Obsidian Needle Wind Chimes by Jim Green
Listen to this Chime
Obsidian Needle Wind Chimes
Obsidian Needle Windchimes are hand crafted by an artist name Jim Green. These Obsidian Needle Wind Chimes are very unusual, even unique, and make great gifts. The sound is considered by many people to be the very finest of all windchimes, and add a hauntingly beautiful note to a patio or deck. These are handmade from natural Obsidian needles, natural oak branches, and copper wire. Each windchime has a lanyard snap with a hemp string with which to hang it. The photograph above is of an representative sample of our Obsidian Needle Wind Chimes. As this unique glass windchime is made of 100% natural elements, there will be some variations.
Obsidian is a rock that forms when certain types of lava cool very quickly above ground. It is an actual glass, only formed naturally. Obsidian is not uncommon, but the lava flow that produced these needles was very pure and made glass of an exceptional quality. Obsidian Needles are rare. They are naturally formed from the Obsidian bedrock under poorly understood conditions, an interlocking mass of broken needles, boulders, and a few intact needles. These came from the major deposit in North East California. Jim Green, removed them from bedrock by hand under difficult conditions, then individually cleaned them and cut a shallow notch around one end to hang them. There are eight needles on each windchime. The needles of this wonderful windchime measure generally three inches to four inches long.
The wood armatures are naturally dropped White Oak limbs, measuring about four and one-half inches long, were gathered in the Ozarks. Usually they are the Post Oak variety, since they have a natural decay resistance and persist longer and weather nicely. To eliminate pests and diseases the artisit, Jim Green, sterilized these in a pressure cooker at 250 degrees (15 pounds of steam) for two hours. They measure about four and one-half inches long.
The overall size of a windchime is about 9 inches by 4.5 inches, not including the snap and string.
Obsidian is naturally occurring Volcanic Glass, and glass is fragile. Despite this, these needles are surprisingly resilient. They do not need to be protected except in locations where strong persistent winds are common (such as the Great Plains!). Because these do not have a large sail, they will need a good breeze in order to sound. The artist guarantees they will break if dropped! While the corners of the needles are not sharp edges, the tips can be sharply pointed, so take care not to poke yourself. Do not hang them where they can smack against something.
JG-100: Obsidian Needle Wind Chimes by Jim Green
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