![]() You can clearly see that texture is a great way to tell the difference between the two. Great contrast between tourmaline(left) and obsidian(right). These look alikes do have some differences which set them apart from obsidian despite them looking similar. There are some obsidian look alikes such as onyx, jet, and tourmaline which are confused primarily based color and appearance. However, when it breaks, its texture will be as smooth as glass. Obsidian can be found with a rough look after being exposure to the earth’s surface. This rock is referred to as one of nature’s forms of natural glass. ![]() Obsidian, due to its nature when it breaks, can be many times sharper than a typical razor blade. Obsidian however can be sharper than a diamond. A diamond has a hardness of a 10 on that same scale, being the very definition of 10. Obsidian has a hardness on the Mohs scale of hardness of roughly around a 5 or a 6. These notions may come from sources such as media type venues such as games that have obsidian as an item used in its gameplay. Many may come to believe that obsidian may be stronger than a diamond. Top specimen of obsidian is considered a mahogany type of obsidian. In this case the light will reflect in a way that allows the color of green, violet, or silver to be seen. Rainbow obsidian is a sheen obsidian that has some specific planes internally to the rock when it was formed from its original lava. The mineral cristobalite is what gives the white snowflake look on snowflake obsidian. These white inclusions give the appearance of a snowflake at times hence the snowflake designation. Snowflake obsidian is black obsidian that has white, uneven blooming, dots within the rock. The more rare colors can include minerals such as hematite, limonite, and small crystals of various feldspars. ![]() Other minerals in obsidian such as hornblende, plagioclase, biotite, and pyroxene can be present as well supporting a darker look. A majority of obsidian is black due to extremely tiny inclusions of iron oxide and the mineral magnetite contained within its glassy structure. People wonder why obsidian is commonly the color black. Peacock Obsidian – Has a velvet look with pinks, purples, and greens.Spider Web Obsidian – Contains long white strands like spider webs.Mahogany Obsidian – Has reddish and brownish inclusions.Fireworks Obsidian – Contains white or red looking firework explosions.Sheen Obsidian – Shows reflective colors such as, gold, silver, green, and purple.Snowflake Obsidian – Contains white looking snowflakes.There are various types of obsidian rock that people have coined names for based on their colors and appearance. Black and gray is the most common type of color for this rock. In some rare cases obsidian can have the color of red, orange, yellow or even blue. Obsidian color is black, brown, lighter browns, and green. Obsidian has the following properties: Mohs Scale of Hardness: 5 to 6 Specific Gravity: 2.4 Fracture: Conchoidal Luster: Vitreous Crystal System: None Obsidian Chemical Formula: SiO 2MgOFe 3O 4 The Colors of Obsidian It has be found that obsidian from one location had travelled over thousands of miles to end up at another location. It has been historically documented that some obsidian was traded to very distant tribes. With all the uses of obsidian, including the use of jewelry, the trade of obsidian could be thought of as one of the first businesses in America. The trade of obsidian among the natives in America was fairly common. With the potential sharpness of obsidian, many still today like to carve out knives, axes, and other objects with the rock. Spear heads, arrow heads, and many other tools were carved out from the rock to help in uses of day to day survival. Native Americans found that obsidians ability to chip off into sharp edges was quite useful. When obsidian is used for decoration it can take many shapes such as carved out figurines, bookends, and just cut out into cabochons for display. The igneous rock can be cut into shapes and used in earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and pendants. Obsidian is used as decoration and jewelry. This is due to years of erosion from earthly elements as the rocks will roll down hills and rivers. Although being a relatively hard type of rock, it is quite brittle and can fracture into sharp edged pieces.Īdditionally, this rock can be found quite commonly in roundish forms often called Apache tears. Obsidian has a hardness of 5 to 6 on the Mohs scale of hardness. Obsidian is unique and there are really no obsidian types of rocks that equal it.
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