Ever wonder how to identify the different black stones you might encounter? Or maybe you have one that might be onyx but it might be obsidian?
Here’s my official guide to identifying black stones! This is exactly what I look for in stones when I’m identifying them, so I’ll to this list as I learn more. 🙂
Black obsidian is heavy and in its polished form is very shiny. In its raw form it has rings formed from volcanic activity and lava flow. It can be confused with onyx depending on the light and finish but usually its easy to tell the difference.
Apache Tears are a form of obsidian and are usually tiny. I don’t think I’ve ever seen one bigger than a quarter, and they have marks on them from lava flow and intense heat. Very distinctive.
Black onyx is typically a flat black in colour and is slightly lighter than obsidian. Metaphysically speaking to me black onyx feels cooler while obsidian contains more fire.
Jet is extremely light, it is the lightest out of all of those mentioned there. The weight alone should be a huge tip off. In fact, when I hold it I find myself wondering if it is a real stone because that’s how light it is! It’s actually believed to be a derivative of wood decaying under intense pressure, hence the lightness. It also is a precursor to coal.
Lodestone is super easy to identify as well. It’s a variety of magnetite and is magnetic. It is one of the heaviest of the black stones and usually more metallic. Lodestone attracts magnetic material to it, while magnetite is attracted to magnets.
Image Source: Dancing With Water
Shungite – there are two types, fancy shungite which is silver in colour and super light in weight, or a low grade shungite which has markings in it because its not pure – meaning there is matrix mixed in with the shungite. The second type of shungite is usually much cheaper than fancy shungite.
Black Tourmaline is easy to identify because its hard, and has striations running up and down its body for the schorl variety or it forms in chunky. It comes in a multitude of forms (mixed with other minerals or by itself) but is very easy to identify because of its unique growth and form. It also comes in all the colours of the rainbow. 😀
