Washington State Rhodonite

Our Washington State Rhodonite consist primarily of massive, fine to medium grained rhodonite, a manganese silicate pyroxenoid mineral (MnSiO₃), with occasional accessory minerals including calcite, quartz and manganese oxide in streaks, fracture fillings and dendrites.

Colors are generally dominated by pinks to reddish pinks, with occasional blues, grays, yellows, brown or white areas. Manganese oxide streaking or dendrites are common, and are typically workable, capable of taking a high polish that highlight and complement the finished stones in unique and varied ways.

Hardness generally tests in the 5.5 to 6.5 range on the Mohs hardness scale, while specific gravity, or density, generally tests in the 3.02 to 4.1 range.

Tested in house, this stone has demonstrated great competency and grain for carvings, beads and cabochons and by extension, for sphere making.

As with our Jades, the Washington State Rhodonite that we offer has been carefully hand-harvested at our project site by a team with decades of combined experience in geology, jade and gemstone carving. Each piece is evaluated on site before removal, and only material which is dominated by massive, solid stone is harvested.

As with every natural stone, our Washington Rhodonite is likely to be naturally imperfect.  Textural changes and hidden features, such as color variations, fractures or shearing can always occur within a natural stone. In almost all cases, a heavy, black manganese oxide coating which is typical of Rhodonite covers most of the stone.

Our Rhodonite offered for sale is as natural as when we hand-harvested them from the ground where it was formed.  We do not treat or alter our materials in any way including oiling, waxing, dyeing or resin impregnation.

Publication references: Journal of Gemmology (GEM-A),Vol.38/ No. 5/2023,