Obsidian
What Is Obsidian?
Obsidian is a black mineral similar to glass. When polished it has a variety of uses including as a gemstone in jewelry and in the production of scrying mirrors. Because of its sharpness when fractured it was also used by early people for weapons such as spearheads.Obsidian is formed from the lava of volcanic eruptions and is found in many parts of the world
Varieties
Although normally thought of as black, obsidian can also appear shiny grey depending on the exact way it has been cut. There are also a number of variations on the basic stone including snowflake obsidian with white blotches and rainbow obsidian with a multi-coloured sheen.Small pieces of obsidian which have been naturally smoothed by the elements are sometimes known as Apache tears.
Obsidian is an affordable and interesting gemstone which you can buy in many forms. Popular uses of obsidian in jewelry designs include beads, rings and pendants.
Mirrors
Outside of jewelry obsidian is perhaps most associated with "scrying" or divination. An obsidian mirror is a traditional mystical mirror found in much gothic fiction. In reality today most black mirrors are made using less expensive materials.