RHODONITE
Rock&Gem Magazine|April 2020
Diverse Formations From Varied Deposits Lead To Global Appeal
BOB JONES
RHODONITE

Deep in the Central Ural Mountains of Russia are two deposits of rhodonite where solid pink to red lapidary material has been quarried since the 1790s. According to legend, before the modern discovery, the local natives noticed eagles picking up small pieces of red stone to put in their nests. The locals assumed this was for good luck, and so adopted the practice. They called the pink stone orletz, eagle stone, which is now hessonite.

Contrasting the rich red color in much of the Russian rhodonite are pleasing spidery veins and batches of black manganese oxide. They may have invaded the stone’s cracks and openings or are leftover molecules in the solution as this calcium manganese silicate rhodonite was forming.

The contrast of the pink to red silicate and black oxide adds a note of beauty to carvings and can challenge a good artist to incorporate the spiny veins into a design.

RUSSIA’S FONDNESS FOR RHODONITE

The Russians so highly prized rhodonite it sometimes rivaled malachite, especially for large carvings. Malachite, though found in multi-ton masses was always vuggy, and had to be sliced into smaller pieces requiring matching of its bands to achieve larger areas and patterns, such as a mosaic, to give it a solid appearance. Rhodonite, on the other hand, could be quarried in huge solid masses and large solid blocks, not unlike quarrying marble. These could be shaped and chiseled into all sorts of large solid red objects.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2020 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 2020 من Rock&Gem Magazine.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من ROCK&GEM MAGAZINE مشاهدة الكل
Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Ohio's Lake Erie Islands

A short ferry boat ride three miles from Ohio’s Lake Erie coastline is South Bass Island, better known as Put-in-Bay or the “Key West of the North.”

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Iowa's Hidden Treasures
Rock&Gem Magazine

Iowa's Hidden Treasures

Exploring Keokuk Geodes: How They're Made & What's Inside

time-read
5 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Agatized CORAL
Rock&Gem Magazine

Agatized CORAL

Florida's Collectible State Stone

time-read
3 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Rockhounding Florida's Beaches
Rock&Gem Magazine

Rockhounding Florida's Beaches

Beachcombing serene stretches of Florida can reveal fascinating finds like fossilized shark teeth, sea glass, quartz, agate and even coral fragments.

time-read
6 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Collecting Staurolite
Rock&Gem Magazine

Collecting Staurolite

Hot Spots In Virginia & Georgia

time-read
3 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Pecos Valley Diamonds
Rock&Gem Magazine

Pecos Valley Diamonds

New Mexico's Ancient Attraction

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows
Rock&Gem Magazine

12 Tips for Rockhounding Tucson's Greatest Shows

Tucson in February becomes the international hub for buying and selling colored gems, rocks, minerals and fossils.

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Turquoise in the American Southwest
Rock&Gem Magazine

Turquoise in the American Southwest

A Water & Sky Souvenir

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT
Rock&Gem Magazine

Touring Colorado's MINERAL BELT

It's a Showcase of Mining History & Minerals

time-read
6 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024
Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks
Rock&Gem Magazine

Geology &Colorado's Taurish Traiks

Most of Colorado’s tourist trains today were originally constructed in the late 1800s to serve the state’s lucrative mining operations.

time-read
4 mins  |
Rockhound Roadtrip 2024