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obsidian - divine stone

garnet, snowflake obsidian, & onyx choker

compositionmainly silicon dioxide
name sourceobsidian 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
other accepted namesflowering obsidian
historical aliases"divine stone" (Aztecs)
folkloric aliases"stone of purity and balance"
color most common are black and black with white snowflake-like markings
color sourceinclusions of small, white, radially clustered crystals of quartz
significant sourcesItaly, Mexico, Scotland, US (AZ, CO, TX, UT, ID)
MOH scale5 - 5.5
care and treatmentBecause 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.