Tri-Flow Obsidian, Three Stones in One

What is tri-flow obsidian?

Tri-flow obsidian names a stone showing three clearly distinct zones within a single block, most often a black patch, a red-brown mahogany-type patch, and a third zone that varies: a golden veil, pale flecking, or more translucent glass.

The name comes from "flow", the movement of the lava. It signals that the stone comes from a spot where several domains of a single flow, or several overlapping flows, meet. You are not looking at a variety, but at a boundary.

It is the rarest of every name I cover in my guide to the types of obsidian, and by far the least documented.

A name with no fixed definition

Best to be upfront, since this is the most useful piece of information here: "tri-flow" has no established definition. It is neither a mineralogical term nor even a settled commercial name the way mahogany or snowflake are.

Depending on the seller, you will find it applied to:

• black + mahogany + golden veil;
• black + mahogany + snowflake-type flecked zones;
• black + mahogany + translucent brown glass;
• sometimes simply a strongly contrasted mahogany, sold under a punchier name.

The only real common thread is the coexistence of three distinct looks within one piece. Even the number three is flexible: some stones show two, others four.

Why a lava flow is not uniform

Here is the real substance of the matter, and it is more interesting than the name. An obsidian flow is never uniform. Several factors vary from one point to the next, sometimes within a few centimetres.

• Cooling speed, the edge of a flow freezes within hours, the core takes weeks. Wherever cooling drags on, crystals form;
• Iron oxidation, on contact with air or water, iron oxidises into haematite and colours the glass red-brown. This is what produces mahogany obsidian;
• Gas bubble content, their distribution depends on local pressure. Aligned, they produce the veil seen in gold sheen obsidian;
• Mixing within the lava, a viscous flow folds and pleats slightly different materials without ever truly blending them.

A tri-flow stone is therefore a cross-section through these boundaries. You are holding several local histories in one hand: here the lava cooled fast, there it oxidised, elsewhere bubbles lined up. For the full picture of how obsidian forms, see how obsidian is formed.

Three families of effect, together

There is something satisfying about this variety: it brings together, in a single object, the three mechanisms that explain every obsidian.

A fine tri-flow can show all three at once: an oxidised red-brown zone (structural), a golden veil zone (optical), and sometimes pale spherulites (crystalline). Three distinct mechanisms, one stone.

This is, to my mind, what makes it the best teaching piece in the whole family. If you want to understand at a glance why obsidians look so little alike despite being the same glass, hold a tri-flow up to a window.

The properties credited to tri-flow

As with every recently named variety, there is no ancient tradition specific to tri-flow. The correspondences circulating today were formulated by analogy with the idea of coming together.

It is generally credited with:

• integration: bringing together parts of yourself you tend to keep apart, its dominant symbolism;
• balance between different forces, by analogy with its zones that sit side by side without blending;
• versatility: some present it as combining the qualities of the varieties it contains;
• protection and grounding, common to all obsidians.

As for chakras, it is linked to the root chakra like any obsidian, with extensions depending on the zones present, sacral for the mahogany, solar plexus for the gold sheen. The full picture is in my guide to obsidian and chakras.

Recognising and buying

The main risk is not a fake, no one manufactures fake tri-flow, demand is far too small. It is rather an opportunistic label: an ordinary mahogany resold at a higher price under a rarer-sounding name.

Markers that matter:

• The zones should be crisp, three genuinely distinct domains, not a continuous gradient. A classic mahogany fades gradually from black to brown; a tri-flow shows readable boundaries;
• The boundaries are never straight, they ripple, following the movement of the lava. A dead-straight edge gives away an assembled or glued piece;
• The three zones should share the same quality of polish, a marked contrast in shine can signal gluing;
• Ask for a cross-section view, the zones should carry through the thickness of the stone, not just sit on the surface.

On price, there is no established benchmark: the market is too small. Treat it as a fine-quality mahogany, with a reasonable premium for the rarity of the pattern, and be wary of prices pitched anywhere near fire obsidian, which is in a different league of genuine rarity. My benchmarks are in obsidian price and value.

Mineralogical fact sheet

Care and cleansing

One particularity here: since the three zones do not share exactly the same composition, they do not react identically. So follow the regime for the most fragile zone.

• Cleaning, a soft, dry cloth. If the stone has crystallised zones, they are softer and scratch faster;
• Cleansing, smoke is preferable. Oxidised zones, richer in iron, take acids poorly: no vinegar or lemon. Avoid salt;
• Charging, moonlight, without prolonged sun exposure;
• Knocks, the boundaries between domains can act as lines of weakness. Handle the stone carefully and store it alone.

The full run-through is in my guides to cleaning your obsidian and to cleansing and charging.

Frequently asked questions