These unique sterling silver cufflinks feature a flat, circular black onyx stone in the center. A traditional Greek key pattern trims the edges.

20mm diameter
925 degree sterling silver
Made in Greece


History
In art and architecture, a meander is a decorative border constructed from a continuous line, shaped into a repeated motif. Such a design is also called the Greek Fret or Greek Key design, although these are modern words. The name "meander" recalls the twisting and turning path of the Maeander River. Meanders were among the most important symbols in ancient Greece; they, perhaps, symbolized infinity and unity; many ancient Greek temples incorporated the sign of the meander.

Onyx is a cryptocrystalline form of quartz. In its natural form, colored bands streak through its center (ranging from white to almost every color, except for purple or blue. True onyx is simply a black and white banded variety of quartz allied to agate. These bands being straight and parallel, onyx is sometimes known as "zebra agate" or, if the stone is completely black, "black agate".Commonly, specimens of onyx available contain bands of colors of white, tan, and brown. Sardonyx is a variant in which the colored bands are sard (shades of red) rather than black. Pure black onyx is common, and perhaps the most famous variety, but not as common as onyx with banded colors.

The name "Onyx" is derived from the Greek meaning 'claw' or 'fingernail'. (With its fleshtone color, onyx can be said to resemble a fingernail.) During the 1950s it was very popular as a stone for men's signet rings. It is now used for intaglios and cameos, necklaces and small pieces of jewelry. It has a very wide provenance, being found wherever there is quartz.

Onyx was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans, and use of sardonyx appears in the art of Minoan Crete, notably from the archaeological recoveries at Knossos. Onyx was used in Egypt as early as the Second Dynasty to make bowls and other pottery items.