Rhodonite

Other Silicates & Gemstones

Rhodonite is a manganese-rich silicate mineral, usually found as rose-pink to red massive material marked by black manganese-oxide veins or dendrites. Transparent crystals are rare; most gem material is opaque and may turn brownish where its surface alters.

Identity

Material or variety: Rhodonite
Scientific or material identity: Rhodonite
Classification: Natural mineral or mineral variety
Composition or formula: MnSiO₃
Crystal system or structure: Triclinic
Geological or manufacturing origin: Can form in more than one geological environment, or combines several materials.
Mohs hardness: 5.5 to 6.5

Origins

Australia · Brazil · Peru · Russia · USA

Appearance & optical properties

rose-pink rhodonite with black manganese veins.

History & discovery

Christoph Friedrich Jasche named rhodonite in 1819 from the Greek rhodon, meaning rose. Large deposits in Russia's Ural Mountains supplied nineteenth-century architectural and decorative work, including the massive rhodonite sarcophagus made for Empress Maria Alexandrovna.

Uses & care

Common uses: Opaque rhodonite is cut into cabochons, beads, carvings, boxes, columns, and decorative slabs. Rare transparent crystals can be faceted, while well-formed crystals are valued as specimens.
Handling and cleaning: Clean with warm soapy water and a soft cloth. Rhodonite has perfect cleavage and can be brittle, so protect it from blows, scratches, pressure in settings, steam, ultrasonic cleaning, and sudden heat.

Jewellery

5 pieces of Rhodonite jewellery. Learners earn each one in DigMyGem by learning words; until then it shows as a silhouette.

Orlets Eagle Brooch
Brooch
A brooch carved as an eagle from pink rhodonite, the stone Russian miners called orlets, or eagle stone, and gave to newborn children for courage. A gold beak and claws pick out the bird.
Imperial Rhodonite Bead Necklace
Necklace
A necklace of large rhodonite beads, the pink stone worked by the Imperial lapidary works at Yekaterinburg. The biggest block ever cut supplied the sarcophagus of Empress Maria Alexandrovna.
Rhodonite Cameo Ring
Ring
A cameo cut in rhodonite, its pink ground and black veins giving the carved profile its shading. The stone is soft, so the ring is worn only on special days.
Tomb of Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna
Jewel
The tomb of Tsarina Maria Alexandrovna, wife of Tsar Alexander II, made from a block of rhodonite quarried near Yekaterinburg in the Urals. It was completed in 1906 and stands in the Peter and Paul Cathedral in Saint Petersburg.
Rose Dawn Egg
Jewel
An imagined Easter egg carved from rhodonite in the Russian court style, rose pink veined with black, wrapped in gold.