Exploring the Characteristics of Obsidian

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[b]Obsidian[/b]

Obsidian is considered to be naturally occurring volcanic glass. It is also called black lava glass. It can come in a variety of colors, such as yellow, red, greenish- brown, purple, as well as blueish green. However black and grey are the most common. It is a transparent stone with a translucent or opaque vitreous luster. It may have a iridescent sheen, caused by inclusions. These inclusions can also cause them to be called a different variety. Some of the varieties are snowflake obsidian, sheen obsidian, mahogany, rainbow, and apache tears. Obsidian is caused when volcanic lava cools so quickly that minerals do not have tie to form crystals. They are a type of glass, with a mohs hardness of 5- 5.5 and a specific …show more content…

Obsidian has been used for amulets and necklaces for a very long time. The Aztecs made flat squares of obsidian for divination. It is also the stone that lines the wings of the goddess Itzpapalotl. Who is also known as the obsidian butterfly. It is believed that Queen Elizabeth I hired Doctor Dee, a magician and alchemist to scry for her. They say he used a mirror made of obsidian on more than one occasion. Obsidian is also a popular material for spearheads, arrowheads, and …show more content…

[b]Sources[/b]
[b]Cunningham’s encyclopedia of crystal, gem, and metal magic[/b] Scott Cunningham (Llewellyn publications, 2016) pages 138-139
[b]Gemdat.org[/b] [i]Obsidian[/i] Jolyon,and Katyn Ralph [url]https://www.gemdat.org/gem-8519.html[/url]
[b]Healing crystals for you[/b] [i]black obsidian stone…[/i] Liz Oakes [url]http://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/obsidian-stone.html[/url]
[b]Healing crystals for you[/b] [i]black obsidian stone…part 2[/i] Liz Oakes [url]http://www.healing-crystals-for-you.com/obsidian-stone-part2.html[/url]
[b]mindat.org[/b] [i]Obsidian[/i] Jolyon, and Katyn Ralph [url]https://www.mindat.org/min-8519.html[/url]
[b]The essential crystal handbook[/b] Simon and Sue Lilly (Duncan Baird, 2006) Pages 50-51
[b]The magical circle School student lounge[/b] [i]Skyla’s maple lined path[/i] Journey with gemstone 102/obsidian post by Skyla nightowl with response by Skyla nightowl

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