Red Planet Obsidian Pendant - 1.42"
Red Planet Obsidian Pendant - 1.42"
Red Planet Obsidian is a volcanic glass found in northwestern Mexico. The material is perlite, meaning this glass formed with water present that evaporated during its formation, increasing its volume and infusing it with globules. Within these pockets, a mixture of feldspar crystals and hematite has produced stunning blooms of reds and oranges.
This pendant contains a polished 1.42" sample of Red Planet Obsidian set into a sterling silver bezel. It comes with an 18" silver chain in a padded black jewelry box.
📸 Close-up on red planet obsidian pendant
mexico's volcanic glass
Just outside of the former mining town of Álamos in northwestern Mexico, a treasure sat underground for millions of years, waiting to be discovered. This was not silver, what Álamos was known for, but a new discovery of a unique glass found nowhere else on Earth: Red Planet Obsidian.
This glass gets its name from its bold interplay of red feldspar crystals and the dark volcanic glass that surrounds them, a combination of geological expressions found nowhere else on Earth.
This pendant contains a Red Planet Obsidian centerpiece mined from the only known source of the glass on Earth: a small deposit along the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range, near the border with the United States. The pendants' bloom of color, formed from an interplay of hematite, feldspar, and spherulites in the glass, is truly one of a kind!
📸 Close-up on red planet obsidian pendant
The Red Planet Obsidian Pendant is set into a sterling silver backing and comes with an 18" silver chain. The necklace comes in a padded jewelry box and includes a small information card about the specimen. The card serves as the certificate of authenticity and can be found underneath the padded lining of the display box.
Each pendant has been photographed and listed separately. You can see all our currently available Red Planet Obsidian Pendants in the collection below!
Red Planet Obsidian Pendant - SOLD 1.42"
Red Planet Obsidian Pendant - SOLD 1.63"
Red Planet Obsidian Pendant - SOLD 1.66"
📸 The Sierra Madre Occidental
More about red planet obsidian
📸 Typical red planet obsidian pendant
Red Planet Obsidian, despite its otherwordly name and appearance, is an entirely terrestrial phenomenon, sourced from Sonora in northwestern Mexico.
This glass is found only in one location on Earth, just outside a former silver-mining town Álamos along the Sierra Madre mountain range. Since its discovery in the 1960s by Alberto Maas, Red Planet Obsidian has been turning heads the world over.
Contrary to popular belief, this material is not obsidian precisely but another form of volcanic glass, spherulitic perlite. This form of volcanic glass is differentiated by the presence of the water that hydrates the material, causing it to rapidly expand its volume. As the water evaporates it forms small globules across the interior of the material. Because of this, Red Planet Obsidian is also called Peanut Obsidian, owing to the shape of the globules.
📸 Close-up on red planet obsidian pendant
Within these globules are radiating feldspar crystals stained red from iron-based hematite. The result is that when the material is cut and polished, the crystal-filled globules appear as striking blooms of red and orange.
Since its discovery, Red Planet Obsidian has found its home in jewelry and decorative pieces across the world, but it can still only be found in one deposit in northwestern Mexico, truly a one of a kind treasure.
Further Reading
Broughton, PAUL L. "Peanut Obsidian from Sonora, Mexico." The Journal of Gemmology 11 (1968): 7-9.
Friedman, Irving, Robert L. Smith, and William D. Long. "Hydration of Natural Glass and Formation of Perlite." Geological Society of America Bulletin77.3 (1966): 323-328.
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