Obsidian

Obsidian is natural glass. It is beautiful and jet black. Snowflake obsidian is gray and black; mohagony obsidian is brown and black. All three varieties make wonderful jewelry. Obsidian has been used for jewelry, mirrors, tools and more for hundreds of years.

Obsidian is natural glass formed by volcanic lava that cooled too quickly. It is generally black. Other obsidian colors include: brown, gray, red, blue and green. If there are bubbles or crystal inclusions, it has white or gray marks and is often named snowflake obsidian. Some obsidian has iridescence: flashes of color. Obsidian has a hardness rating of 5.

Obsidian is fairly fragile. treat obsidian carefully as sharp blows will cause it to crack.

Obsidian is most often found in Hawaii, Japan and Java. However, it can be found in all areas with volcanic activity. Apache tears are dark obsidian pieces found in Arizona and New Mexico.

It is said that gemstone healers use obsidian to get clearer insight into problems.

In ancient times, obsidian was used as mirrors. Sharp shards of obsidian were formed into arrowheads.