garnet, snowflake obsidian, & onyx choker
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| composition | mainly silicon dioxide |
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| name source | obsidian from a man named Obsius, who is said to have discovered the stone in Ethiopia, or from the Latin for mineral, obsio; snowflake from the white inclusions in the dark and/or black obsidian |
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| other accepted names | flowering obsidian |
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| historical aliases | "divine stone" (Aztecs) |
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| folkloric aliases | "stone of purity and balance" |
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| color | most common are black and black with white snowflake-like markings |
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| color source | inclusions of small, white, radially clustered crystals of quartz |
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| significant sources | Italy, Mexico, Scotland, US (AZ, CO, TX, UT, ID) |
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| MOH scale | 5 - 5.5 |
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| care and treatment | Because obsidian is natural glass, it is somewhat fragile. A sharp blow can crack it. Wash with warm soapy water or clean in ultra sonic jewelry cleaner. |
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