Fire Obsidian (ex Jim Houran Collection)

Item Description

Obsidian is essentially volcanic glass that cools so quickly it does not have time to crystallize, so it is found in amorphous masses, but they are often gem quality. In Oregon at the Glass Butte locality a different type of Obsidian has been coming out, which has been named Fire Obsidian. This material shows a unique, multi-color iridescence on the surface, not unlike what you might see in iridescent Feldspar like Labradorite. Careful analysis has revealed that the iridescence in Fire Obsidian is actually caused by fact that the surface of the stones have a thin film of nano-metricised crystals of Magnetite. The crystals cause an optical interference, in the return of light, and give us the unique multi-color flash. This particular stone is a good sized example of said material. When viewed through transmitted light, it almost has the same color of a dark Smoky Quartz, but in reflected light, there are thin flashes of pink, gold, yellow and green floating across the surface. This phenomenon is incredibly difficult to capture in photos, but we've done our best. It really is one of those gems you have to see in person to fully appreciate its beauty. With that said, it's a larger than average example of this unique material, and would make a nice addition to any gem collection. From the collection of Dr. James "Jim" Houran, noted thumbnail mineral collector, gemstone collector and a speaker at our annual Dallas Mineral Symposium. Jim is the Managing Director of AETHOS Consulting Group. He's a 25-year veteran in applied psychological research and a published expert on peak performance, online testing and interpersonal and organizational compatibility. He has authored over 150 articles, and his award-winning work has been profiled by a myriad of media outlets and programs including the Discovery Channel, A&E, BBC, National Geographic, NBC’s Today Show, USA Today, New Scientist, Psychology Today and Forbes.com.