Modern art Glass bust head?

Anyone knows the origin of this unusual piece.  The first thing that comes to mind when looking at it, is velvet.   The pictures don't really do justice, but with the natural eye, it either appears to have the content of gold or sand as part of its make up prior to the final end product.   The glass head is highly polished and smooth to touch.  Not too sure if the back of the head is suppose to be a pontil.  The base stand I think is glass also with the actual base texture ground.  Any ideas?  I'm struggling to find any information.   Your help is really appreciated.

   

I think this is carved from argillite, a form of obsidian, hence the gold-like inclusions. Made by Native American Indians, including the Haida.

Grateful for you info. NaomiM.   Have you seen anything similar to this?  Just looked at argillite carving pictures online and I just can't compare the ones I have seen to mine when making reference to appearance.   I've tried holding it up to artificial lighting (flourescent), and closer to the edges are a greeny/ brown.  Not sure if opalesque would be the correct terminology.  I'm so confused with this one, as it really does look and feel like glass,  like I said, not too sure about the base though. All areas are very cold compared to room temperature.  I don't know if this is of any help.  I have just read that obsidian is a natural occurring volcanic glass, which was also used by the native americans for arrow heads etc.    Am I on the right track here?  I also looked up argillite.  This a sedimentary rock that is formed from consolidated clay, which to me is not glass .  With reference to your info. I was able to find something similar  on Ebay, item No. 360851707859. Even though some of the pictures are not too great, There does not appear in some of the pictures, to look anything like glass when compared to mine. More like stone, I think.  The seller has no description, so it is hard to tell.

I may have miss-remembered the name of this particular form of obsidian, but, yes, it's a dark green to black volcanic glass, which is carved by Native Americans and Native Canadians into ornaments (in the old days they would have made arrow heads and other tools from it).
I've seen some pieces at the fairs - heads, birds, totem poles . Last year I was tempted to buy a nice big one but it had a chip on the headdress.

It would feel the same as glass - smooth & cold to the touch - but because it's a mix of elements and not just silica it's heavier.

Yes, considering its size, it is quite heavy and cold to touch. This is the first one I have actually seen, but now will look more closer when going to antique fares etc.  . I really do like it. It's very well made when I've compared it to some seen online, but I am sure there are better ones out there. Thank you ever so much for your help and information.

Another possible origin is Peru, where they carve obsidian pieces for the tourist industry. In which case it could be a copy of a Mayan priest's head.

Every possibility. I will look to see what further information I can gather. Thanks NaomiM!