Minecraft wiki entry for Crying_Obsidian, associated text: A comparison between glowing obsidian (left), crying obsidian (middle), and regular obsidian (right)
A bunch of crying obsidian placed in the Nether.
Obsidian and crying obsidian, as they appear in the Programmer Art resource pack. Note how it still produces purple particles.
A picture of crying obsidian part of a ruined portal.