Rocksday

Pitchstone

Volcanic glass with a dull, resinous shine like pitch — older and more watery than obsidian.

Pitchstone specimen
Photo: Alpsdake, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

How to identify pitchstone

  • Dark glass with a dull, tar-like luster.
  • Often contains small crystals.
  • Conchoidal fracture, less sharp than obsidian.

Often confused with

Where it's found

  • Isle of Arran, Scotland
  • Isle of Eigg, Scotland
  • Meissen, Germany

Uses

Prehistoric tools in Scotland.

Rock tumbling

Can be tumbled with care.

Did you know?

Neolithic people traded Arran pitchstone across Scotland to make sharp tools.

Think you could spot it from a blurry close-up?

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