Little Black Gemstones to Complete Your Wardrobe
While we love colorful gemstones of all kinds, there’s something hypnotic about the simple elegance of deep, black gemstones. Versatile, accessible, and capable of complementing almost any occasion, black gemstone accessories are the jewelry equivalent of the little black dress.
When choosing black jewelry, you will have to decide between numerous dark stones, each with its own shine, cut, and meaning. Here are our favorite black gemstones and the beautiful pieces we’ve created with them.
Black Onyx
Onyx is the most iconic black gemstone, worn as far back as Ancient Egypt by leaders like Cleopatra and recognized as a stone of strength and protection. Today, onyx is a relatively common stone, making its elegant beauty highly affordable and accessible. A relatively hard stone, onyx jewelry is durable and can be worn for many different occasions.
Smooth, solid onyx has a vitreous luster. While it isn’t a matte stone, it has less shine than other lusters, giving it a slightly glassy appearance with polishing.
Some of our favorite onyx pieces include our Black Onyx Statement Ring, our Dainty Onyx Necklace, and our Onyx Bracelet.
Obsidian
Formed from cooled lava, the black depths of obsidian shine with strength and power. Because of its structure and formation, obsidian is technically not classified as a mineral, but as a form of volcanic glass. This means it has no crystalline structure and has a brighter shine than onyx.
Being a volcanic glass, obsidian is much lighter than most other gemstones. Its unique composition and brittleness mean that obsidian can be cut in two ways: in one direction it is pure black, and cutting in the other direction reveals a glistening grey or silver pattern throughout.
While beautiful, obsidian is a much more fragile gemstone than other alternatives. Because of its fragility, we only have one obsidian piece, but our Silver Obsidian LUXE Gemstone Bracelet is the perfect accessory for formal occasions.
Smoky Quartz
While smoky quartz can vary in its transparency, at its darkest it can appear to be an almost-opaque black crystal. Even lighter variations of smoky quartz can dance between translucent grey and dark black, giving this stone its reputation for unifying opposites and providing clarity in darkness.
Though not particularly shiny, smoky quartz’s transparency can give it a unique glittering and shimmering quality. Like onyx, this stone rates well on Mohs Hardness Scale, making it durable and ready for a night on the town.
We use smoky quartz in a range of our bracelets including our Smoky Quartz Meaningful Gemstone Bracelet and Serenity Intention Stack, and is also available as an option on our No Worries Gemstone Threader Earrings.