Black Obsidian Crystal Bracelet

Obsidian is natural volcanic glass - lava so rich in silica that it cooled too quickly for crystals to form, freezing instead into a smooth, glassy solid. It has no crystal structure at all, which is why it breaks in the curved, razor-edged fractures called conchoidal.

Black obsidian reads as a deep, even black with a bright glassy lustre, often translucent at a thin edge where it glows brown against the light. Mohs 5-5.5, softer than quartz, and brittle as glass is.

Because it fractures to an edge finer than surgical steel, obsidian was the cutting tool of the ancient world long before metal - the same property that makes it beautiful made it the first blade.

Asked often

Is obsidian a crystal?
No - it is volcanic glass, lava cooled too fast to crystallise. That is its nature: a glass, not a mineral crystal, which is why it is so smooth and breaks to such a sharp edge.

Is the black natural?
Yes. The colour is iron and magnesium in the glass; no dye. Held to the light, a thin edge often glows translucent brown.

Is it fragile?
It is brittle, like all glass - Mohs 5-5.5, and it can chip to a sharp edge if knocked. Worn with a little care it lasts; it dislikes hard impacts.

How do I care for it?
Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry. Spare the beads hard knocks, which can chip the glass, and keep the cord dry.

1. Worn on either wrist, over the hand, on a durable elastic cord.
2. Hold it to the light - a thin edge glows translucent brown.
3. Wipe with a soft, slightly damp cloth and dry.
4. Brittle as glass - spare the beads hard knocks, and keep the cord dry.

Many traditions rinse or air their stones from time to time; that is a matter of preference, and the rest is yours.

The elastic cord lasts longest kept dry - remove before swimming, bathing, or applying scent. Spare the beads hard knocks; do not soak.

• Material: Obsidian · volcanic glass
• Composition: Silica-rich natural glass (no crystal structure)
• Hardness: Mohs 5–5.5
• Character: Deep glassy black · conchoidal fracture
• Treatment: None · natural
• Band: Durable elastic cord
• Origin: Mexico
• Care: Soft cloth · spare hard knocks · keep the cord dry

Obsidian shaped the ancient world’s edge. The peoples of Mesoamerica knapped it into blades, arrowheads, and ceremonial knives, and polished it into mirrors; across the Neolithic Mediterranean and Anatolia it was traded over long distances for tools, one of the earliest trade goods archaeologists can track.

For its depth and its mirror-black surface obsidian was read as a stone of reflection and clear sight across many cultures - named here as what people believed. The black is frozen lava; what is seen in it is the wearer’s.