Obsidian is only produced by volcanoes, so it occurs in a small number of specific places and nowhere else. Yet obsidian tools turn up hundreds of kilometres from any volcano, in Neolithic sites across the Mediterranean, the Near East and Mesoamerica.
Somebody carried it. That is trade, thousands of years before writing, before coins, before cities.
The part archaeologists find useful is that obsidian from each source has its own trace-element signature, stable and measurable.
So a blade found on a Mediterranean island can be matched to the exact volcano it came from, and entire prehistoric trade routes have been reconstructed this way. A piece of black glass in a grave can tell you who its owner's people were dealing with.
On a pearl necklace, which is the softer and more formal option, or on a rope, which is warmer against the skin and reads as informal.
Obsidian is glass and behaves like glass. It will chip if knocked against something harder, so store it away from metal jewellery and take it off before anything physical.
See our jewellery guide and the wolf jewelry range.
Free worldwide shipping, 7 to 12 business days. 30 day returns. See our shipping policy for details.
Thanks for subscribing!
This email has been registered!
| Product | SKU | Description | Collection | Availability | Product Type | Other Details |
|---|
Take 20% off your first order
Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order
