Most of us are familiar with obsidian from its use in arrowheads and other early tools, but few know where to find the material or how it is made. Obsidian is a type of igneous rock, which is created when magma or lava is cooled. Unlike many other igneous rocks, obsidian is a glass, created when lava cools quickly and doesn’t allow for crystal growth.
The absence of crystal allows artisans to hone obsidian to an extremely sharp edge, which made it ideal for early projectiles, blades and other tools. Today, obsidian is rarely used for pragmatic purposes. Most obsidian products are now simply for aesthetics, such as an obsidian sphere or points
