Black Obsidian Tumbled Gemstone

Obsidian breaks into very sharp edges. Handle knapped or carved pieces with care, and do not prepare ingestible elixirs by direct contact.

Black obsidian is born of fire. When thick, silica-rich lava is thrown from a volcano and cools almost instantly, it freezes before crystals can form, hardening into a smooth natural glass. Because it forms in a single violent moment, no two pieces are alike.

Obsidian is a mineraloid, a naturally occurring volcanic glass rather than a true crystalline mineral. It is composed chiefly of silicon dioxide, typically 70 to 75 percent silica, with traces of magnesium and iron oxides that give it its deep black color. It has an amorphous internal structure and breaks with a sharp conchoidal fracture.

• The Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca, the Smoking Mirror, was linked to polished obsidian mirrors that priests used to divine the future.
• In ancient Mesoamerica obsidian was worked into itztli blades and ceremonial mirrors, prized as a stone that could cut through illusion.
• Native American legend speaks of Apache Tears, obsidian said to carry the grief of those who mourned so the one who holds it need never weep those tears again.