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Black obsidian meaning is protective, cure diseases, healing mental and physic. It’s such a powerful cleanser and purifier of psychic smog that created within one’s aura. This makes the stone a strong psychic protection crystal. What is obsidian stone anyway? Rough Black Obsidian Natural Stones: Choose 4 oz, 8 oz, 1 lb, 2 lb 5 lb or 11 lb Bulk ('A' Grade, Raw Black Obsidian,). Check out our obsidian black stone selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. The black obsidian is an ideal material in making Opals to offer color-contrasting background. However, medium-strength of obsidian with 5.5 hardness creates durability concerns and the jewelry industry avoids its use as they apply diamonds and other gemstones.

Dark and mysterious, black obsidian is an intriguing gemstone used in a variety of different applications, from medicine to jewelry, to meditation. Let’s get to know how this amazing stone came to be and how you can take advantage of its incredible healing energy properties.

A Black Obsidian is a powerful crystal for psychic protection, helping to clear the negative psychic energy within your aura by acting as a psychic vacuum cleaner. In addition to protection and releasing negativity, you can use the black obsidian gems for root chakra healing and grounding.

Contents

• What Type of Rock is Black Obsidian?
• Benefits of Black Obsidian
• The Healing Benefits of Black Obsidian
  • 3. Healing of Past Hurts
• How to Use Black Obsidian
• Fun Facts
  • Obsidian and Native Peoples

What is Black Obsidian?

Also known as the “Stone of Truth”, black obsidian is associated with protection (known as protection stone), honesty, integrity, and grounding. It is connected with the root chakra, unblocking the floodgates of energy that prevent you from feeling a deep sense of connection with your environment.

Obsidian, or as it is sometimes called, volcanic glass, is a naturally occurring rock that comes from volcanoes. When lava cools very, very quickly it can turn into obsidian.

It is formed when volcanic lava transforms into a glassy igneous rock when it comes into contact with water. The lava cools so quickly that it doesn’t get crystallized, creating a unique dark rock with a shiny surface.

What Type of Rock is Black Obsidian?

Black obsidian is made of 70-80% silica, and 20-30% magnesium and iron oxide. It is a compact amorphous mineral, with its hardness similar to that of glass. It is hard and brittle and creates fractures when it is cut, which forms very sharp edges. Because of this quality, black obsidian was used in ancient times for cutting and piercing tools. The stone has also been used in experimental surgical scalpel blades.

The stone is found in many regions around the world, specifically in places that experience rhyolitic eruptions. It is found in Argentina, the US, Australia, Chile, Guatemala, Iceland, Kenya, Italy, New Zealand, Peru, Papua New Guinea, with the largest deposits found in Mexico and India.

The stone is not considered a mineral entirely, but it is mineral-like. This is because the stone is considered as volcanic glass as it does not crystallize. Also, its composition is too complex to fall under one single mineral.

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Black obsidian symbolizes a number of things, but its most prominent meaning is protection. It protects the wearer from negativity that may come from the outside world, as well as from the inner workings of the individual.

As the “Stone of Truth”, it has a merciless ability to bring about the real cause of problems and trauma, and can be overwhelming if you are not ready to face your demons. Despite this, black obsidian crystals will give you the power and the support to handle these truths and flaws, helping you to move on and give you an enlightened sense of self.

The stone’s reflective, mirror-like surface also represents its meaning – giving you a reflection of your true self, which includes your strengths, mistakes, and weaknesses.

Iron and magnesium give the obsidian a dark green, brown or black colour. It helps clear, energise and balance the solar-plexus and sacral chakras.

What is Black Obsidian Used For?

Since ancient times, the stone has been practically used for knives and sharp blades. Its practical purpose coincidentally represents what it brings to the wearer. Working like a knife, it slices into the heart of your problems, revealing to you the root causes of your stress, and helping you face and overcome such issues.

Benefits of Black Obsidian

Here are the benefits to expect when you use black obsidian in your life:

1. For Self-Growth

Black obsidian has an ability to heal past hurts and negative emotions. When you still carry pain from the past, you are unable to move on and truly learn from the experience to become the person you were meant to be. You become stagnant and get stuck, with no room for self-growth.

Black obsidian will help to heal these hurts so you can finally reach a place in your life where you are finally at peace and free of pain.

2. For Self-Control

Black Obsidian absorbs negativity, helping you to get rid of selfish thoughts and intentions, and giving you the gift of foresight. With negativity at bay, you are able to make better decisions that will help you move on and grow.

3. For Physical Health

Black obsidian can improve digestive health and has a detoxifying effect on the body.

Basically, if you feel like your life has reached a plateau – either you’re not improving or you’re in a place where you don’t want to be, gaining the benefits of black obsidian will help you to finally move forward.

The Healing Benefits of Black Obsidian

1. Physical Healing

Black obsidian improves peripheral circulation and balances digestion. It protects the stomach, intestines, muscle tissues, and helps to heal viral infections.

2. Protection for the Gentle and the Sensitive

The stone is specifically useful for individuals who are prone to abuse, such as children and women, and those who have a gentle nature.

3. Healing of Past Hurts

Black obsidian is incredibly beneficial for individuals going through therapy as it can help therapists and counsellors discover hidden truths and issues that a person may be hiding or may not even be aware of. As the stone that reveals the truth, it helps to get to the root causes of problems, and helps to clean negative patterns of thinking. You can also talk with live psychic in free psychic chat.

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How to Use Black Obsidian

1. When Confronted by an Aggressive Person

If you currently have a conflict with a colleague at work or with a family member, having black obsidian close to your body will help to protect you from their negative vibrations. You can wear black obsidian jewelry or keep a stone in your pocket for protection as it will keep away ill wishes thrown towards you.

2. When You Want to Improve Your Career

Place any black obsidian carving, stone, or figurine on the northern tip of your home. It helps to clear out obstacles in your life’s path. As mentioned, the stone absorbs negative energy, so it is ideal to cleanse it regularly with soapy water and a soft cloth to keep its vibration flowing smoothly.

3. When You Want to Let Go of the Past

Lie down on a flat surface and place a black obsidian stone on your tailbone, which is also where the root chakra is located. Close your eyes and feel the stone’s energy running through that part of the body and slowly circulating all throughout the rest of your body.

Visualize a past hurt, trauma, or pain, and imagine the circumstances that could have happened that prevented the pain to occur. Announce to the universe that you are no longer hurting and that you have forgiven the people and yourself from allowing the hurt to occur in the first place.

Now imagine a cord that attaches you to the person who caused the pain, or to the hurt that’s keeping you from moving on. Imagine a pair of scissors cutting that cord and finally freeing you from the past.

Black obsidian is a wonderful gemstone that can reveal your inner desires and expose your true self. You may be overwhelmed by its raw honesty but you will discover an entirely new perspective when you fully embrace its revelations and its force in helping you move forward in your life.

You can buy a number of stones and keep it in a box with soft lining, or you can wrap them individually with soft cloth. It’s not ideal to mix them with other stones as their surface is easily scratched.

Black obsidian jewellery is a fantastic idea to keep the stone close to your body. It can give you protection, provide integrity and honesty in your life, and absorb negativity. This black obsidian necklace is a beautiful gift you can give yourself, and for anyone who needs to move on from the past and wants to move forward. You can click on this link to find this beautiful black obsidian necklace.

Fun Facts

Obsidian and Native Peoples

Obsidian was very useful to native peoples since they could use it to make knives and spear tips and arrowheads.

Obsidian arrowheads were a popular trading item since they were so necessary to life but since obsidian comes from volcanoes, not every tribe had access to the raw materials.

This makes obsidian superb for tracing Amerindian trading paths. Each flow of obsidian has a distinct chemical signature, so pieces that come from it can be traced. This uncovered something amazing, obsidian arrowheads would travel hundreds of miles across country.

Obsidian with Conchoidal Fracture

A big part of what makes obsidian great for arrowheads is the unique way it breaks. When hit just right obsidian breaks along curves.

You'll see a similar effect when a pebble hits your windshield and it fractures, usually into concentric circles. Obsidian's way of breaking is called conchoidal fracture.

Because obsidian breaks this way it can be formed into shapes by someone consistently and precisely tapping it with another rock. It takes a lot of skill, but master craftsmen have done it for centuries to create the utensils of survival.
Most minerals and rocks have more orderly alignments of atoms which causes them to break more easily along some planes more than others, which is why sometimes you'll find naturally formed minerals with straight lines or precise crystal shapes. Obsidian's very un-orderliness is what makes it great for many uses.

What causes the uniqueness of it?

Black Obsidian Stone For Sale

There are a couple of ways obsidian can form. One way is when the volcanic lava suddenly explodes and this explosion sends pieces of molten rock flying through the air, sometimes into the atmosphere where it cools very very quickly.

Another way is when the lava flows out of the volcano, the top is exposed to the air and can cool quickly and become a sort of obsidian cap.

Obsidian is also formed when lava flows into water, such as the deep hot smokers beneath the ocean or if lava rolls into a lake or the ocean.

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Home » Rocks » Igneous Rocks » Obsidian

Obsidian: The specimen shown above is about two inches (five centimeters) across. The curved semi-concentric ridges are breakage marks associated with obsidian's conchoidal fracture. The rock has very sharp edges.

What is Obsidian?

Obsidian is an igneous rock that forms when molten rock material cools so rapidly that atoms are unable to arrange themselves into a crystalline structure. It is an amorphous material known as a 'mineraloid.' The result is a volcanic glass with a smooth uniform texture that breaks with a conchoidal fracture (see photo).

Where Does Obsidian Form?

Obsidian is usually an extrusive rock - one that solidifies above Earth's surface. However, it can form in a variety of cooling environments:

• along the edges of a lava flow (extrusive)
• along the edges of a volcanic dome (extrusive)
• around the edges of a sill or a dike (intrusive)
• where lava contacts water (extrusive)
• where lava cools while airborne (extrusive)

Types of Obsidian: The specimens shown above are from Glass Butte rockhounding site in central Oregon. It shows the diversity of obsidian types that can be found in a small geographic area. Clockwise from upper left are: double flow obsidian, rainbow obsidian, black obsidian, pumpkin obsidian, mahogany obsidian, gold sheen obsidian, and the piece in the center is gold sheen. The nice photo above is from the Glass Butte Rockhounding Site page on the Deschutes National Forest website.

Mahogany obsidian: A tumble-polished specimen of 'mahogany obsidian.' Image copyright iStockphoto / Arpad Benedek.

What Color is Obsidian?

Black is the most common color of obsidian. However, it can also be brown, tan, or green. Rarely, obsidian can be blue, red, orange, or yellow. The colors are thought to be caused mainly by trace elements or inclusions.

Occasionally two colors of obsidian will be swirled together in a single specimen. The most common color combination is black and brown obsidian swirled together - that's called 'mahogany obsidian' (see photo).

As a 'glass,' obsidian is chemically unstable. With the passage of time, some obsidian begins to crystallize. This process does not happen at a uniform rate throughout the rock. Instead it begins at various locations within the rock. At these locations, the crystallization process forms radial clusters of white or gray cristobalite crystals within the obsidian. When cut and polished, these specimens are referred to as 'snowflake obsidian' (see photos).

Rarely, obsidian has an iridescent or metallic 'sheen' caused by light reflecting from minute inclusions of mineral crystals, rock debris, or gas. These colored specimens are known as 'rainbow obsidian,' 'golden obsidian,' or 'silver obsidian,' depending upon the color of the sheen or iridescence. These specimens are very desirable for the manufacture of jewelry.

Snowflake obsidian: A tumble-polished specimen of 'snowflake obsidian.' Image copyright iStockphoto / Martin Novak.

What is the Composition of Obsidian?

Most obsidians have a composition similar to rhyolite and granite. Granites and rhyolites can form from the same magma as obsidian and are often geographically associated with the obsidian.

Rarely, volcanic glasses are found with a composition similar to basalt and gabbro. These glassy rocks are named 'tachylyte.'

Are There Other Glassy Igneous Rocks?

Pumice, scoria, and tachylyte are other volcanic glasses formed by rapid cooling. Pumice and scoria differ from obsidian by having abundant vesicles - cavities in the rock produced when gas bubbles were trapped in a solidifying melt. Tachylyte differs in composition - it has a composition similar to basalt and gabbro.

Obsidian outcrop: Obsidian along the edge of a lava flow in central Oregon. Image copyright iStockphoto / Phil Augustavo.

Obsidian knife blade: A knife blade manufactured from mahogany obsidian. The craftsman who made this blade had a very high skill level and was able to produce a serrated edge. Image copyright iStockphoto / Al Braunworth.

Occurrence of Obsidian

Obsidian is found in many locations worldwide. It is confined to areas of geologically recent volcanic activity. Obsidian older than a few million years is rare because the glassy rock is rapidly destroyed or altered by weathering, heat, or other processes.

Significant deposits of obsidian are found in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Russia, United States, and many other locations.

In the United States it is not found east of the Mississippi River, as there is no geologically recent volcanic activity there. In the western US it is found at many locations in Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming. Most obsidian used in the jewelry trade is produced in the United States.

Obsidian spear point: A spear point fashioned from opaque black obsidian. Image copyright iStockphoto / Charles Butzin.

Rock & Mineral Kits: Get a rock, mineral, or fossil kit to learn more about Earth materials. The best way to learn about rocks is to have specimens available for testing and examination.

Uses of Obsidian as a Cutting Tool

The conchoidal fracture of obsidian causes it to break into pieces with curved surfaces. This type of fracturing can produce rock fragments with very sharp edges. These sharp fragments may have prompted the first use of obsidian by people.

The first use of obsidian by people probably occurred when a sharp piece of obsidian was used as a cutting tool. People then discovered how to skillfully break the obsidian to produce cutting tools in a variety of shapes. Obsidian was used to make knives, arrowheads, spear points, scrapers, and many other weapons and tools.

Once these discoveries were made, obsidian quickly became the raw material of preference for producing almost any sharp object. The easy-to-recognize rock became one of the first targets of organized 'mining.' It is probably a safe bet that all natural obsidian outcrops that are known today were discovered and utilized by ancient people.

Apache tears: 'Apache Tears' is a name used for small obsidian nodules of about one inch or less that can be found in volcanic areas of the southwestern United States. Their name comes from a Native American legend. During a battle between Apaches and the U.S. Cavalry in 1870, the outnumbered Apaches, facing defeat, rode their horses over a cliff rather than allow themselves to be killed by their enemy. Upon hearing the story of the battle, the tears of their family members turned to stone when they hit the ground. Those stones are now found as the black obsidian nodules. People who do rock tumbling often polish Apache Tears. They are difficult to polish because the obsidian chips and bruises easily. Success occurs when they are cushioned during the tumbling with smaller pieces of rough or small ceramic media.

Stone Age Manufacturing and Trade

The manufacture of obsidian tools by humans dates back to the Stone Age. At some locations, tons of obsidian flakes reveal the presence of ancient 'factories.' Some of these sites have enough waste debris to suggest that many people labored there for decades producing a variety of obsidian objects. Making arrowheads, spear points, knife blades, and scrapers from obsidian, chert, or flint might have been the world's first 'manufacturing industry.'

Obsidian was so valued for these uses that ancient people mined, transported, and traded obsidian and obsidian objects over distances of up to a thousand miles. Archaeologists have been able to document the geography of this trade by matching the characteristics of obsidian in outcrops with the characteristics of obsidian in cutting tools. A study done by the Idaho National Laboratory used composition studies by X-ray fluorescence to identify the source outcrops of obsidian artifacts and map their use across the western United States.

Obsidian in Modern Surgery

Although using a rock as a cutting tool might sound like 'stone age equipment,' obsidian continues to play an important role in modern surgery. Obsidian can be used to produce a cutting edge that is thinner and sharper than the best surgical steel. Today, thin blades of obsidian are placed in surgical scalpels used for some of the most precise surgery. In controlled studies, the performance of obsidian blades was equal to or superior to the performance of surgical steel.

Obsidian jewelry: Mahogany obsidian and snowflake obsidian cabochons set in sterling silver pendants.

Obsidian for opal triplets: A thin piece of obsidian is often used as a 'backing' material for opal doublets and triplets. The black obsidian adds stability to the opal and provides a dark background color that contrasts with the opal's fire.

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Uses of Obsidian in Jewelry

Obsidian is a popular gemstone. It is often cut into beads and cabochons or used to manufacture tumbled stones. Obsidian is sometimes faceted and polished into highly reflective beads. Some transparent specimens are faceted to produce interesting gems.

The use of obsidian in jewelry can be limited by its durability. It has a hardness of about 5.5 which makes it easy to scratch. It also lacks toughness and is easily broken or chipped upon impact. These durability concerns make obsidian an inappropriate stone for rings and bracelets. It is best suited for use in low-impact pieces such as earrings, brooches, and pendants.

Obsidian is also used in making opal doublets and opal triplets. Thin slices or chips of opal are glued to a thin slice of obsidian to make a composite stone. The black obsidian provides an inexpensive and color-contrasting background that makes opal's colorful fire much more obvious. It also adds mass and stability to the opal that facilitates cutting it into a gem.

Other Uses of Obsidian

Freshly broken pieces of obsidian have a very high luster. Ancient people noticed that they could see a reflection in obsidian and used it as a mirror. Later, pieces of obsidian were ground flat and highly polished to improve their reflective abilities.

Obsidian's hardness of 5.5 makes it relatively easy to carve. Artists have used obsidian to make masks, small sculptures, and figurines for thousands of years.

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