Rhodonite, Heishi, One 4x2mm Strand

Rhodonite, Heishi, 4x2mm, Strands are 15 to 16 inches long.

4x2mm strands have 145 to 150 pieces

Rhodonite is a pink manganese silicate mineral of variable composition that often contains significant amounts of iron, magnesium, and calcium. It is often associated with black manganese oxides which may occur as dendrites, fracture-fillings, or matrix within the specimen. Rhodonite name comes from the word “rhodon”, which means “rose” in Greek.

Rhodonite is found in a few small deposits across the world, including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, England, India, Peru, Russia, and Sweden. In the United States it has been found in North Carolina, California, Colorado, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. 

Sometimes Rhodonite is confused with Rhodochrosite. Rhodonite has shades of pink with veins, or "roads", or black Manganese Oxide. Rhodochrosite is typically more pink than red with white swirls of Manganese Carbonate.

Rhodonite is the state gemstone of Massachusetts. 

Hardness 5.5-6

This is a natural stone that has had no treatment other than cutting, drilling, and polishing.

The source of these beads is China and they are cut, drilled and polished in China.