Most of the gems and gemstones you find on eBay are advertised for what they are; however one gem is always misrepresented.  You will often see a gemstone called Helenite on ebay that is listed as rare and a creation of the Mt. Saint Helens explosion in May 1989.  This is not fact.  Helenite, sometimes called Mt. Saint Helens obsidianite, and a few other mis-namers is actually not a gem at all.  It is NOTHING MORE THAN GLASS.  Helenite was an accidental discovery meade by workers cutting up buried logging equipment.  They found their torches were melting the ash into globs of red or green glass depending on the impurities in the ash.  This glass is either red or green and does not come in any other color.  It wasn't long before this stuff was being made in the backyards of local residents by the bucketfull.  Jewelers cut it into various shapes as it made a cheap substitute for ruby's or emeralds.  Today it is being passed off as a gemstone; but it is no more than a gemstone than your windowpane is.

Quartz is considered a gem, but when it is melted into glass, glass is not a gemstone.  It is glass.  Helenite, is no different.  Unlike quartz, the volcanic ash is not a gem.  It is simply volcanic ash.  When melted it turns into glass.  Today you will see it in different colors ranging from aquamarine to amethyst in color.  Any Helenite not red or green is a total fake.  It is nothing more than colored CZ given the name of Helenite.  Helenite is not rare nor is it true  volcanic glass since it was not made by the heat of the volcano, but was created artifically by man.  It is not synthetic either.  A synthetic gem or one that is lab created allows the gemstone to form in crystal patterns as they would in nature.  Given the controlled environment they are often flawless.  Helenite on the other hand can not be crystalline in nature, because it is not comprised of the proper elements and is only formed through the melting process and heat.  When cooling, like glass, no crystal patterns form.  It is simply a lump of hard substance that can be easily worked into any desired shape.

I chose photos from two sellers of so-called Helenite.  These photos have not been altered.  Look at them closely.

From left to right we have green Helenite, red Helenite, alleged tanzanite colored Helenite, and alleged aquamarine colored Helenite.  They all look like nice stones, and probably are; however the last three can not possibly be Helenite.  The red is correct, the tanzanite is not a correct color, nor is the aquamarine colored Helenite a correct color.  Although red is a correct color for Helenite, this stone has a problem you will soon see.

In the above photo, the tanzanite colored Helenite stone is on the far left.  Next to it is a stone sold by the same seller as tanzanite.  The photos look different until you notice the bottom edge of the left one and the left edge of the next one.  Rotate the second stone and it will align perfectly with the first stone.  THESE ARE THE SAME STONES SOLD AS TWO DIFFERENT GEMS.  Not possible.

Now look at the two red stones.  Red is a correct Helenite color.  Note the end stone.  It looks slightly different from the first until you super-impose the two stones and rotate the far right end one 180 degrees.  Again, they align perfectly.  THESE ARE ALSO THE SAME STONE SOLD AS TWO DIFFERENT GEMS.  One is supposed to be Helenite, and the other is supposed to be a ruby.  Helenite is a cheap substitute for emeralds and ruby's, but that doesn't make it a ruby.  It makes its a cheap substitute only.  And you can't get much cheaper than glass.

In the photo above we see the alleged aquamarine colored Helenite.  Note the far left edge and a triangle wedge of white.  This photo was a crop job.  The photo on the right is a group of stones being sold for what it is ... aquamarine.  The top stone in the center is the stone cropped for the one on the left.  It was turned slightly, but cut and reflective patterns align nearly perfect when the image is adjusted for angle.  YOU CAN NOT HAVE TWO STONES THAT ARE DIFFERENT GEMS. 

eBay won't protect you from this fraud.  Only knowledge and education will.  I hope these examples help demonstrate the wholesale fraud being undertaken with this material. 

You can buy this stuff if you choose, but remember this.  What you are paying for is a cheap piece of glass and nothing more. Gems of this quality can be found in any bubble-gum machine in any store.  You are being taken for a ride.  Helenite is a FAKE and you are being ROBBED.