Rhodolite: what it is, varieties and properties

Incredibly beautiful pinkish-purple, a little transparent, like fortified wine, rhodolite is a stone that is a pyrope. And the pyrope mineral is a crystal that is part of the group of pomegranates.

The history of the crystal goes back to antiquity. Translated from Greek, rhodolite is “pink stone”.

According to myth, the ancient Greek god of the ocean, Poseidon, had a daughter, Rhoda. A beautiful girl fell in love with the sun god Helios. Passion was mutual and loving hearts joined together. However, every day Helios got into a chariot and left to ride in the sky. The faithful nymph remained waiting for her lover on earth. Roda knew that Helios would definitely return in the evening, but missed her dear friend. Tears flowed from the eyes of the beauty, and if they fell into the soil, roses grew, and if they fell on stones, they froze in the rock with a purple tear. So, according to an ancient Greek legend, rhodolites appeared - “pink stones”, beautiful and pure, like tears of a nymph.

It is believed that rhodolite was the favorite stone of Alexander the Great. Despite this, as a separate mineral, rhodolite was isolated only in 1959. Until the middle of the last century, when an American scientist Anderson classified the mineral, rhodolite was distributed, giving out as pomegranate, garamantin, ruby, spinel.

In Russia, the “pink” mineral, like all representatives of the garnet group of stones, is semiprecious. Despite this, the world community of jewelers and gemologists often classifies rhodolite as precious stones, and the price for a mineral can be very high.

The color palette of rhodolite is diverse: depending on the deposit, you can find not only pale pink, raspberry, but also blood-red or even purple-purple minerals. Rhodolite has an alexandrite effect, that is, if you look at the mineral from a different angle, the color of the stone will change. The color palette also changes from lighting (artificial or natural). These abilities increase the attractiveness of the stone in the eyes of jewelers. That is why the price of rhodolite is constantly growing. In the second half of the 20th century, the price per carat of faceted mineral did not reach $ 100; by the beginning of the 2000s, prices for rhodolite had risen almost 3 times and still have a tendency to increase.

As a rule, natural crystals of rhodolite are found in the form of inclusions in rock abrasive rock. Large stones are extremely rare. Most often these are small grains of a nugget with a diameter of about 2 centimeters, cast with a glass sheen.

The geography of mineral extraction is vast: these are Asian regions (Sri Lanka), Africa (Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe). There is a “pink stone" in Scandinavia, in the USA (North Carolina) and even in Russia - placers of crystals can be found on the territory of Karelia. However, the northern stones are noticeably inferior to the nuggets mined in the southern regions of the globe.

Minerals refer the stone to aluminosilicates, since the nugget contains anions of silicon and aluminum. Also in these semiprecious stones there is a high content of magnesium and iron.

The color palette of rhodolites varies from pale pink to purplish-raspberry and violet shades. Stones with alexandrite effect under the influence of sunlight can change color up to emerald green.

Among the key physical properties are the following:

• shine and transparency of the stone;
• alexandrite effect (refractibility);
• high density of the mineral;
• low level of dispersion (the edges of the stone do not shimmer with a rainbow, as, for example, in a diamond).

Like any precious or semi-precious stone, rhodolite has magical and healing properties. A mineral can have the following magical effects on its owner:

1. rhodolite has high energy and is able to transfer it to the owner;
2. can help to find peace of mind and recover even in a critical situation;
3. for people who have difficulty interacting with others, a mineral can help to be more open and relaxed in communicating with others;
4. putting on rhodolite jewelry on a date, the chances of luck are increased - the stone helps to increase attractiveness in the eyes of the opposite sex;
5. the nugget is able to demonstrate the leadership qualities of the owner and will be useful to people who occupy leadership positions or strive for them;
6. the magical aura of rhodolite can help to gain restraint and foresight - to make decisions carefully and not to cut the shoulder.

The healing properties of the mineral depend on the color of the stone. In general, it is believed that rhodolite helps fight diseases of the respiratory system and internal organs, can help prevent eye problems and improve vision.

Faceted nuggets should be worn in the form of a suspension to normalize the work of internal organs.

In addition, rhodolite helps to stabilize the nervous system, strengthens the immune system and protects against the effects of stressful situations. If a person is tormented by nightmares, the crystal can bring peace and tranquility to the patient’s sleep, can fight long-term depression, help get rid of obsessions, and generally normalize the person’s emotional state.

However, it is important to know that the healing properties of a stone can be shown only in direct contact with the body. Therefore, rhodolite used for medicinal purposes must be kept in contact with the skin.

The magical properties of the stone make amulets and charms of rhodolite. The mineral evokes feelings, therefore it is recommended for purchase to couples and families whose feelings are dying away. Such talismans are suitable for both men and women.

The amulet from rhodolite helps the owner to make informed decisions quickly and without doubt, it is easy to find a common language with others and business partners.

When worn, the mineral behaves ambiguously. Rhodolite can affect the representatives of the zodiac circle in different ways. The unique aura of the mineral is manifested for all signs of the backside, however, representatives of Capricorns, Aries and Sagittarius can experience the strongest effect. For people born under the listed constellations, the mineral can become a faithful helper in life. The stone will help the owners to make the right decisions, sharpen the sensitivity and perception of the owner.

Rhodolite also has a beneficial effect on Lviv. In this case, the stone helps to combat the impulsiveness and temper, characteristic of people born under the constellation of the king of animals.

It is believed that in order to preserve the positive properties of the mineral, it is necessary to wear jewelry made of stone in a gold frame with an elegant necklace or large ring.

Rhodolite is a universal stone, because a deep noble red-raspberry color allows its use to both genders. In a men's wardrobe, the mineral is often found in the form of various accessories - rings and cufflinks.

But still, processed stones are most often used in necklaces, earrings or rings. Among jewelers engaged in cutting rhodolites, round processing is very popular. But there are also oval cuts with stepped edges and even marquises (differs from oval with oblong pointed edges).

For processing stones of poor quality, as a rule, cabochon faceting is used (such processing makes the mineral smooth, oval, without edges).

The main parameters for determining the quality of rhodolite is the color and size of the stone, the absence of inclusions. However, it is worth noting that sometimes mineral imperfections can be advantageously changed by cutting - the stone will begin to play and be refracted in a new way in the light of sunlight.

To preserve the beauty and useful properties of rhodolite, you need to think about proper care for the stone.

So that he does not lose his visual qualities, such as shine and deep saturated color, the stone must be freshened up with a dry, not a lint-free cloth, and washed once a month in soapy or saline solution. So that the stone does not suffer, the solution should be at room temperature, it is better to remove impurities without pressing, do not rub the surface strongly. After the procedure, you need to leave the stone to dry at room temperature.

Rhodolite has a strong energy, which is in constant interaction with the internal energy of the owner of the mineral. The stone needs replenishment from the environment. For this, a mascot with a rhodolite should be placed in natural conditions - next to flowers or grass.

There are several ways to distinguish a fake from a real one. mineral.

1. Color. If the stone is painted evenly and does not have natural overflows, it is highly likely that it is a fake
2. Cosmetic defects. Blotches and fractures inside the stone indicate authenticity.
3. Shine - also an indicator of naturalness.A fake mineral does not shine like a real rhodolite.
4. If you meet a large stone - Do not flatter yourself. Most likely this is a fake. Large rhodoliths are extremely rare.

Experienced jewelers can verify the authenticity of the crystal with a magnet. However, this procedure is easy to repeat at home. As a rule, fake rhodolites are skillfully painted glass balls. The objective of the magnet experiment is to establish the presence of iron filings in the crystal structure. To do this, follow these steps:

1. weigh rhodolite on special scales;
2. bring the magnet to the mineral placed in the container at a distance of 1 cm;
3. re-weigh the stone.

If the rhodolite is genuine, the mass of the mineral will decrease, since the stone has a magnetic attraction.

However, scientists have learned to create artificial rhodolites. Synthetic minerals are almost identical to natural counterparts. These analogs are usually called jewelers as cyrolites or damonics. But artificial rhodolites can perform a purely cosmetic function - that is, decorate their owners. Synthetic stones do not have the magical and healing properties of nuggets, it is worth paying attention to when buying a crystal.

About types of pomegranate described in the next video.