Crystals from Mexico

Obsidian, a volcanic glass, was central to the lives of Mesoamerican peoples: it was made into blades sharper than steel, arrowheads and polished mirrors. The Aztec god Tezcatlipoca, « smoking mirror », owes his name to it.

The north of the country, especially Chihuahua, is known for fire agate, whose iridescent flashes look like frozen flames, and for Dalmatian jasper, beige speckled with black. Mexico is also one of the world's major fluorite producers.

Obsidian is a glass: fairly hard (5 to 6) but brittle, and its chips are sharp. A cracked bead should come off the bracelet. Dalmatian jasper owes its black spots to tourmaline or iron oxide; despite the name, it is usually an igneous rock rather than a true jasper.