Quick Specs
- Type: Pencil point pendant
- Stone: Shungite
- Size: About 1/4 by 1 inch
- Shape: Slim column with flat faces and a pointed tip
- Finish: Matte front face, smooth side faces
- Hanger: Silver-toned ring
- Mohs Hardness: 3.5 to 4
A Slim Black Point Cut From Shungite
The pendant is a slim column of shungite, about 1/4 inch wide and 1 inch long, with flat faces and a pointed tip where small facets meet. The color runs from black to dark charcoal. The broad front face is matte and finely textured, with a slightly mottled look, while the narrow faces at the sides are smooth and give back a soft gray sheen. Thin pale lines mark the edges where the faces meet, so the column reads crisply even at this small size, and the tip is a short pyramid of flat facets. That mix of finishes gives the small column some depth, since the front face stays quiet and the side faces catch the light as the pendant turns. At the top, a silver-toned ring takes a chain or cord, and a smaller ring links it to the stone. At this width the piece is light and discreet, and on a fine chain it reads as a small black bar ending in a sharp tip. The silver tone of the ring is the only bright note against the dark column.
Shungite is a carbon-rich black stone named after the village of Shunga in Karelia, Russia, where Wikipedia says the term was first used in 1879 for a black substance found in nearby veins. Wikipedia places the rocks of the Shunga sequence in the Paleoproterozoic, and Fire Mountain Gems puts the deposits in lagoons that existed over two billion years ago. The stone rates 3.5 to 4 on the Mohs scale, according to Fire Mountain Gems and GemRock Auctions, which makes it a soft material. A published study of shungite as an electrode material describes the richest shungite as a black or dark gray stone with a metallic luster, and says it is always dull black after grinding. GemRock Auctions says the softness makes faceted cuts rare, so most shungite becomes cabochons, beads, pyramids and carvings. Fire Mountain Gems adds that shungite needs little enhancement beyond polishing, and a point cut keeps the stone in a simple geometric form. Wikipedia sorts shungite into bright, semi-bright, semi-dull and dull luster, and GemRock Auctions lists an opaque stone with a black streak.
Practical Ritual Applications
Thread a fine chain or a thin cord through the larger ring and wear the point where the black shows against a light top. At home, hang it from a lamp pull or a bedpost, or lay it on a dish of small stones as a dark accent. On a desk, keep it beside a notebook as a small marker. For an altar, set the point upright against a bowl or lay it flat on a dark cloth, with a candle in its own holder a safe distance away; crystal practice links shungite with grounding, so it suits a grounding-themed arrangement. A slim black pendant also makes a gift for someone who likes plain, dark jewelry. For more pieces to wear at the neck, browse my pendants, amulets and necklaces.
How to Wear and Care for the Shungite Pencil Point Pendant
Three steps cover choosing a chain, wearing the point, and cleaning it.
- Choose a Chain or Cord
Check that the end of your chain or cord passes through the larger silver-toned ring, then thread the pendant on and let it hang point-down. At about 1/4 inch wide, the point is slim, so a fine chain or a thin cord suits it. Look at the small ring where it joins the stone and make sure the join sits closed before you wear the pendant out.
- Wear It With Care
GemRock Auctions says shungite scratches and chips easily and advises removing shungite jewelry before any activity where it could be hit. Fire Mountain Gems says the stone is very soft and can be scratched by some metals, and that black carbon residue may rub off over time and discolor hands and clothes. Wear the pendant over dark or washable clothing.
- Clean and Store It
GemRock Auctions recommends mild soap in lukewarm water and a soft brush, then a rinse in cool water and a pat dry with a dust-free microfiber cloth. The same source advises storing shungite away from other gems to avoid scratches. A small pouch or a lined box keeps the point from touching harder stones, and a soft cloth around the tip protects it.
The Tarot Fellow Standard
I stock this pendant because shungite is a distinctive stone with a long geologic history, and a slim point shows it in a simple, wearable shape. The root chakra, grounding and protection themes belong to modern crystal lore, and I offer them as themes for your own reflection. Shungite is soft and can leave black residue, so I treat the point as a piece for careful wear. For more stones tied to grounding in crystal practice, browse my grounding and earth energy stones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Shungite is a mineraloid, a mineral-like substance without a crystal structure. Fire Mountain Gems calls it a mineral-like substance made of non-crystallized carbon, and Wikipedia says that in scientific usage shungite refers to a mineraloid with a very high carbon content. GemRock Auctions lists its crystal structure as none, or amorphous. The study of shungite electrodes adds that mineral veins of quartz, mica and pyrite are often visible in the rock.
Karelia, in northwestern Russia, is the classic source. Wikipedia names the Zazhoginskoye deposit near Shunga, in the Lake Onega area, as the main one, and reports smaller occurrences in Kamchatka, Chelyabinsk, Austria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Kazakhstan. Fire Mountain Gems names four main fields in Russia and newer finds in Austria, India, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Michigan.
Crystals.com, astrology.com and Fire Mountain Gems all link shungite with the root chakra, the first chakra at the base of the spine in the modern scheme. Crystals.com lists protection and grounding as its common uses, and Fire Mountain Gems gives grounding and earth energy as themes. These pairings come from modern crystal practice, so take them as themes for your own reflection.
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