Jewelry Culture

Short answer: obsidian is volcanic glass formed from rapidly cooled lava. Onyx is a type of chalcedony (microcrystalline quartz) formed slowly in volcanic gas cavities. They look similar from a distance but are completely different materials. Here’s what that actually means if you’re buying jewelry. What obsidian actually is Obsidian is volcanic glass. Literally. When […]

Short answer: real jade feels cool, sounds like a bell when tapped, and never looks perfectly uniform. Fake jade feels like plastic, sounds dull, and looks too good to be true. That’s the 30-second version. Here’s how to actually test it before you buy. Test 1: The temperature test Pick up the piece. Real jade

Jade is tougher than most people think. It scores 6 to 7 on the Mohs hardness scale — harder than glass, harder than most crystal beads you’ll find in standard jewelry stores. You won’t scratch it by putting it in your bag with other items. But you can damage it by cleaning it wrong. I’ve