What is Shungite?

This wonderful material is found only in one area of the world, in the Shun’ga area, Shun’ga village, Lake Onega in the Karelia Republic, a northern region of Russia. This is where the Shungite name comes from.

History

No one knows exactly how Shungite came about, it is after all, over 2 billion years old and predates humans by a long way, but there are two theories about how it was formed. Firstly, scientists have theorised that it was formed after a massive meteorite hit the earth, but there is no evidence to support this. The other theory is that it was formed from fossilised organic material from sediments which date back to the Precambrian period, around the time the Earth began to form. Both are plausible, none are proven. But do we care? Not really, we have been gifted with this wonderful material and that for me, is enough.

Karelian history tells of the healing benefits brought to the locals who consumed the spring water. The Tsar, Peter the Great (1672-1725) championed its benefits, encouraging his troops to consume the water. While his troops enjoyed good health, other troops were suffering from dysentery and gastroenteritis. A great testament to the cleansing and filtering properties of Shungite.

Fullerenes are a carbon structure that were not discovered in the scientific world until 1985. Naturally occurring Fullerenes were found in the Shungite from Karelia in 1992. To date they have not been found to naturally occur anywhere else. This gives Karelian Shungite its special properties.

Benefits

There are various ways to harness the benefits of Shungite. Wearing as a pendant, bracelet or other jewellery is a great way, or simply keep a piece in your pocket or purse. This is a highly recommended way to wear Shungite and is also 100% safe.

For fighting Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMFs) it is recommended to keep Shungite close to electrical devices, especially microwaves, DECT phones, laptops and wi-fi routers. Shungite is also a very grounding mineral and is beneficial to first, second and third chakras. It will help you focus on your connection to the earth, helping you feel grounded. It will also help you eliminate negative thoughts and dissipate negative energies.

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What is Shungite?

For the easiest explanation, Shungite is a mineraloid, not a crystal as some claim, that can provide many health benefits as well as helping to shield you from EMF radiation. For a pointy head explanation I offer the following paragraph.

Shungite is elementary non-crystalline carbon with a metastable structure incapable of graphitization. It is also used as a term to describe a sequence of Precambrian metamorphic rocks from the Karelia region of Russia containing such carbon. Trace amounts of fullerenes (0.0001 < 0.001%) have been reported from such rock (Mosin & Ignatov, 2013). Shungite has a biogenic origin.

Originally described from Shun’ga area, Shun’ga village, Onega lake, Karelia Republic, Northern Region, Russia. (mindat.org)

Basically, it is found only in one area of the world. No one knows exactly how it came about, it is after all over 2 billion years old and predates humans by a long way, but there are two theories about how it was formed. Firstly, scientists have theorised that it was formed after a massive meteorite hit the earth, but there is no evidence to support this. The other theory is that it was formed from fossilised organic material from sediments which date back to the Precambrian period, around the time the Earth began to form. Both are plausible, none are proven.

But do we care. Not really, we have been gifted with this wonderful material and that for me, is enough.

For ease of understanding, Shungite Masters split our Shungite into 3 type, Elite, Petrovsky and Regular.

The Fullerenes found in Shungite from Karelia give Shungite its special properties. To learn more about Fullerenes, see our blog post here.

There is a long history of the spring water around Karelia giving the locals health benefits from its consumption. The Tsar, Peter the Great (1672-1725) championed its benefits, encouraging his troops to consume the water. For a history of Shungite, see our blog post here.

Types of Shungite

If you have heard about Shungite, you have probably heard people talking about the 3 different types of Shungite. Basically, they are split into these 3 types based on the amount of carbon they contain.

Elite (Noble) Shungite – Up to 98% Carbon Distinctly, this type of Shungite has a silver metallic appearance and conchoidal patterning.

Only about 1% of Shungite is Elite. It is normally sold in its natural raw shape. Because of that, you can often find other rocks and minerals infused into it. It has been laying there for 2 billion years after all. It grows in thin veins, so large pieces of elite are expensive as they are extremely rare.

Elite Shungite is believed to be the most effective type of when it comes to water purification, EMF shielding and restorative powers – it simply works faster than the other types of Shungite.

You can make pendants and jewellery with Elite Shungite, but as it is very delicate, it is usually only raw stones that you will find fashioned into a jewellery piece. Raw chunks of Elite Shungite are also great for carrying in your pocket.

Petrovsky Shungite – Typically contains around 70 to 80% carbon It has a dark grey appearance, very much in the middle of the black and the silver colours. The high amount of carbon makes it an effective healing and protection stone, much stronger than regular Shungite.

Petrovsky Shungite can still be used to make various products like bracelets pendants and jewellery pieces due to its molecular structure and can also be used for water purification.

Regular Shungite – Typically contains around 35 to 75% carbon The appearance of this type of Shungite is distinguished by its deep black colour. This is the variety that is most common and Shungite products are generally made from this. Due to its structure, it is able to be polished and carved into a variety of shapes, like pyramids, cubes, spheres, pendants and jewellery, to name a few.

Regular Shungite is the most common type of Shungite used for water purification.

Shungite Healing There are various ways to harness the benefits of Shungite. Wearing a pendant is a great way for both direct or indirect contact with the skin. This is a highly recommended way to wear Shungite, and is also 100% safe. You can also wearing Shungite as a bracelet or simply keep a piece in your pocket or purse.

For fighting EMF it is a good idea to keep Shungite close to electrical devices, especially microwaves, DECT phones, laptops and wi-fi routers.

It is also a very grounding mineral and is beneficial to first, second and third chakras. It will help you focus on your connection to the earth, helping you feel grounded. It will also help you eliminate negative thoughts and dissipate negative energies.

Further Information You can also refer to our FAQ page for more info.

If you have a specific question, contact us and we will be happy to answer.

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