Shungite is a black, carbon-rich rock from Karelia, in Russia, about two billion years old. Much of the bead stock is lower-grade rock, and imitations of glass or painted stone are common.
Carbon-rich rock (mineraloid)
Shungite
Shungita
- Palette
- Black Gray
- Mined in
- Russia
- Hardness
- Mohs 3.5–4.5 ?
- See-through
- opaque
- Known since
- 1879
- Named for
- Shunga village in Karelia, Russia
- Also sold as
- shungit, Karelian shungite, elite shungite, noble shungite
- Intention
- Protection
- Looking for
- Protection
- Water
- Keep it dry; wipe with a soft cloth
- Dye or finish
- Shungite is a natural carbon-rich rock, usually only polished. Lower grades are mixed with quartz and mica, and some black beads sold as shungite are dyed stone or glass.
Not in our pieces now
98% CARBON
In the Zaonega Formation of Karelia, where shungite comes from, carbon content reaches 98 percent in places and averages 25 percent.
250 GIGATONNES
The Shunga deposit holds an estimated 250 gigatonnes of carbon, roughly a quarter of the world's proven coal reserves.
1,090 TO 1,130 °C
Shungisite, the lightweight filler made from shungite rock, is fired at 1,090 to 1,130 °C.
What it is
A dull to silvery black rock that leaves a black streak and marks the fingers. The best grade is over 98 percent carbon and slightly shiny; lower grades are matte, mixed with quartz and mica, and make up much of the bead stock. Imitations of black glass, resin, dyed or painted stone are common.
What gives it its color
Shungite is black because it is mostly carbon, more than 98 percent in the purest material; lower grades are mixed with silica.
Where it comes from
Shungite comes only from Karelia in Russia, around Shunga village near Lake Onega, with the Zazhoginskoe field near Tolvuya the main deposit and Maksovo a second.
In history
Shungite is named for the village of Shunga in Karelia, Russia, where the name was first used in 1879 for black, carbon-rich rock from nearby veins. From the mid-1700s it was ground into black paint pigment, and in the 1970s Soviet industry fired it into a lightweight filler and insulating material called shungisite.
What's said about it
In contemporary crystal practice it is sold as a black stone people keep for a sense of protection.
It is soft and brittle, and it leaves black marks. Real pieces leave a black streak on unglazed porcelain.
How people wear or keep it: On the wrist, in a pocket, or on a desk.
In crystal practice
In the crystal tradition, shungite is paired with the root chakra, 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: on the wrist, in a pocket, on a desk. People reach for it when they want protection, 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
ZodiacCancer
ElementFire
Also calledshungit, Karelian shungite, elite shungite
Care
- It is soft and brittle, about Mohs 3.5 to 4.5, so it chips and can crumble if dropped.
- Wipe with a soft slightly damp cloth, dry it at once, and keep it out of long soaks.
- It can leave black marks on skin, light fabric and other stones.
- Store it apart from harder stones.
- Do not make drinking water with it; it contains traces of metals such as lead and cadmium.
How to tell what you have
- Real shungite is dull to silvery black, light for its size and warm to the touch; it leaves a black streak and can mark fingers. Cold, heavy, glossy beads that leave no streak are likely glass.
- Look-alikes include black glass, dyed howlite and pressed glass. Higher grades are over 98 percent carbon, and many bead grades have far less.
What sets the price
The price follows how much of the bead is true shungite (carbon-rich rock) versus rock mixed with quartz and mica, how bright the polish is, and the size; black beads sold under the name can also be dyed stone or glass.
Rules and sourcing
Some black beads sold as shungite are dyed stone or glass instead of the carbon-rich rock. A seller should say what the bead actually is and disclose any dye.
Questions people ask at our table
What is shungite?
A black rock from Karelia, in Russia, about two billion years old. The top grade is over 98 percent carbon; lower grades are mixed with quartz and other minerals.
Does shungite block electronic radiation or purify water?
No good evidence supports either claim. Reference sources call both claims erroneous and note that the rock carries traces of lead and cadmium. We do not carry it; it is a black stone and nothing more.
How do I know my beads are real?
Real shungite is soft, scratches easily and leaves a black streak on unglazed porcelain. A glassy, hard, very light or very heavy bead is likely glass, resin, coal or another black rock.
Is most bead stock top grade?
No. Lower-grade shungite, mixed with quartz and other minerals, is common and cheaper. Plain black glass or painted stone is also sold under the name.
Where is it from?
The famous source is Karelia, near Lake Onega in northwest Russia, where the rock formed in the Paleoproterozoic.
Not in our pieces right now
Stones we do carry that are close to it are listed under related stones.
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