Rhodochrosite is a soft pink manganese carbonate, banded in white. It is a stone for gentle wear, so people tend to keep it close and out of water.
Carbonate
Rhodochrosite
Rodocrosita
- Palette
- Pink Red White
- Mined in
- Argentina, United States, South Africa, Romania, China, Peru
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.0 ?
- See-through
- translucent
- Known since
- 1813
- Named for
- Greek rodon, rose, and chrosis, coloring
- Also sold as
- Inca rose, rosa del Inca, raspberry spar
- Intention
- Love New Beginnings
- Looking for
- Love Self-love Forgiveness Letting go
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Rhodochrosite beads are sold as natural, with no dye disclosed.
Not in our pieces now
14 × 16.5 CM
The Alma King, the largest known rhodochrosite crystal, measures 14 by 16.5 centimeters and came from Colorado's Sweet Home Mine.
ROSA DEL INCA
Rhodochrosite is Argentina's national gemstone, where its banded pink form is nicknamed Rosa del Inca.
2002
Colorado named rhodochrosite its state mineral in 2002.
What it is
A soft manganese carbonate in pink to rose-red, usually banded in swirls of white, pink and sometimes orange or brown. Beads are translucent to opaque and each has its own striping, a little like a stick of candy.
What gives it its color
Rhodochrosite is a manganese carbonate, and the manganese gives its pink to rose red; calcium and a little magnesium or zinc swapping in make it paler.
Where it comes from
Banded rhodochrosite for beads comes mostly from Catamarca, Argentina (Capillitas); clear gem crystals come from the Sweet Home Mine in Colorado and the Wudong Mine in China, with more from South Africa and Peru.
In history
Rhodochrosite was first described in 1813 from the silver mines of Cavnic in what is now Romania, and for a long time it was valued mainly as an ore of manganese. Colorado's Sweet Home Mine, opened in 1873 as a silver mine, became famous for its red crystals, among them the Alma King, the largest known rhodochrosite crystal, at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Colorado named it the state mineral in 2002.
What's said about it
In crystal lore today, it is the stone of love and self-worth. It is said to be for letting go of old hurts.
It is also thought of as a stone of acceptance and forgiveness. In Argentina it is the national stone, called the Inca rose.
People carry it in a pocket or wear it where it won't get knocked.
How people wear or keep it: In a pocket, near the heart, on a desk, or by the bed.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, rhodochrosite is paired with the root and heart chakras, so practitioners rest it there during meditation or lie down with it in place for a few quiet minutes. Day to day, the same tradition suggests keeping it close: in a pocket, near the heart, on a desk. People reach for it when they want love, self-love, forgiveness, and many set an intention when they put it on. Most practitioners cleanse a new stone first (running water only if the stone can take it, otherwise smoke or moonlight) and set it aside now and then to rest.
These are beliefs people have held and still hold about the stone, reported as such. Nothing here is a promise or a medical claim. We sell stones as jewelry, not for these effects.
Associations
The chakra and star sign this stone is usually matched with. These are popular traditions, not facts about the stone.
ChakraRoot, Heart
ZodiacScorpio
ElementFire
Also calledInca rose, rosa del Inca, raspberry spar
Care
- Soft and with perfect cleavage, so it scratches and chips easily; keep it from knocks and from harder stones.
- Wipe with a soft dry or barely damp cloth; do not soak, and avoid ultrasonic and steam cleaners.
- Put it on after lotion, perfume and hairspray, and take it off for cleaning, swimming and the shower.
- Keep away from acids, household cleaners and heat.
How to tell what you have
- Rhodochrosite is a soft (3.5 to 4.5) pink to rose-red manganese carbonate, often banded, and it scratches and chips easily.
- Look-alikes are rhodonite (harder), dyed howlite or magnesite, and pink glass. Real bands are irregular, and dye would pool in the drill hole.
What sets the price
Price follows how rich the pink to rose-red color is, how clear the material is, and where it was mined. Argentine banded material is the common bead stone; clean transparent stone is rare and costly, and look-alikes made of dyed calcite or powdered mineral set in resin exist.
Questions people ask at our table
What is rhodochrosite?
A manganese carbonate mineral, pink to rose-red, often banded with white. The name comes from Greek words for rose and color.
Is Inca rose the same thing?
Inca rose is a trade name for banded rhodochrosite, mainly from Argentina. It is not a separate mineral.
Can I wear it every day?
It is soft, so it suits occasional wear better than daily wear on the wrist. Take it off for the shower, cleaning and swimming.
How do I tell it from rose quartz or dyed stone?
Rose quartz is much harder, usually paler and not banded. Rhodochrosite is softer, with swirled stripes, and a hard point will scratch it.
Where does it come from?
The banded beads mostly come from Argentina. Colorado, South Africa and China are other sources.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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