It has a hard and brittle nature and can be cut and carved with any good diamond drill. This type of obsidian is cut in a rather similar manner to other obsidian variants. However, when well-polished, snowflake obsidian has a beautiful luster and its natural patterns give it an intriguing quality, unlike most other gemstones. Because of the quartz snowflakes, however, this type of obsidian will have even less reflective properties. Since obsidian is essentially a volcanic glass, it should have a vitreous luster. See these here.Ĭlarity is generally not obsidian’s strong suit and that goes double for snowflake obsidian. Snowflake obsidian is less lustrous than black obsidian. The black base color of obsidian is caused by the presence of iron and magnesium in it. Snowflake obsidian has a black body tone with gray or white spots scattered across the surface. More quartz snowflakes mean less obsidian, so the surface of the piece will be less smooth and less reflective, but those too are purely subjective considerations. The choice here is mostly subjective and cosmetic. ![]() The main questions when choosing snowflake obsidian are whether you want bigger or smaller flakes, as well as whether you want more or fewer of them. The name “Obsidian” comes from the name of an ancient Roman explorer called “Obsius” who, first in the Old World” discovered obsidian in Ethiopia. These quartz formations can still be polished to achieve a beautiful visual effect but their presence compromises the stability of the obsidian and makes it unsuitable for a lot of things that black obsidian can be used for – knives, weapon blades, and surgical instruments. Snowflake obsidian, however, unlike other obsidian types, includes too much quartz (or cristobalite) which means that it’s not as easily shaped with smooth, sharp edges. This gives it a rather distinct look and more possible uses when compared to other gemstones. It also has a conchoidal fracture and forms acute edges when cut. Since there aren’t that many geographical places with past volcanic activity on Earth, the most common locations to mine obsidian are, in alphabetical order, Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Canada, Chile, Georgia, Greece, El Salvador, Guatemala, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Scotland, Turkey, and the United States.Īs a non-mineral, obsidian lacks the standard cleavage that other gemstones have. That’s because these flows include a lot of silica and that’s one of the main components of obsidian – between 35% and 80% of obsidian is just silica. Obsidian pieces are most often found in the rhyolitic lava flows that are otherwise known as obsidian flows. Instead, obsidian is created when volcanic felsic lava cools off after a volcano becomes inactive. Obsidian is neither a rock nor a mineral as it lacks the typical crystalized structure of a mineral. Quartz is responsible for the snowflakes on the obsidian as seen in this pendant.ĭespite being called a gemstone, regular obsidian is not a stone at all. The presence of such snowflakes marks the slow process of transformation of obsidian from the volcanic glass into an actual rock. As fascinating as they are to look at, they have a rather simple explanation – they are called “spherulites” and they are essentially just needle-shaped cristobalite, which is a type of quartz. The only difference between snowflake obsidian and black obsidian pieces is the “snowflakes” that you see on its surface. Snowflake obsidian is similar to other obsidian varieties in its general composition, availability, and value. ![]() What Is Different About Snowflake Obsidian? So, what makes snowflake obsidian so different, what should you be looking for when purchasing such a gemstone, and what are the main considerations you should keep in mind? Let’s dive right in. This affordable and easily available gemstone makes for intriguing jewelry and is very eye-catching when mounted in beautiful settings.
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