The golden shimmer over black means this obsidian variant pairs beautifully with a range of yellow or golden gemstone beads, as well as golden findings and settings.Ī subtle stone, golden sheen obsidian can be overwhelmed by bold color combinations. Designing with Golden Sheen Obsidian Black and gold are a timeless pairing-and golden sheen obsidian proves their elegance, too. To learn more about golden sheen obsidian and other gemstones, order your copy of Walter Schumann's revised and expanded edition of Gemstones of the World. Store separately in a box or padded bag to prevent damage. Use warm soapy water and a soft cotton cloth to wipe down golden sheen obsidian, and remove any traces of body oils or perspiration. Therefore, avoid using ultrasonic or steam cleaners with it. Proper Care of Golden Sheen Obsidian A mid-range stone in terms of overall hardness, golden sheen obsidian cleaves easily. SiO 2 (approximately 70%) with a range of other trace elements (usually MgO and Fe 3 O 4 )īlack, dark brown or dark grey with iridescent golden shimmer Yes, there's obsidian right here in Oregon.

Significant deposits of obsidian are found in volcanic areas across the world, including Central and South America, and in North America west of the Mississippi River (as well as in Alaska and Hawaii). Even today, it is used in surgical scalpels more narrow and precise than the finest surgical steel. In Eurasia, earliest use dates back to the Neolithic age in the Levant in the Americas, obsidian was extensively used for sophisticated surgical tools as well as weaponry up until first contact with the Spanish. As such, it was used for millennia for cutting, slicing and scraping. Obsidian cleaves easily, flaking off into ultra-sharp fragments of glass. Obsidian is considered an extrusive rock because it usually forms above the earth's surface as a result of coming into contact with cold air or water.

Newly split pieces of obsidian have an extremely high luster. Golden Sheen Obsidian Geological Properties Obsidian has a conchoidal fracture pattern due to its rapid cooling, making it easy to split and flake into pieces with curved surfaces that have very sharp edges. It is assigned to the western astrological sign Sagittarius. Golden sheen obsidian is affiliated with the root chakra, though it is said to have applications to the solar plexus and third eye chakras. The stone is not thought to give energy, but to help seekers discover where healing needs to happen. The reflective nature of obsidian makes it one of the first stones used in self-reflective meditation, internal growth and self-understanding. It is also thought to be ideal for balancing energy fields and releasing the ego. Golden Sheen Obsidian Metaphysical Properties Golden sheen obsidian is believed, by crystal practitioners, to be particularly suitable for scrying. This makes obsidian tools or weapons a valuable resource to archaeologists for tracking trade routes or dating graves and settlements, as their source volcano and eruption can be determined through analysis. The chemical make-up of obsidian also varies among volcanic sources-sometimes even different eruptions of the same volcano have different chemical types. Golden sheen obsidian is formed when patterns of gas bubbles are aligned along layers created by the flowing lava before it solidified. It is not considered a true mineral, as it does not have an entirely consistent chemical content and it does not form crystals.Ĭolor in obsidian varies, depending on impurities in the parent lava formation. Obsidian is a naturally occurring volcanic glass formed in swiftly cooling lava that has a high silica content. Xenocrates says that Obsian stone is found in India also, and in Samnium in Italy and that it is a natural product of Spain, upon the coasts which border on the Ocean.' Many persons use it for jewelery, and I myself have seen solid statues in this material of the late Emperor Augustus. This stone is of a very dark color, and sometimes transparent. 'Among the various kinds of glass, we may also reckon Obsian glass, a substance very similar to the stone which Obsius discovered in Æthiopia. Golden Sheen Obsidian History Obsidian gets its English name from a mistranslation of Natural History by Pliny the Elder (the guy who died at Pompeii):

Golden sheen obsidian properties