Frequently Asked Questions

The stone

What is the difference between Type 1 and Type 2?

What the laboratory finds in it.

Both grades come out of the Karelian deep mine in north-west Russia, and both arrive here with a certificate of origin from the laboratory that tested that batch. You will see Type 1 written as DMG on our listings — deep mine.

Type 1, the Elite grade, the raw stones on cords: its certificate puts the C60 content at 97.8%. Everything else barely registers — silicon at 0.05, iron at 0.15, aluminium at 0.15.

Type 2: its certificate puts C60 at 75.7%, with ten to forty times more of every other mineral — silicon 3.2, iron 2.05, aluminium 3.1. Those minerals are what hold it together, and that is why the bracelets, plates and pyramids are all Type 2.

Type 1 is too fragile to be shaped at all. It breaks rather than carves, so it is only ever worn as a raw stone on a cord.

Both figures come from certificates of origin issued by NPK “Karelia Shungite” in Petrozavodsk, by visible microscopy, refractometry, elemental analysis and molecular spectroscopy. Note the measurement is C60 — the fullerene — not carbon in general.

Why does Type 1 cost so much more?

Because there is almost none of it. About 200 to 300 kilograms of Elite Type 1 are mined worldwide in a year. That is a few hundred pounds, for the whole planet.

Every stone is a different shape. Why?

They are broken, not cut. No two pieces come out alike. The photographs on a listing are of that exact stone — never a stock photo of a similar one.

What does the number in the title mean?

The weight. ECN 0953 weighs 9.53 grams. We put the stone on a scale, photograph the scale, and that photograph is on the listing so you can read it yourself.

Is shungite radioactive?

No. I tested it myself and wrote up what the instruments said — Debunking the rumors: shungite's alleged radioactivity.

How we check it

How do I know mine is real?

We test every piece before it is listed, and we film the test. Real Type 1 conducts electricity. Most imitations do not. On each listing you will see a multimeter touching that actual stone with the reading visible.

What is the video on each product page?

Three short pieces of film, all shot on the bench the day that stone was prepared: an EMF meter pointed at a phone with the stone going in between and coming back out; the stone itself turned over in the hand; and the multimeter test.

It is a recording of what the instruments read that day with that piece in front of them. It is a measurement, not a health or safety claim, and we make no claim that this stone shields or protects you from electromagnetic fields.

Living with it

How should I look after it?

Rinse it under warm water and dry it with a soft cloth. For a proper clean, ultrasonic waves moving through clean water lift carbon dust out of the fractures in a way a cloth cannot reach. We sell the one we use ourselves — the Shungite Ultrasonic Cleanser.

Elite Type 1 is brittle. Treat it the way you would treat glass jewellery; it will chip if you drop it on a hard floor.

Do I need to charge it in the moonlight?

No. This stone is roughly two billion years old and it spent every one of those years in the dark, deep underground, until someone dug it up. It did not need moonlight then.

Will it mark my skin or my clothes?

A raw stone can leave a little black carbon dust at first, the way a pencil does. Rinsing it when it arrives takes care of most of that.

Ordering

How is it packed and shipped?

Each piece goes out in its own box with its code card. Full details, including international orders, are on the Shipping Information page.

What if I change my mind?

There is a 45 day return window. The terms are on the 45 Day Return Policy page.

Something is sold out. Will you get more?

Small batches arrive from Russia, so what is in stock changes constantly. See every piece on the shelf right now.