In Teotihuacan, skilled stone workers had to go to their source and mined the blue and green obsidian from under the volcanic ash and rocks and selected the black and gray obsidian to then manufacture the production of sharp edged projectile points and knives. Obsidian is formed when volcanic lava is cooled down at a fast paste and forms into a crystalline volcanic glass that turns into black, gray, green, blue, and other different colors depending on the location.

Teotihuacan controlled Central Mexico and the exploitation and centralization of Obsidian production because of its close proximity to two mines of Sierra de las Navajas and Otumba. The city was a religious and pilgrimage center with the Pyramid of the Sun, Pyramid of the Moon, and over 2,000 residential compounds in an area of 20 square kilometers. Before 600 AD Teotihuacan had an estimate population of 200,000 people. The large urban complex of Teotihuacan is located in the Basin of Mexico thirty miles outside Mexico City. In Mesoamerica, obsidian was considered a semiprecious stone because of its physical characteristics that produced a hard sharp edge used for cutting tools, rituals, and military weapons which were centralized and manufactured in Teotihuacan for mass production. Teotihuacan controlled the trade in this valuable commodity from the dawn of the common-era to 600 CE.

An obsidian stone is commonly cut into beads that may be lavishly worn around necks and wrists.Obsidian was one of the most important materials distributed in Mesoamerica. Since a black obsidian rock can be cut in a way that brings out a gray shade, excellent craftsmanship may also be critical in producing superb obsidian jewelry. Black is bold, and black obsidian is fashioned into pendants, necklaces and bracelets that give the wearer an edgy look. Rare varieties of obsidian come in green, blue, red, orange and yellow. Even if an obsidian rock is entirely black in body, the sheen of the stone may produce different colors, as is the case in golden obsidian, silver obsidian, and rainbow obsidian. Often spots on an obsidian stone crystallize, giving birth to what is called snowflake obsidian. When black and brown obsidian are swirled together, the result is called mahogany obsidian. In addition, obsidian also occurs in other colors, including brown and green. Source: Benjamint444, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Obsidian Colorsĭid you think that obsidian is limited to the color black? While black is obsidian’s main color, a black obsidian rock may be cut in a way that brings out a gray side. Source: Benjamint444, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons An obsidian with silver sheen Source: Ra’ike via Wikimedia Commons A polished snowflake obsidian Scorpio Charm Necklace: Black Obsidian Beads A slab of mahogany obsidian Being recognized as birthstone for the darkest sign of the zodiac is a telltale indication of the obsidian’s power as a stone of grounding and protection. While onyx was assigned as birthstone to Leo and Capricorn - the two most ambitious signs of the zodiac - obsidian is the birthstone of Scorpio, which is the most emotional zodiac sign, liable to be dark, gloomy and inwardly intense. An obsidian rock is probably the best known grounding stone, widely believed to be more effective than black onyx. A grounding stone is a stone believed to ground a soul to reality, disperse excess energy, neutralize negative energy, as well as protect the person from external clutter and stresses. Like other black stones, obsidian is a grounding stone. Besides decorative objects, obsidian stones likewise carved into images of gods the ancients worshipped. For a dark black stone, obsidian is so shiny that the stone was made into early mirrors, not excluding scrying balls used in divination. Since this hard stone fractures with very sharp edges, obsidian rocks were made into blades, knives and arrowheads. This obsidian stone is noted for its widespread uses in history, not only in jewelry and ornaments, but for functional implements as well. A Roman naturalist, Pliny the Elder, wrote of obsidian as having been named after Obsius, a man who discovered the stone in Ethiopia.

Obsidian jewelry blue