We were making some Elite Shungite pendant jewellery in our workshop, when, as it tends to do, the piece of Elite shattered into about 6 pieces.  We tend to make them in 3 sizes, small (under 5g) medium (around 6 grams to 9 grams) and large (typically 10 grams to around 15 grams).

A conchoidal fracture is a type of breakage that can occur in certain materials, such as glass, quartz, and certain types of stone, when they do not have a natural plane of separation. This type of fracture creates smooth, curved surfaces that resemble the shape of a seashell—hence the name “conchoidal”, which comes from “conch”, the Latin word for “shell”. The surface of a conchoidal fracture can appear slightly concave and may display concentric undulations or ripples, similar to the growth lines seen in shells. This type of fracture is characteristic of very brittle materials and is commonly observed in Elite Shungite

It is very brittle and it is not uncommon for this to happen when we are creating. Even using diamond tip drill bits, they still shatter if you are drilling on a “fault” in the nugget.  This is not easily seen, they can be hidden inside the piece.  You will not find out about it until you drill into it.

As I was putting the pieces to one side, muttering to myself, I noticed some amazing colours along the fracture lines. I pulled out my not very trusty microscope and got some images before the microscope decided it didn’t want to work for me any longer.

Anyway, enjoy the up close and personal view of an Elite Shungite pendant, you can buy them here.

You can also see more on Shungite here and read about Jarosite here.