Rhodochrosite Tumbled Stones, 1 lb

Rhodochrosite. Peru's rose-banded manganese carbonate.

Tumbled smooth. Pocket, grid, and bowl gauge.

A full working pound. Standard grade, honestly varied.

• Material: natural rhodochrosite, tumbled; origin Peru
• Weight: 1 lb; pink depth and banding vary honestly stone to stone
• Soft mineral (Mohs 3.5-4): store apart from harder stones, skip salt and soaks
• SKU: GTRHOAB

Rhodochrosite is manganese carbonate, its pink laid down in bands as the mineral grew in Peru's old silver country, where the Inca held that it was the blood of ancestral rulers turned to stone, a legend the trade still tells because it is a good one. The modern tradition files it on the heart shelf, compassion, self-worth, and the mending of old hurts, Judy Hall's file seating it at the heart. By the pound it stocks the usual formats: pocket stones, heart-centered grids, bowls, and the gift dish, where its banding makes it the piece visitors pick up first. The stones mend nothing on their own, as we always say plainly; they wear the heart shelf's prettiest banding while the mending stays the carrier's.

1. Carry one as a pocket stone; the banding rewards idle turning.
2. Lay heart-centered grids and fill bowls from the assortment.
3. Cleanse with smoke or moonlight; skip salt and water soaks on soft carbonate.
4. Store apart from quartz and harder stones to spare the polish.

• Rhodochrosite Ex Quality, 1 lb: the deeper-color display grade.
• Clear Quartz Points, 1 lb: directional anchors for the heart grids.
• Red Rose Buds & Petals, 1 Lb: the love shelf's botanical neighbor.

What is rhodochrosite associated with?

The heart shelf: compassion, self-worth, and the mending of old hurts, seated at the heart in Judy Hall's file.

Why the banding?

Growth: the manganese carbonate laid its pink down in layers, each stone a cross-section of them.

How should I care for it?

Gently: it is a soft carbonate that scratches and dislikes salt, soaks, and acids. Smoke or moonlight cleansing and a soft pouch suit it.