A conchoidal fracture refers to a haphazard mode of breakage of a material that does not adhere to any fixed or well-described physical planes of separation.
Brittle materials are more likely to exhibit conchoidal fracturing. Several such materials exist in nature, such as jasper, quartz, obsidian, flint and other fine-grained materials. Conchoidal fracture is commonly observed in such materials due to their lack of a crystalline structure or cleavage.
Conchoidal fractures are in counter to flat, faceted fractures seen in single crystals.
Conchoidal fractures frequently resemble the curves of a mussel shell, and thus derived their name from these "conchoids." Conchoidal are generally viewed favorably in the ceramic and jewelry industries as the patterns it generates are appreciated for their uniqueness and rarity due to crystal breakage and aggregation.
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