Violet Obsidian
Volcanic glass (SiO2-based)
A violet-to-purple glass sold as obsidian; uniform purple material is almost always manufactured glass rather than natural volcanic obsidian.
- Mohs hardness
- 5-6
- Color
- Translucent violet to purple
- Type
- igneous
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Overview
Violet Obsidian is a trade name for translucent violet or purple glass sold as obsidian. Natural obsidian is essentially never a clean, uniform purple, so violet "obsidian" should be understood as manufactured glass in nearly all cases.
Some natural obsidian shows a faint purplish sheen from optical effects (sheen obsidian), and rare flow-banded pieces have dusky tints, but a saturated violet body color is a hallmark of glass colored with added metal oxides such as manganese.
It is marketed for its appealing color in beads, spheres, and tumbled stones; without documentation of natural origin it is best treated as decorative glass.
Formation & geology
Genuine obsidian forms from rapidly cooled rhyolitic lava frozen into glass; its natural colors are dominated by iron and range through black, brown, and gray, with sheen effects from inclusions rather than true purple body color.
Uniform violet glass is made by melting silica with fluxes and adding colorants — manganese has long been used to produce purple glass — before cooling to a solid.
As a result, "violet obsidian" generally has no natural volcanic locality and is an artisanal or industrial glass product.
How to identify it
Approach uniform violet "obsidian" skeptically. Manufactured glass typically shows even, saturated color, rounded internal bubbles, swirl or pour lines, and sometimes mold seams.
Genuine sheen obsidian that flashes purple is dark in body color with the violet appearing only as a directional surface sheen, not a transparent purple throughout. Both materials share vitreous luster, conchoidal fracture, hardness around 5-6, and white streak, so body color and bubbles are decisive.
A clear, evenly purple piece with internal bubbles is almost certainly man-made glass.
Uses & significance
Violet Obsidian (glass) is used for attractive purple beads, pendants, spheres, and carvings, valued as an affordable decorative material.
It has no distinct industrial application beyond colored glass.
In metaphysical marketing the purple color invites comparison to amethyst, with claims of intuition and spiritual properties, but as typically manufactured glass these are sales associations; honest dealers disclose the glass origin.
Frequently asked questions
Is violet obsidian natural?
Almost never. Uniform purple "obsidian" is manufactured glass; natural obsidian does not occur as a clean violet body color.
Can obsidian look purple at all?
Some sheen obsidian flashes purple as a surface optical effect, but the underlying glass is dark, not transparent purple.
What colors purple glass?
Manganese is the classic colorant used to make violet and purple glass.
Is it fine for jewelry?
Yes, as decorative purple glass; it should simply be sold honestly as glass, not as a natural gemstone.
Violet Obsidian guides
In-depth guides for identifying, valuing, and understanding Violet Obsidian.
Violet Obsidian identified by the community
Real specimens identified with Rock Identifier.
