Electric Blue Obsidian Identification Guide
How to recognize "Electric Blue Obsidian" — almost always man-made glass — and tell genuine natural volcanic glass from manufactured colored glass.
Read the full Electric Blue Obsidian encyclopedia entry →
What It Looks Like
Natural obsidian is volcanic glass that is overwhelmingly black, brown, gray, or naturally sheened; vivid, transparent "electric blue" is not a natural obsidian color. Material sold as Electric Blue Obsidian is, in nearly all cases, manufactured colored glass (sometimes called "obsidianite" or slag/art glass), tinted a saturated translucent blue. It shows the same vitreous luster and conchoidal fracture as obsidian because it is glass — but its color and clarity give it away.
Telltale Visual Cues
- A bright, even, translucent blue throughout — unnaturally uniform color.
- Glassy conchoidal fracture and sharp edges (true of all glass).
- Often perfectly clear with gas bubbles visible inside.
Step-by-Step Field-ID Checklist
- Question the color: transparent electric blue strongly suggests man-made glass, not natural obsidian.
- Look for bubbles: rows or clusters of round gas bubbles are common in manufactured glass.
- Check uniformity: factory glass is evenly colored; natural obsidian shows swirls, flow lines, and natural dark tones.
- Test hardness: both natural and man-made glass are about Mohs 5–5.5 — this won't separate them, so rely on color/texture.
- Inspect for mold seams or smooth molded shapes in beads and tumbles.
- Hold to light: even, dye-like saturation indicates manufactured glass.
Key Diagnostic Tests
- Mohs hardness: ~5–5.5 (glass); will not scratch quartz, and a steel file scratches it.
- Streak: white.
- Fracture: conchoidal — shared by all glass, so not diagnostic between natural and synthetic.
- Density: ~2.3–2.5 g/cm³.
- Bubbles/swirls under magnification: abundant uniform bubbles favor manufactured glass.
- Acid: inert to dilute HCl.
Common Look-Alikes
- Natural obsidian: black, gray, brown, mahogany, or with metallic sheen — never a transparent neon blue. If it is vivid translucent blue, treat it as glass.
- Slag glass / art glass: the actual identity of most "electric blue obsidian."
- Blue dyed agate or chalcedony: harder (6.5–7), scratches glass, and not transparent.
- Blue topaz or fluorite: crystalline with cleavage; obsidian-glass has none.
Where It Is Found
There is no natural deposit of electric-blue obsidian; it is a manufactured product made in glass workshops. Genuine natural obsidian forms at felsic lava flows worldwide — the USA (Oregon, California, Arizona), Mexico, Iceland, Italy (Lipari), and Armenia — but those flows produce dark and sheened glass, not neon blue.
Frequently asked questions
Is electric blue obsidian real?
It is real glass, but not natural obsidian. Natural obsidian is never a vivid transparent blue; material sold as electric blue obsidian is manufactured colored glass.
How can you tell electric blue obsidian from natural obsidian?
Color and texture. Natural obsidian is black, gray, brown, or sheened with swirls and flow lines, while electric blue glass is evenly colored, translucent, and often full of round gas bubbles.
Does natural obsidian come in blue?
Not as a saturated transparent blue. Some natural obsidian shows a faint bluish or rainbow sheen from internal structures, but bright see-through blue indicates man-made glass.
What is electric blue obsidian actually made of?
It is silica-based manufactured glass, sometimes called obsidianite or slag/art glass, tinted blue. It shares obsidian's vitreous luster and conchoidal fracture because it is glass.