Collection: Black Obsidian Carvings

On a photograph it is genuinely difficult, because obsidian is glass. Look for conchoidal fracture — curved, shell-like breakage — on any unpolished passage, and for the slight brown or green translucency at thin edges that manufactured glass usually lacks. Weight is not a reliable test. Buying from someone who names the material plainly matters more here than with most stones.

More readily than quartz, and the chips are sharp. Glass has no grain to arrest a crack, so an impact that would leave a jasper carving with a scuff can take a flake out of obsidian. Protruding features — ears, horns, fingers — are where it happens. Place it where it will not be knocked.

Because the carver chose it. A fully polished obsidian surface mirrors its surroundings, which flattens the form and makes photographs difficult. Leaving passages textured breaks up the reflection so the modelling reads. Textured work is not unfinished work.

No, and this collection does not include it. Snowflake obsidian carries grey cristobalite inclusions that read as pale flecks. Same volcanic glass, different mineral content, listed separately so neither gets mislabelled.

Anything where silhouette does the work. With no translucency, obsidian gives the eye nothing to look into, so the outline and the way light rakes across the surface carry the piece. Skulls and animals with strong profiles work; forms relying on internal pattern do not.

From under a dollar to around $1,331, median near $89. Obsidian is not rare, so price tracks carving hours and size directly rather than material quality — which makes this one of the easier categories in which to judge whether you are paying for the work.

Dust with a soft dry cloth. Obsidian does not fade, does not absorb water and is unaffected by sunlight, so it is among the least demanding materials here. The only concern is impact. Keep it clear of harder stones, since quartz will scratch it.