Obsidian: A culturally-rich stone.

When we were designing our 'Regalia' Tie Bar, a lot of thought went into the stone inlay that we were going to integrate into the brass structure of the tie bar. Something bold, dark, and durable with a strong history was the ideal stone to use. Then we discovered Obsidian.

Obsidian is a volcanic glass formed when lava cools quickly or under water. It's black in color because it has no time to form large crystals like other rocks do before cooling off completely, so small particles of minerals are left behind instead of larger ones like quartz or calcite (which means "to harden"). This gives obsidian its unique properties: sharp edges and high strength even though it's not particularly dense.

Photo by Buzz Andersen on Unsplash

The stone was apparently used by Native Americans for the making of arrowheads, spears and other weapons, and in certain cultures, it is said that obsidian can have mystical powers. For example, in some tribes, it is believed to be an antidote for poisoning. In ancient Greece and Rome, people believed that obsidian could ward off evil spirits. They also believed it had healing powers of other illnesses. Ancient Aztecs used obsidian to carve ceremonial knives out of human bones because they believed it had magical powers that would protect them from harm while they were performing rituals."

The Aztecs used obsidian to carve ceremonial knives out of human bones because they believed it had magical powers that would protect them from harm while they were performing rituals. They also thought that the stone could help them communicate with the gods, which is why they made so many sacrifices to their deities.

Obsidian artifacts excavated at Takalik Abaj, Retalhuleu, Guatemala. Prismatic blades and obsidian cores. Photo By: Simon Burchell | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

The semi-precious stone has been used for many different purposes throughout history--from cutting tools to jewellery and religious objects due to is black color and has a glassy/reflective surface when polished. Obsidian has been used for jewellery since the Neolithic period (7000-3000 BC), but some reports have stated that it was used as early as at least 5500 BC.

Checkout the 'Regalia' Tie Bar that we designed using this culturally rich semi-precious stone.