Apache Tears

Apache tears are rounded pebbles or obsidian or “obsidianites” composed of black or dark-colored natural volcanic glass. Internally the pebbles sometimes contain fine bands or microliters and though in reflected light they appear black and opaque, they may be translucent in transmitted light. 

The name “Apache tear” comes from a legend of the Apache tribe: about 75 Apaches and the US Calvary fought on a mountain overlooking what is now Superior, Arizona, in the 1870’s. Facing defeat, the outnumbered Apache warriors rode their horses off the mountain to their deaths rather than be killed. The wives and families of the warriors cried when they heard of the tragedy; their tears turned into stone upon hitting the ground.