1.6" Polished Black Obsidian Spheres

These are polished spheres of black obsidian (volcanic glass). This jet black material is mined from deposits in Guadalajara, Mexico. While the obsidian is mostly jet black, being a natural stone it can have some impurities that cause small white specs on the surfaces and within.

The spheres are approximately 1.6" wide but may be up to 1.8" wide. The photos are representative of the sphere(s) you will receive.

Obsidian is a natural, volcanic "glass" that is formed when molten rock cools so quickly that the atoms don't have enough time to arrange themselves into crystals. To form obsidian, the composition of the lava must be high in silica. Depending on the minerals present within this lava along with the speed of cooling, a variety of colorful bands, spots or swirls can appear once the lava has solidified. Pure obsidian is often a solid black color, however impurities can result in small color variations to the obsidian.

Obsidian was important material for many ancient people. It was used for making tools, weapons, jewelry and decorative items. It was a major barter material for Native Americans. When broken its conchoidal fracturing results in extremely sharp edges which made it ideal for making knives, scrapers, arrowheads and spearpoints. It is even occasionally used today to produce surgeons scalpels as the edges are several times sharper (only 3 nanometers) than blades that can be produced from steel.

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