Obsidian

Etymology and history

Pliny's Natural History features volcanic glass called "Obsidianus", so named from its resemblance to a stone found in Ethiopia by one Obsius. Snowflakes Obsidian is supposedly named after Obsidian, a Roman said to have first brought this gem to Rome from Lake Shalla in Ethiopia.

Obsidian description

Obsidian is a semi precious gemstone that truly does offer the wearer unique beauty. This gemstone is created by lava that has surfaced from a volcano or lava stream and cooled off extremely quickly, not allowing it to form into normal rocks; instead it has a beautiful glossy, glassy look to it. Obsidian is one kind of natural gemstone that actually is glass. There are many different varieties of Obsidian including Sheen Obsidian or Rainbow Obsidian. These types of Obsidian include very small bubbles of air that are aligned to the gemstone, giving it either a golden, green sheen or rainbow sheen. Obsidian is commonly found within the margins of rhyolitic lava flows known as obsidian flows, where the chemical composition (high silica content) induces a high viscosity and polymerization degree of the lava.

Obsidian in jewelry

Obsidian can come in rather large sizes and are great for carving figurines or statuettes out of. They can also be smoothed into small balls such as beads. They are extremely beautiful and very attractive as ornamental jewelry. If you are looking for a unique gemstone that looks great in almost any setting, check out Obsidian.

Occurrence

Obsidian can be found in locations which have experienced rhyolitic eruptions. It can be found in Argentina, Armenia, Canada, Chile, Greece, Guatemala, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland and United States