Volcanic Glass
Snowflake Obsidian
Snowflake obsidian is plain volcanic glass with a genuine second mineral growing inside it: white, radiating clusters of cristobalite, a separate silica mineral that crystallized in localized patches while the surrounding glass was still cooling, producing patterns that look for all the world like snowflakes frozen mid-fall against a black background. This localized recrystallization process, called devitrification, is the same broad phenomenon geologists watch for elsewhere in volcanic glass, just visually striking enough here to have created its own named gem variety.
The geology — what Snowflake Obsidian actually is
- Mineral class
- Volcanic glass (mineraloid) with embedded cristobalite (a silica mineral) spherulites
- Chemical formula
- Variable SiO2-dominant glass, with radiating clusters of crystalline SiO2 (cristobalite) forming the white patches
- Crystal system
- Amorphous glass host with embedded crystalline cristobalite spherulites
- Mohs hardness
- 5 to 5.5
What causes the color: The black base comes from the same iron and magnesium oxide impurities that color plain obsidian. The white 'snowflake' patches are radiating clusters (spherulites) of cristobalite — a different, crystalline silica mineral — that grew in localized patches within the still-cooling glass, distinct in structure from the amorphous black matrix surrounding them.
How it forms: Forms through the same rapid-cooling process as plain obsidian, but in this variety, localized devitrification (partial recrystallization) occurs in patches during cooling, growing radiating cristobalite spherulites within the glass before it fully solidifies.
- Utah, USA (including the Spor Mountain area, a major source)
- Mexico
- Oregon, USA
Treatments & imitations: Untreated — the white 'snowflake' pattern is a natural devitrification effect that occurs during cooling and can't be meaningfully replicated by treating plain obsidian afterward.
Real vs. fake: Genuine snowflake obsidian shows the same conchoidal fracture as plain obsidian, and the white patches have soft, cloud-like, radiating edges rather than sharp geometric boundaries, reflecting their organic spherulitic growth. Dyed or patterned glass and resin imitations tend to show harder-edged, more uniform white patches lacking the natural radiating texture of genuine cristobalite spherulites.
The tradition — how people use Snowflake Obsidian
Historical use: Indigenous peoples of North America worked obsidian broadly, including snowflake varieties where locally available, for toolmaking wherever suitable material could be found — though the snowflake pattern specifically is more a modern crystal-trade naming distinction than a separately documented historical tradition from plain black obsidian.
Metaphysical tradition: Practitioners working with the root chakra reach for snowflake obsidian around balance, often citing the visual 'pause' the white patches create against the black background as symbolic of pausing to consider a pattern before acting.
How to use it: Frequently carried or kept near a workspace similarly to plain obsidian, or used as a focal point in reflective meditation.
Cleansing & care: Shares plain obsidian's fragility along its conchoidal fracture, so handle polished pieces carefully to avoid chipping sharp edges. A brief rinse is fine, but towel it dry right away rather than letting it air-dry, and keep it away from abrupt hot-to-cold shifts that could stress the glass.
Frequently asked questions
What causes the white 'snowflake' pattern?
Radiating clusters of cristobalite, a different silica mineral from the surrounding glass, crystallized in localized patches while the obsidian was still cooling — a process called devitrification, distinct from any dye or added material.
Is snowflake obsidian the same mineral as plain obsidian?
Mostly, but not entirely — the black glass base is the same volcanic glass as plain obsidian, but the white patches are a separate, crystalline silica mineral (cristobalite) that grew within the glass during cooling, making the finished stone a genuine two-mineral combination.
Is snowflake obsidian as fragile as plain obsidian?
Yes — it shares the same sharp conchoidal fracture and should be handled with the same care to avoid chipping, since the underlying glass structure and cooling process are otherwise identical to plain black obsidian.
Related crystals
Obsidian
Volcanic Glass
Obsidian isn't technically a mineral at all — it's a mineraloid, volcanic glass that cools too fast for atoms to organize into any crystal structure, which is why it has no defined chemical formula and no Mohs-scale crystal system in the way quartz or feldspar do. That same rapid, structure-free cooling is what gives obsidian its razor-sharp conchoidal fracture, a property humans have exploited for stone tools and ceremonial blades for tens of thousands of years, right up through surgical scalpel blades used in some modern operating rooms today.
Black Tourmaline
Tourmaline Group
Black tourmaline, mineralogically called schorl, is the most common member of the tourmaline group — a complex family of boron silicate minerals — and it's genuinely one of the most abundant accessory minerals in granite and pegmatite worldwide, meaning the raw material is easy to source even though well-formed, lustrous crystal specimens are still selectively mined for the crystal and mineral-specimen trade rather than everyday construction material.
Hematite
Iron Oxide
Hematite is iron oxide, and its most reliable identifying feature isn't its metallic silver-black surface color at all — it's the streak. Scratch a piece of hematite across an unglazed porcelain tile and it leaves a reddish-brown mark, the same red pigment that made ground hematite the source of red ochre used in cave paintings tens of thousands of years before recorded history. Much of what's sold as 'magnetic hematite' jewelry today isn't real hematite at all, which is worth knowing before you buy.
Moonstone
Feldspar Group
Moonstone is a variety of feldspar — specifically orthoclase or, in the finest material, adularia — and the soft, floating blue-white glow it's named for (called adularescence) isn't a surface coating or dye at all: it's an optical effect caused by light scattering off microscopically thin, alternating layers of two different feldspar minerals that separated inside the crystal as it cooled slowly underground, a process mineralogists call exsolution.
Where to buy Snowflake Obsidian
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Specialty mineral dealers & gem shows
The most reliable source for anything beyond common tumbled stones — sellers who specialize in minerals tend to disclose treatments and localities unprompted, because their repeat customers ask.
GIA/AGS-affiliated jewelers
For cut gemstones meant for jewelry (not raw specimens), a seller who can produce or reference an independent lab report (GIA, AGS) removes almost all of the real-vs-fake guesswork.
Marketplace sellers with a track record
Etsy and similar marketplaces host genuine small mineral dealers alongside mislabeled resin castings — check seller reviews specifically for photos of received items, not just star ratings.
Local rock & gem shops
Being able to handle a piece before buying lets you apply the weight and hardness checks described on each stone's own page — something no photo can substitute for.
Whichever seller you choose, ask directly whether the stone is natural or synthetic, and whether it's been treated (heated, dyed, irradiated) — a straightforward answer is the single best signal of a trustworthy seller, more useful than any star rating.
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Sources and factual basis for the geology above: see our methodology.