Local Church Discussions - View Single Post - Precious stones -- deeper experiences of Christ

ZNPaaneah · 12-20-2016, 07:28 AM

My favorite stone is sardonyx. It stands right next to emerald which is considered the most precious of precious stones. A high quality emerald can sell for more than any other stone.

Sardonyx looks like a sandwich of a black and white layer. The white is creamy white and the black looks like ebony. But there can be a variation, often the instead of black it is more brown.

When I first saw this stone I thought it was a joke, how could this stone stand next to an emerald? Of course, the irony was not lost on me. I came into the church in Houston the same year that a brother who was a grad student at the Medical school, he had played on the National Bowl winning Notre Dame football team the year before.

So I took an interest, how does this ridiculous stone stand next to an emerald, in the same builded church? Well the answer is that the Lord can make it stand. A craftsman, an artist comes in and will carve through the top layer of onyx, making just a nice border, like a frame. Then in the middle white or lighter layer they will carve their scene, their characters, the whole picture. They will carve beneath this layer into the bottom layer of onyx where you can see the more sinister characters hiding in the shadows. When the Artist is done it is called an intaglio (a cameo is similar). I saw one and it was a masterpiece. Depending on the artist this can become a priceless masterpiece.

12-20-2016, 07:28 AM	#2
ZNPaaneah Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 7,105	My favorite precious stone My favorite stone is sardonyx. It stands right next to emerald which is considered the most precious of precious stones. A high quality emerald can sell for more than any other stone. Sardonyx looks like a sandwich of a black and white layer. The white is creamy white and the black looks like ebony. But there can be a variation, often the instead of black it is more brown. When I first saw this stone I thought it was a joke, how could this stone stand next to an emerald? Of course, the irony was not lost on me. I came into the church in Houston the same year that a brother who was a grad student at the Medical school, he had played on the National Bowl winning Notre Dame football team the year before. So I took an interest, how does this ridiculous stone stand next to an emerald, in the same builded church? Well the answer is that the Lord can make it stand. A craftsman, an artist comes in and will carve through the top layer of onyx, making just a nice border, like a frame. Then in the middle white or lighter layer they will carve their scene, their characters, the whole picture. They will carve beneath this layer into the bottom layer of onyx where you can see the more sinister characters hiding in the shadows. When the Artist is done it is called an intaglio (a cameo is similar). I saw one and it was a masterpiece. Depending on the artist this can become a priceless masterpiece.