I found this video on YouTube and thought I would share it. This shows an Elite Shungite mine, and you can see why type 1 Shungite is so rare. It is found in small pockets and veins and is extracted by hand. Very labourious and dangerous extraction method. I wonder if they have an OSH rep on site 🙂

The mineral is so rare, it is sold by the gram.  Be wary of people selling it by size.  Always ask for the weight.  It is carefully extracted by miners as it is so brittle.  The larger the piece the more expensive it is.  You can see by the prices, that the large items are getting rarer and harder to find.  Therefore the price being asked by the miners is a lot higher nowadays.

Elite or Noble Shungite is rare and accounts for about 1% of all Shungite mined. It is mined by hand because it is so easily breakable, hence its cost is much higher. Of all Shungite, it contains the highest concentration of Fullerenes, it also contains approximately 97% Carbon.

The mines are a closely guarded secret by the locals.  Much like a fisherman with his favourite fishing location, these mines are not common knowledge to all.

Enjoy the video. Subtitled in English. 

You can get your Elite Shungite here, and also look in general h