Judging quality
Bands should flow like liquid, following the original lava movement. Uniform brown 'obsidian' with a granular texture is more likely a heated or dyed stone.
Volcanic glass
Mahogany Obsidian
Obsidian streaked with red-brown iron oxide bands, giving a marbled timber-like figure through the black glass.
Care
Glass. Avoid knocks and abrasives.
History & lore
Obsidian from Glass Buttes in Oregon was traded hundreds of miles across the Great Basin in pre-contact North America.
Cultural history, recorded as tradition rather than as medical or scientific claim.
Common questions about Mahogany Obsidian
- What is Mahogany Obsidian?
- Obsidian streaked with red-brown iron oxide bands, giving a marbled timber-like figure through the black glass.
- How hard is Mahogany Obsidian and what is it made of?
- Mahogany Obsidian is a Volcanic glass-family mineral with the composition SiO2-rich glass with iron oxide. It crystallizes in the amorphous system and rates 5-5.5 on the Mohs hardness scale. It occurs in mahogany, black, red.
- Where does Mahogany Obsidian come from?
- Notable localities for Mahogany Obsidian include Mexico, Oregon & California, USA.
- How do you tell good Mahogany Obsidian from filler?
- Bands should flow like liquid, following the original lava movement. Uniform brown 'obsidian' with a granular texture is more likely a heated or dyed stone.
- How do you care for Mahogany Obsidian?
- Glass. Avoid knocks and abrasives.
See it in person
Photographs only go so far
Both rooms are open six days a week, and there is always someone happy to pull pieces out of the case so you can compare them under the light.