Onyx

Onyx (shoham in Hebrew) was a precious stone used extensively in the construction and ornamentation of the tabernacle and the high priest's vestments. Two large onyx stones were mounted in gold settings on the shoulder pieces of the ephod, engraved with the names of the twelve tribes of Israel — six names on each stone — so that Aaron bore the names of Israel's sons before the LORD as a memorial (Exodus 28:9–12). The breastpiece also contained an onyx stone (Exodus 28:20). Onyx was among the precious stones in the garden of Eden (Genesis 2:12) and among the materials contributed for the tabernacle (Exodus 35:27). In the Hebrew the term shoham may refer to the true onyx (a banded chalcedony) or to beryl or sardonyx.