Before it became a decorative stone, shungite had a long industrial history: pigment, filler, insulation and water filtration.
In Russia, shungite is more than a feng shui stone. It is an industrial raw material with a history of hundreds of years and very practical uses.
Thanks to its high carbon content and deep black colour, finely ground shungite has been used as a paint pigment since around the mid-18th century. The product is still sold today under names such as “shungite natural black”.
Its carbon structure lets shungite adsorb certain substances, so it has been studied and used as a filter material in water-treatment systems. Note: this is processed material in a controlled system, unlike decorative stones (see why you shouldn't soak the stone in drinking water).
The Zazhoginskoye deposit near the village of Tolvuya, less than 2 km from the shore of Lake Onega, is one of the largest shungite deposits in the world and has been mined since the early 1990s. The area also has the Shungskoe, Maksovo and Nigozero deposits.
Shungite is a carbon-rich rock formed about 2 billion years ago in Karelia, Russia. This article sums up its origin, composition and what to know before you buy.
In 1992, scientists first recorded natural fullerenes in a shungite sample. What does that discovery mean, and why shouldn't it be overstated?
Elite shungite has a silvery sheen and is rare and brittle; regular shungite is matte black, durable and easy to craft. Understand the difference to choose the right piece for you.
Filler for rubber and plastics: partly replacing synthetic carbon black.
Shungizite: in the 1970s, shungite was fired at around 1,090–1,130 °C to make an expanded porous material used as a lightweight, insulating aggregate in construction.
Metallurgy: a carbon source in some processes.
Its carbon structure lets shungite adsorb certain substances, so it has been studied and used as a filter material in water-treatment systems. Note: this is processed material in a controlled system, unlike decorative stones (see why you shouldn't soak the stone in drinking water).