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Obsidian
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Obsidian is produced when lava cools very quickly due to volcanic
explosions. When people make glass they melt silica rocks like sand and
quartz then cool it rapidly by placing it in water. Obsidian is produced
in nature in a similar way. |
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Obsidian is usually black or a very dark green, but it can also be found
in an almost clear form. It is found in U.S.A., Armenia, Equator, UK,
Germany, Guatemala, Hungry, Iceland, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico,
New Zealand, Russia and Slovakia. |
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Obsidian may be fashioned into a razor sharp cutting edge, and ancient
civilizations used it for jewelry, mirrors, arrow heads, spear heads,
scrapers and cutting tools, such as the sacrificial knives of the
Aztecs. |
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Today, transparent specimens are faceted, usually into steps cut, while
less transparent pieces are fashioned into cabochons. |
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Especially prized as Jewelry, Snowflake Obsidian is a striking black,
lustrous opaque gem with white bold markings (formed by internal bubbles
or crystals of Potassium Feldspar), much like beautiful patterns of
snowflakes on a black background. |
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Today, Obsidian is regarded as one of the most important “teachers” of
the New Age movement. Obsidian is said to sharpen both the external and
the internal vision. For some crystal healers, it is the warrior of
truth, and shows the self where the ego is at, and what it must change
in order to advance to the next step of evolutionary growth. |
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