The sharpest perception arrived in the dark. Silver sheen obsidian forms when volcanic glass cools with aligned gas bubble inclusions that reflect a pale metallic light from within black material. Insight, here, has a cooler temperature than expected.
Silver sheen obsidian is a Root and Third Eye stone whose mirroring quality creates a bridge between grounded stability and reflective self-perception. In somatic...
The Meaning
Silver Sheen Obsidian in the Crystalis dictionary
Shadow still has reflective intelligence in it.
Silver sheen obsidian is volcanic glass with aligned bubble layers that create a pale metallic glow across black, a softer, cooler cousin to gold sheen. The darkness is still primary. The sheen is the afterstatement.
Some discernment arrives by colder light.
Stone Lore
Stories carried through time
Cultural notes are presented as tradition and historical context — stories carried through time.
Mesoamerican Obsidian Trade -- 1500 BCE to 1521 CE
The Mirror of Tezcatlipoca
Obsidian held central importance in Mesoamerican civilization, with the Aztec deity Tezcatlipoca (Smoking Mirror) directly associated with obsidian mirrors used for divination and ritual observation. Archaeological evidence from Teotihuacan, Tula, and Tenochtitlan confirms that obsidian workshops produced mirrors, blades, and ornamental objects from at least 100 BCE onward. The sheened varieties of obsidian, displaying silver or gold chatoyancy caused by aligned gas bubble inclusions or cristobalite nanolayers, were particularly prized for mirror production.
The Cerro de las Navajas (Hill of Knives) in Hidalgo, Mexico, was the most important obsidian source in the Aztec Empire, and its material was traded across thousands of miles through established exchange networks.
Historical note
The Sheen Formation Process
Silver-sheen obsidian owes its distinctive metallic luster to aligned inclusions of gas bubbles or nanocrystalline phases (typically cristobalite or feldspar) that formed during rapid cooling of rhyolitic lava. The primary commercial...
Mexican Volcanic Geology -- Cenozoic Era to Present
Historical note
The Jet and Obsidian Mourning Trade
During the Victorian period in Britain, black gemstones became essential components of mourning jewelry following Queen Victoria's prolonged mourning for Prince Albert after his death in 1861. While Whitby jet was the preferred material,...
Victorian Mourning Culture -- 1837-1901 CE
Ritual history
The Self-Reflection Mirror Stone
Silver-sheen obsidian entered the modern crystal practitioner lexicon in the 1980s and 1990s as authors including Melody (Love Is in the Earth, 1995) and Katrina Raphaell (Crystal Enlightenment, 1985) documented obsidian varieties and...
The silver sheen that distinguishes this variety from plain black obsidian is caused by microscopic inclusions aligned in parallel planes within the glass matrix. The most accepted explanation is that these inclusions are tiny gas bubbles -- vesicles too small to see individually but numerous enough to form oriented layers. When the lava cooled, dissolved gases (primarily water vapor and CO2) began to exsolve, forming minute bubble trails.
Flow dynamics in the viscous lava aligned these bubbles in planar arrays parallel to the flow direction. The result is a built-in diffraction grating: a series of parallel reflective surfaces within the glass that scatter and reflect light preferentially, producing the characteristic silver-white metallic sheen when viewed at the correct angle.
An alternative (or complementary) explanation involves nanocrystalline inclusions -- extremely fine crystals of minerals like cristobalite or feldspar that nucleated within the glass during cooling but remained too small to turn the obsidian opaque. These nanocrystals, if aligned by flow, would produce a similar reflective effect. Some researchers suggest the silver sheen involves both gas bubbles and nanocrystalline inclusions working together. The exact mechanism may vary between deposits.
Obsidian forms in specific volcanic environments: rhyolitic to dacitic lava flows, domes, and coulees where high-silica magma (>65% SiO2) erupts with low volatile content and cools rapidly at or near the surface. The high viscosity of silica-rich lava prevents crystal nucleation during the short cooling window. Most obsidian is geologically young -- rarely older than a few million years -- because the metastable glass slowly devitrifies (crystallizes) over geological time, eventually converting to perlite or felsite.
The obsidian you hold was once liquid rock. It still is, technically -- frozen in the act of becoming something else.
Silver sheen obsidian has been found primarily in Mexico (Jalisco, Durango, and Hidalgo states) and in the western United States (Oregon, California, Utah). The Mexican deposits are associated with the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt, a chain of Pliocene to Recent volcanoes that produce some of the world's finest obsidian varieties. The sheen effect appears to be favored by specific eruption conditions: moderate effusion rates, consistent flow direction, and a narrow window of viscosity that allows gas bubble alignment without dissipation.
Crystal system diagram represents the general amorphous classification. Diagram created by Crystalis for educational reference.
Amorphous structure
Chemical Formula
SiO2 (volcanic glass)
Crystal System
Amorphous
Mohs Hardness
5
Specific Gravity
2.35-2.60
Luster
Vitreous
Color
Black with silver sheen
IMA Status
variety
IMA Number
N/A (volcanic glass variety, not IMA-approved mineral species)
01
Mineral conditions gather
02
Structure begins to crystallize
03
Silver Sheen Obsidian records place and pressure
Obsidian is volcanic glass, a naturally occurring amorphous solid formed when felsic (silica-rich) lava erupts and cools so rapidly that atoms cannot organize into a crystalline lattice. The result is a supercooled liquid: solid in every practical sense, but lacking the internal order of a true mineral. Its composition is approximately 70-75% SiO 2 with varying amounts of MgO, Fe 3 O 4, Na 2 O, K 2 O, and other oxides.
It fractures conchoidally, smooth, curved breaks with razor-sharp edges, a property that made it one of humanity's earliest and most important toolmaking materials. An alternative (or complementary) explanation involves nanocrystalline inclusions, extremely fine crystals of minerals like cristobalite or feldspar that nucleated within the glass during cooling but remained too small to turn the obsidian opaque.
These nanocrystals, if aligned by flow, would produce a similar reflective effect. Some researchers suggest the silver sheen involves both gas bubbles and nanocrystalline inclusions working together. The exact mechanism may vary between deposits.
MexicoUSA
Telling it apart
Silver sheen obsidian is a variety of obsidian. both are volcanic glass with similar composition. The difference is the silver-white sheen caused by aligned internal inclusions (gas bubbles or nanocrystals).
Standard black obsidian appears uniformly dark without this effect.
Spotting the real thing
Silver Sheen Behavior Genuine silver sheen obsidian displays a diffuse, silvery-white metallic sheen that moves across the surface as you tilt the stone. The sheen should shift position with angle, it is not static or painted on. The movement is smooth and continuous, like light moving across water. If the "sheen" stays in the same position regardless of angle, or if it appears as surface coating rather than internal phenomenon, the specimen is likely fake or treated.
Conchoidal Fracture All obsidian breaks with characteristic conchoidal (shell-like) fracture, smooth, curved surfaces with sharp edges. If you can see any fracture surfaces on the specimen (edges, chips), they should display this glassy, curved quality. Glass imitations may also show conchoidal fracture, but plastic fakes will not. Temperature Feel Genuine obsidian feels cool to the touch and warms slowly in the hand.
You have stopped looking at yourself. Not with the conscious decision of someone in denial, but with the quiet efficiency of a nervous system that decided introspection was too costly. Every time you approached honest self-assessment, something flinched; a dorsal vagal contraction that pulled you back from the edge of seeing. So you filled the space where reflection should be with activity, opinion, projection, or numbness.
Silver sheen obsidian enters this pattern not as a confrontation but as an invitation. The silver flash across the dark surface is not the whole picture. It is one patch of light, one angle of truth, one thing at a time. The stone teaches the dorsal system that looking does not require seeing everything at once. You can approach the mirror at the pace the nervous system can tolerate.
Shut down & far away
The Harsh Judge
You are looking at yourself constantly; but through the lens of a prosecutor. Every flaw magnified, every mistake catalogued, every imperfection illuminated under fluorescent light. Your sympathetic system has turned self-reflection into self-surveillance, and the result is not growth but exhaustion. Silver sheen obsidian offers a different kind of mirror. The silver light is not fluorescent.
It is lunar. It shows the truth in chiaroscuro; light and shadow together, neither one dominating. The stone teaches the sympathetic system that honest self-assessment does not require punishment. You can see yourself clearly and still be kind to what you see. The silver does not erase the dark. It sits within it, gentle and present.
Settled & connected
The Smoke Veil
You oscillate between not looking at yourself at all and looking too hard with too much criticism. Neither mode produces clarity. The result is fog; a murky, unresolved sense of self that shifts between "I do not know who I am" and "I know exactly who I am and I am not enough." Silver sheen obsidian addresses the fog by providing a mirror that only works at one specific angle at a time.
You cannot see the entire silver flash simultaneously. You must move the stone, adjust your position, change the light. The fog lifts not through one dramatic reveal but through accumulated glimpses. Each angle shows one piece. The identity assembles itself slowly, and the slowness is not a failure; it is the method.
Settled & connected
The Clear Reflection
You see yourself. Not perfectly, not completely, but honestly; with the gentle precision of silver light across dark glass. Your nervous system is in ventral vagal regulation, which means self-reflection is not a threat. It is a practice. You can look at your shadow without flinching and at your light without inflating. The dark glass holds both. Silver sheen obsidian in this state is not medicine.
It is companionship. The stone mirrors your capacity for self-knowledge without adding or subtracting anything. The reflection is accurate. The accuracy is bearable. And the silver sheen moves as you move, reminding you that self-perception is never static; it shifts with angle, with light, with the slow turning of a life that is still in process.
These associations come from tradition and reflective practice — a way of working with the stone, not a medical prescription.
Somatic Practice
Simple ways to work with Silver Sheen Obsidian
◇
Hold
Carry Silver Sheen Obsidian in a pocket or place it over the heart center during a pause.
◌
Meditate
Let the stone become a quiet tactile anchor while the breath slows.
☽
Breathe
Breathe in softness. Breathe out tension. Keep the practice simple.
✎
Journal
Write with Silver Sheen Obsidian nearby to name the feeling without forcing a conclusion.
✋
Bodywork
Rest the stone near the chest, hand, or bedside as a reminder to soften.
⌂
Environment
Place it where you want a visual cue for care, repair, or steadiness.
Field Instruction
The Patient Mirror
The Patient Mirror Protocol
3 min protocol
1
Dark Hold (30 seconds)Hold the silver sheen obsidian in both palms, polished surface down, hiding the sheen. Close your eyes. Feel the glass: cool, smooth, heavier than it looks (obsidian's specific gravity is 2.35-2.60). This is volcanic glass -- it was liquid rock less than a million years ago. The earth made this mirror from its own molten interior. Before you use it to see yourself, let yourself feel its weight. Three slow breaths. Each inhale grounds you deeper into the root. Each exhale releases the expectation that what you see will be bad. You do not know what the mirror will show. The not-knowing is part of the practice.
2
The First Angle (40 seconds)Open your eyes. Turn the stone slowly until the silver sheen appears -- a wash of silver-white light moving across the black surface like moonlight on water. Hold the stone at the angle where the sheen is brightest. Look into it. Not at your literal reflection (though polished obsidian can reflect), but into the silver-dark depth. Ask one question silently: "What am I not seeing?" Do not force an answer. Breathe naturally. Let the question rest on the silver surface like a coin placed on still water. Whatever impression arrives in the next 20 seconds -- an image, a word, a body sensation -- receive it without judgment. That is the first glimpse.
3
The Slow Turn (60 seconds)Begin slowly rotating the stone in your hands. Watch the silver sheen move across the surface -- expanding, contracting, shifting position as the angle changes. As the sheen moves, let your awareness move with it. Inhale through the nose for 3 counts. Exhale through the mouth for 5 counts. With each breath cycle, the mirror shows you a slightly different angle. You are not chasing the sheen. You are letting it arrive. The practice is patience. The teaching is that self-knowledge is not a photograph -- it is a film, a moving image, a silver light that shifts with every degree of tilt. Four full breath cycles. Let each one show you something slightly different.
4
The Acceptance Breath (30 seconds)Stop turning the stone. Hold it still. Close your eyes. Whatever the mirror showed you -- a pattern, a truth, a feeling -- hold it in awareness without trying to fix, change, or judge it. One hand on the stone, one hand on the heart. Two slow breaths with the instruction: "I see this. I hold this. I do not need to resolve this right now." The obsidian is patient. It will show you the same thing again tomorrow if you need another look. Self-reflection is not a single event. It is a practice. The mirror is always available.
5
Grounding Close (20 seconds)Place the stone down. Press both feet flat on the floor. Feel the soles of your feet -- root chakra contact with the earth. Mirror work can be destabilizing if not properly closed. Three grounding breaths with attention fully in the body, fully in the present. The silver sheen is the third eye component of this stone. The black glass is the root. End in the root. Walk slowly for the first minute. If the session surfaced something that needs processing, write it down within the hour -- the silver light fades quickly from conscious memory if not recorded.
Stone Intelligence
The fact that makes Silver Sheen Obsidian memorable
The silver sheen inside your obsidian is caused by billions of microscopic gas bubbles: traces of water vapor and carbon dioxide that tried to escape as the lava cooled but were caught, frozen in aligned planes within the glass. They are failures of escape that became something else entirely: a mirror. The physics is thin-film interference and light scattering at oriented internal surfaces.
Crystalis documents both the volcanology and the practice because the stone never separated them. The trapped gases that could not escape became the mechanism of reflection, and reflection is exactly what the stone offers to anyone willing to hold it at the right angle.
SCI
Influence of Chemical Composition and Microvesiculation on the Chromatic Features of the Obsidian of Sierra de las Navajas (Hidalgo, Mexico)
Silver sheen obsidian is a Root and Third Eye stone whose mirroring quality creates a bridge between grounded stability and reflective self-perception. In somatic practice, its nature as volcanic glass. liquid rock frozen in the act of becoming solid. addresses nervous system states where the process of self-understanding has been interrupted, rushed, or avoided.
The Averted Gaze
(nervous system pattern: DORSAL VAGAL. shutdown of self-reflection to avoid painful self-knowledge)
You have stopped looking at yourself. Not with the conscious decision of someone in denial, but with the quiet efficiency of a nervous system that decided introspection was too costly. Every time you approached honest self-assessment, something flinched. a dorsal vagal contraction that pulled you back from the edge of seeing.
So you filled the space where reflection should be with activity, opinion, projection, or numbness. Silver sheen obsidian enters this pattern not as a confrontation but as an invitation. The silver flash across the dark surface is not the whole picture. It is one patch of light, one angle of truth, one thing at a time. The stone teaches the dorsal system that looking does not require seeing everything at once.
You can approach the mirror at the pace the nervous system can tolerate.
The Harsh Judge
(nervous system pattern: SYMPATHETIC. hypervigilant self-monitoring with punitive internal criticism)
You are looking at yourself constantly. but through the lens of a prosecutor. Every flaw magnified, every mistake catalogued, every imperfection illuminated under fluorescent light. Your sympathetic system has turned self-reflection into self-surveillance, and the result is not growth but exhaustion.
Silver sheen obsidian offers a different kind of mirror. The silver light is not fluorescent. It is lunar. It shows the truth in chiaroscuro. light and shadow together, neither one dominating. The stone teaches the sympathetic system that honest self-assessment does not require punishment. You can see yourself clearly and still be kind to what you see. The silver does not erase the dark.
It sits within it, gentle and present.
The Fog
(nervous system pattern: DORSAL-SYMPATHETIC OSCILLATION. alternating between avoidance and anxious overchecking)
You oscillate between not looking at yourself at all and looking too hard with too much criticism. Neither mode produces clarity.
Sacred Match
Sacred Match reaches for Silver Sheen Obsidian when what you feel sounds like:
Avoiding self-reflection or introspection
Harsh inner critic dominating self-perception
Fog or confusion about personal identity
Ready for shadow work but needing a gentle entry
Need for grounded honesty without self-punishment
Patterns you can sense but not yet see clearly
Desire to understand yourself at a pace that feels safe
Silver sheen obsidian finds you when you are ready to look -- but not yet ready for the full blast. Something in you knows there is work to be done in the mirror, patterns to see, truths to acknowledge. But the last time you tried honest self-examination, it was too much, too fast, too harsh. This stone does not turn on the floodlights. It lights a candle. The silver sheen is not the whole truth.
It is the first glimpse, the opening angle, the patch of honest light that shows you one thing at a time. The dark glass holds everything else with patience, waiting for you to tilt it when you are ready for the next piece.
Stones and herbs that harmonize with Silver Sheen Obsidian
Pairings are treated like a recipe file: clear use, method, and safety.
Crystal Companion
Silver Sheen Obsidian + Amethyst
Use when
You want to layer the primary intention with another supportive tone.
How to work with it
Place the stones together during meditation, journaling, or a short reset.
Safety
Use as a reflective practice tool, not as a medical substitute.
Crystal Companion
Silver Sheen Obsidian + Rhodonite
Use when
You want to layer the primary intention with another supportive tone.
How to work with it
Place the stones together during meditation, journaling, or a short reset.
Safety
Use as a reflective practice tool, not as a medical substitute.
Crystal Companion
Silver Sheen Obsidian + Clear Quartz
Use when
You want to layer the primary intention with another supportive tone.
How to work with it
Place the stones together during meditation, journaling, or a short reset.
Safety
Use as a reflective practice tool, not as a medical substitute.
Crystal Companion
Silver Sheen Obsidian + Black Tourmaline
Use when
You want to layer the primary intention with another supportive tone.
How to work with it
Place the stones together during meditation, journaling, or a short reset.
Safety
Use as a reflective practice tool, not as a medical substitute.
Moonstone
Both stones carry lunar energy -- moonstone through its feldspar adularescence, silver sheen obsidian through its reflective silver flash. Together they create a deeply feminine, receptive, reflective field. Moonstone adds emotional fluidity and intuitive softness. Silver sheen obsidian adds grounded honesty and root stability. This pairing is for reflective work that needs both the courage to look (obsidian) and the emotional intelligence to process what is seen (moonstone).
Amethyst
Amethyst calms the crown and third eye, providing spiritual peace and meditative depth. Paired with silver sheen obsidian's reflective quality, amethyst ensures that mirror work remains contemplative rather than anxious. The amethyst says "peace" while the obsidian says "truth." Together: peaceful truth. This pairing is essential for people whose self-reflection tends to trigger anxiety or obsessive self-monitoring.
Rose Quartz
Rose quartz provides unconditional self-love and heart-center softness. With silver sheen obsidian's mirror quality, rose quartz ensures that what you see in the reflection is held with compassion. This is the pairing for people emerging from self-critical patterns -- the obsidian shows the truth, the rose quartz holds the truth tenderly. Mirror work without self-love is self-punishment. This pairing prevents that.
Black Tourmaline
Black tourmaline grounds and protects. Silver sheen obsidian opens the reflective channel. Together they create grounded mirror work with energetic boundaries -- essential for people who are sensitive to the energy that self-reflection can stir up. The tourmaline acts as a container, ensuring that whatever surfaces during the Patient Mirror Protocol does not leak into the rest of the day unprocessed.
Labradorite
Labradorite provides auric protection and transformation support. Paired with silver sheen obsidian's reflective honesty, labradorite ensures that the transformation catalyzed by self-knowledge is protected and supported. This pairing is for people in active shadow work -- the obsidian shows the shadow, labradorite ensures the shadow integration happens within a protected energetic field.
Care & Cleansing
How to keep Silver Sheen Obsidian in good condition
Water Safe?
Water safe
This stone is generally safe for short water contact, though polishing, fractures, and metal settings can still change how a specimen behaves.
Sunlight Safe?
Sunlight safe
Tolerates daylight; safe to charge or display in the sun.
Authenticity
What to check
Natural Silver Sheen Obsidian should usually feel cooler than plastic or resin on first touch and warm more slowly in the hand.
The #1 Question Can Silver Sheen Obsidian Go in Water? YES: WATER SAFE
Silver sheen obsidian can safely contact water. As a volcanic glass (amorphous SiO 2 ) with Mohs hardness 5-5. 5, silver sheen obsidian is non-porous, chemically stable, and contains no water-soluble minerals. It is one of the more water-tolerant stones in crystal practice. Brief rinse: perfectly safe, excellent for physical and energetic cleansing
Running water cleansing: safe.
Hold under cool running water for 30-60 seconds
Short soak (30 minutes): acceptable for deep energetic cleansing
Prolonged immersion (hours): avoid. Extended soaking can exploit microscopic surface fractures over time
Salt water: use cautiously. The glass itself is unaffected, but salt residue in surface irregularities can be difficult to remove completely
Gem water preparation: acceptable using direct method.
Silver sheen obsidian is non-toxic and water-stable
After any water contact, dry thoroughly with a soft cloth. Water droplets left to evaporate on polished obsidian can leave mineral deposit spots that dull the sheen. The silver flash depends on a clean, polished surface. Keeping that surface residue-free maintains the optical quality that makes the stone energetically effective.
Temperature
Natural Silver Sheen Obsidian should usually feel cooler than plastic or resin on first touch and warm more slowly in the hand.
Scratch logic
Use 5 on the Mohs scale as the check, not internet myths. A real specimen should behave in line with the hardness listed above.
Surface and luster
Look for a vitreous surface quality rather than a painted or plastic shine.
Weight and density
The listed specific gravity is 2.35-2.60. If a specimen feels unusually light for its size, it may deserve a second look.
My Field Guide
Your private record and next steps
Journal
Add this stone to your private collection, then log what happened when you worked with it.
Shared Notes
Read public practice logs and pattern notes from the Crystalis community.
When members save a public field note for this stone, it will appear here.
Frequently Asked
Questions people ask about Silver Sheen Obsidian
What is silver sheen obsidian?
⌄
Silver sheen obsidian is a variety of volcanic glass (SiO₂, amorphous) that displays a distinctive silver-white metallic sheen across its polished surface when viewed at certain angles. The sheen is caused by aligned microscopic gas bubble inclusions or nanocrystalline particles trapped in the glass during rapid cooling of silica-rich lava. It has a Mohs hardness of 5-5.5 and is found primarily in Mexico and the western United States. In crystal practice, it is associated with the root and third eye chakras.
Can silver sheen obsidian go in water?
⌄
Yes. Silver sheen obsidian is water safe. As a volcanic glass with Mohs 5-5.5, it is non-porous and chemically stable in water. Brief rinses, running water cleansing, and short soaking periods are all acceptable. However, avoid prolonged immersion (hours) as obsidian can develop surface microfractures over extended water exposure. Salt water should be used cautiously; the salt itself can leave residue but will not damage the glass.
What is silver sheen obsidian good for?
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In crystal practice, silver sheen obsidian is valued for mirror work, gentle self-reflection, honest self-assessment, and patient introspection without the harsh, confrontational energy of black obsidian. It is prescribed for people who need to see themselves clearly but kindly, who carry unexamined patterns, or who are ready to look at their shadow with compassion rather than judgment. The silver sheen acts as a softened mirror: it reflects, but with a gentler light.
Is silver sheen obsidian the same as black obsidian?
⌄
Silver sheen obsidian is a variety of obsidian; both are volcanic glass with similar composition and hardness. The difference is the silver-white metallic sheen caused by aligned gas inclusions or nanocrystalline particles within the glass matrix. Standard black obsidian appears uniformly dark without this optical effect. Energetically, silver sheen obsidian is considered gentler than black obsidian; it supports reflective, patient self-examination rather than the intense, confrontational energy black obsidian is known for.
What chakra is silver sheen obsidian?
⌄
Silver sheen obsidian is associated with the root chakra and third eye chakra. The root connection comes from obsidian's volcanic origin, molten earth cooled into glass, carrying deep grounding energy. The third eye connection comes from the silver sheen itself, the reflective, mirror-like quality that supports inner vision and self-perception. Together, the root-third eye pairing creates grounded insight: the ability to see clearly while remaining stable.
Sources & Citations
Where this entry can be checked
Back Matter
Readable for people. Structured for AI search.
Sources stay visible in the page so readers, search engines, and answer systems can follow the evidence trail.
01
SCI
Influence of Chemical Composition and Microvesiculation on the Chromatic Features of the Obsidian of Sierra de las Navajas (Hidalgo, Mexico)
Pastrana A., Solano A., Crisci G., Niceforo G., Barba L., Crocco M.C., Davoli M., Donato P., De Rosa R., Filosa R., Donato S., Formoso V. (2022). Influence of Chemical Composition and Microvesiculation on the Chromatic Features of the Obsidian of Sierra de las Navajas (Hidalgo, Mexico). Minerals. [SCI]DOI 10.3390/min12020177
02
SCI
Chemical and Structural Alterations in the Amorphous Structure of Obsidian due to Nanolites
Sari B., Kennedy E.R., Scott M. (2022). Chemical and Structural Alterations in the Amorphous Structure of Obsidian due to Nanolites. Microscopy and Microanalysis. [SCI]DOI 10.1017/S1431927621013957
03
HIST
Naturalis Historia, Book 36, Ch. 67 (De Obsiano)
Pliny the Elder. (77). Naturalis Historia, Book 36, Ch. 67 (De Obsiano). [HIST]
04
LORE
The Curious Lore of Precious Stones
Kunz, George Frederick. (1913). The Curious Lore of Precious Stones. [LORE]
05
SCI
Timescales of spherulite crystallization in obsidian inferred from water concentration profiles
Castro, J.M. et al. (2008). Timescales of spherulite crystallization in obsidian inferred from water concentration profiles. American Mineralogist. [SCI]DOI 10.2138/am.2008.2904
06
SCI
Micro-analytical study of the optical properties of rainbow and sheen obsidians
Ma, C. et al. (2001). Micro-analytical study of the optical properties of rainbow and sheen obsidians. Canadian Mineralogist. [SCI]DOI 10.2113/gscanmin.39.1.57
07
LORE
The composition and microstructure of obsidian and its significance for provenance studies
Denton, J.S. et al. (2012). The composition and microstructure of obsidian and its significance for provenance studies. Journal of Archaeological Science. [LORE]DOI 10.1016/j.jas.2011.12.029
