated with
| specially chosen onyx to a fabulous sum.