In many regions of the world prehistoric artifacts made from obsidian can be generally classified by whether the principal function is for display or for some utility more directly related to subsistence. In Mesoamerica and the ancient Near East, both areas with complex societies and elaborate stone tool production, obsidian was used to make bowls, vases, eccentrics, seal stamps, statuettes, and tables, as well as items of personal decoration such as labrets, ear spools, necklaces, and pendants (Burger, et al. 1994: 246). Craftspeople also developed efficient, high utility obsidian technologies as well, such as prismatic blades, a form that allows archaeologists to quantify cutting edge to edge-length, error rates, and other efficiency measures.

In the south-central Andes the diversity of artifact forms made from obsidian is relatively low, and it is difficult to differentiate display from utilitarian applications. For example, obsidian projectile points are both sharp and highly visible, suggesting that the points had a display function that underscored their utility as a weapon and as a cutting tool.