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From the Deserts of the American Southwest... ....a stone so spectacular, history drowns in its unique hues of desert blush, ridges of amber and veins of jade green.
As the crown jewel of the marble family, onyx is formed as a mixture of clay, carbonates and other minerals which have been transformed under intense pressure and heat deep inside the earth. Over time, the earth’s movements exert stresses on the stone, resulting in cracks or fissures that in turn produce the visible veins of color.
Arizona Onyx comes in two varieties: Grand Canyon Onyx, with layers of brown, red, white and green, and Black Canyon Onyx, in black, gray, amber and white. It takes about 1 million years to create a foot of the stone. Each layer reflects the sediment left when water flowed in and out of the area.
Stoneworld Company Inc. is the worlds only supplier of Grand Canyon and Black Canyon Onyx. In 2003, extensive testing suggested that the deposits were in excellent condition for quarrying. Testing has proven that the quarry contains well over a million tons of High Grade Onyx.
The Quarry’s value is not in its historical perspective, but in its bright future. A core drilling study conducted in 2003 by a geologist from Milan reveals that the deposit held 120,000 cubic meters of high grade onyx. By comparison, a typical deposit of onyx is 1 to 2 meters, and 3 to 4 meters is considered to be outstanding. More recently, a geological report was done in 2010 by a certified Geologist in Arizona. Extensive core drillings were done along with analysis of the property and laboratory testing which concluded that the deposit holds over 460,000 cubic meters.
However, it should be noted that this recent study was only conducted on 50% of the property. The geological report does state that “further exploration would no doubt expand the known reserves of onyx”.These results conclude that this property is extremely unique and valuable. The reserves of onyx are so vast that this mine has enough material to last a significant period of time. The quarries are located just of Highway 69 in Mayer, Arizona, U.S.A. allowing for easy access for trucks.
Arizona Onyx comes in two varieties:
• Black Canyon Onyx, in black, gray, amber and white; • Grand Canyon Onyx, with layers of brown, red, white and green. It takes about 1 million years to create a foot of the stone. Each layer reflects the sediment left when water flowed in and out of the area.
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the BLOCKS
we made great blocks
Arizona Onyx comes in two varieties:
• Black Canyon Onyx, in black, gray, amber and white; • Grand Canyon Onyx, with layers of brown, red, white and green. It takes about 1 million years to create a foot of the stone. Each layer reflects the sediment left when water flowed in and out of the area.
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The Arizona Onyx Quarries lies along Big Bug Creek in Mayer, an old cowboy town about 75 miles northeast of Phoenix that is approx. 5,000 feet above sea level. One of the first speculators on the site was a man by the name of William “ Bucky” O’Neill, a lawyer, miner, cowboy, sheriff and congressman who was one of Teddy Roosevelt’s “Rough Riders” during the Spanish-American War. O’Neill paid $150 for his one-third share of the mine, and shortly thereafter discovered that the site had “the richest deposit of onyx between Prescott, AZ and Puebla, Mexico” - according to historical documents. According to an article in a 1918 issue of Yavapai Magazine, Joe Mayer settled in the area, a stagecoach stop between Phoenix and Prescott, in the late 1800s. Having seen an outcropping on the side of a hill near Big Bug Creek, he set up an onyx quarry business with Al and George McCann and William O’Neill, a one-time mayor of Prescott and member of Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.
Black Canyon and Grand Canyon Onyx has a breathtaking range of color with Grand Canyon Onyx resembling an aerial view of the canyon itself. However, it’s the jade green color found in the Grand Canyon Onyx that first put this onyx quarry on the map when at the turn of the century jade spheres were mass produced to serve as the gear shift knob in Henry Ford’s luxury automobiles. This quarry, once owned by a family of contractors who built Arizona’s State Capitol - has laid virtually dormant for decades. When the Depression hit (beginning in 1929), the quarry was shut down and it laid dormant for over 70 years. In 2003, Stoneworld Company Inc. acquired the quarries and has brought Arizona ONYX back to the world market.
