Actually, from your descriptions, and especially Karen’s, it sounds much
more like a feldspar. I admittedly don’t have much experience with
obsidians, but I’ve never seen it with a sheen and internal texture such
as you describe.
Well, having said this, I actually ran into someone last night who had
this ‘silver sheen obsidian’. It does look like feldspar. It is a
gorgeous stone. My friend said there was also a ‘gold sheen obsidian’.
Anyone know where it comes from and where I can get some (rough or cut)?
~kara
gold sheen obsidian along with rainbow and numerous obsidians come
from the Glass Buttes area in Oregon. I’m sure some of the other
orchid members can give you directions or where to buy. Ron
Hello, Kara; There are sheen obsidians in the Glass Buttes area
out of Burns, Oregon, also in the Davis Creek area near the Oregon
line in California near Alturas. If you are near these areas you
can pick it up yourself. The Forest Service requires a permit in
the California site, but it is either minimal or free. In order to
see the sheen it must be chipped at about a l5 degree angle to the
flow lines. The same for cutting. You will find silver sheen,
royal purple, rainbow, and gold sheen. The gold sheen that I have
seen actually has a mahogany colored pattern in it. The sheen is
in those layers. Also, there is something called fire obsidian
that is much more spectacular and rarer. I think that comes out of
the Oregon location but may be under claim. Most rock shops in the
west, and rock shows, will have some sheen obsidian in stock.
Otherwise, try the advertisements in the Lapidary Journal. There
is a lot of very striking rainbow obsidian coming out of Mexico the
last few years. I have seen peach teal together, which is very
pretty. Rose McArthur