Apache Tears, the Comforting Obsidian

What is an Apache tear?

Apache tears are small nodules of black obsidian, so, volcanic glass, naturally rounded, generally one to three centimetres across. Two traits set them apart from other obsidians.

First, they arrive already round, with no cutting involved: erosion alone gave them their pebble shape. Second, and this is their signature, they are translucent: held up to a lamp or a window, they let through a brown or reddish glow, where a classic black obsidian stays fully opaque.

This translucency comes from their thinness and their composition. It also explains their poetic name: they really do look like frozen drops. You will find them alongside the others in my guide to the types of obsidian.

The Apache Leap story

The name comes from a real place and a painful episode in American history. Apache Leap is a cliff near Superior, Arizona, on land traditionally belonging to the Apache people.

Tradition holds that, in the 1870s, a group of Apache warriors, surrounded by the US cavalry, chose to leap from the top of this cliff rather than be captured. The story goes on that the women of their community wept at the foot of the cliff, and that their tears, touching the ground, turned into these small black stones.

The tradition then says that whoever owns an Apache tear need never cry again: the Apache women are said to have shed all the tears in their place.

The commercial name "Apache tears" is now universal in the mineral trade. It was not chosen by Apache people themselves.

How Apache tears form

This is the most interesting point, and oddly the least explained: their formation is different from that of other obsidians.

It all starts with a rock called perlite: a volcanic glass that, unlike obsidian, absorbed water over time. Perlite is grey, crumbly, chalky in appearance. It breaks down easily.

Within this perlite, pockets that stayed dry survive, areas that never absorbed water and remained genuine obsidian, dense and black. These pockets form nodules.

Over time, rain and wind erode the soft perlite, which crumbles away and disappears. The far more resistant obsidian nodules are freed one by one and roll down the slopes, where they are collected. Their rounded shape and softened edges owe nothing to human polishing, then: erosion did all the work.

To understand how obsidian forms in general, see my article on how obsidian is formed.

The properties of Apache tears

In crystal healing, Apache tears hold a place of their own: they are the obsidians of comfort. They are credited with the grounding and protection common to the family, but in a noticeably gentler form.

They are generally linked to:

• supporting grief: their dominant reputation, directly inherited from the legend;
• releasing held-back emotion: described as helping let out what has been kept in for too long;
• forgiveness, of yourself as much as of others;
• gentle grounding: often recommended to anyone who finds black obsidian too blunt;
• comfort through transition: bereavement, separation, moving house, the end of a chapter.

It is the variety most often given as a gift, precisely because it carries this intention of support. Its closest cousin in spirit is rainbow obsidian, also linked to emerging from dark periods.

The grief stone: what to know

This needs saying plainly. Apache tears are very often given to someone in mourning, and the phrase "whoever owns one need never cry again" circulates a great deal. It is a beautiful line, but it deserves to be qualified.

If you are going through bereavement or a difficult period, a stone can accompany you, it replaces neither time, nor the support of loved ones, nor the help of a professional when the pain becomes too heavy to carry alone. Bereavement charities and counsellors exist for exactly that, and turning to them is never excessive.

Giving Apache tears remains a fitting gesture, as long as it comes with what actually matters: your presence.

Chakras and energy

Apache tears are traditionally linked to:

• the root chakra (Muladhara), like all obsidians, grounding, security;
• the sacral chakra (Svadhisthana), the seat of emotion and its flow;
• the heart chakra (Anahata), for their quality of comfort, an unusual association for an obsidian, and one that comes precisely from their gentleness.

The full map of the varieties and their centres is in my guide to obsidian and chakras, and for the practice, see meditating with obsidian.

In astrology, they are traditionally associated with Cancer and Pisces for their sensitivity, and with Scorpio for its connection to transformation. These correspondences remain indicative.

How to use Apache tears

Small, rounded and rarely drilled, they lend themselves poorly to jewellery and much better to the hand. That is, in fact, their traditional use.

• In the palm of the hand, the most common way: close your hand around it for a few minutes, breathing slowly;
• In a pocket, to have it within reach in tense moments, like a small pebble to hold onto;
• Under the pillow or on the bedside table, gentler than black obsidian, it sits more easily in a bedroom;
• In meditation, placed on the lower belly while lying down, or held between both hands;
• As a gift, in a small fabric pouch, with a note.

A gesture I like: hold it up to the light before you begin, to watch the light pass through it. It focuses attention and is a reminder that there is brightness within the dark.

If you are after something to wear day to day instead, black obsidian jewellery plays a similar role, with a permanent presence.

Spotting genuine Apache tears

Good news: this is one of the easiest varieties to authenticate, thanks to a test that needs nothing more than a lamp.

The most common mix-up, in fact, is not a fake at all: many sellers offer simple barrel-tumbled black obsidian under the name Apache tears. These are genuinely obsidian, but they are not true tears, they stay opaque and their roundness comes from a machine, not from erosion.

For pricing benchmarks, see my guide to obsidian price and value. Apache tears are among the most affordable obsidians: a high price is not a mark of quality here.

Mineralogical fact sheet

Care and cleansing

Apache tears need little care: not being polished, they are unaffected by the micro-scratches that concern other varieties.

• Cleaning, clear water and a soft cloth are enough. Their natural surface needs no special treatment;
• Cleansing, smoke from sage or palo santo, or a rinse under clear water. Avoid salt, which remains inadvisable for all obsidians;
• Charging, moonlight suits them well. Many also rest them directly on the earth, which fits their origin;
• Fragility, moderate hardness and small size: store them in a pouch rather than loose with other stones.

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

Frequently asked questions