Apache Tears are just obsidian nodules, with a legendary name origin.

Origin of the Name “Apache Tears”

The name comes from a popularized legend about an event said to have happened in the 1870s near what is now Apache Leap, close to Superior, Arizona.

According to the story a group of Apache warriors from the Pinal band were vastly outnumbered by U.S. Cavalry. Rather than be captured or killed, the warriors chose to ride their horses off a high cliff. When the Apache women learned what happened, they are said to have wept at the base of the cliff, and their tears were transformed into black stones by the Earth, thus the translucent obsidian nodules were called “Apache Tears.” Today, the cliff near Superior is still called Apache Leap, and Apache Tears collected in the region are strongly tied to this story.

Collectors and lapidary folks typically reserve the term “Apache Tears” for material from the Arizona localities tied to the Apache Leap legend, however obsidian nodules can be found all over the world.