Unakite, Natural, Faceted Off Round, One 8mm Strand

Unakite, Jasper, Natural, Faceted Off Round, 8mm

Strands are 15 to 16 inches long.

8mm faceted off round strands have 32 to 36 pieces.

Unakite is the name used for a coarse-grained granitic rock that is altered by hydrothermal activity. It contains abundant pink Orthoclase and pistachio-green Epidote. Unakite can also include Red Jasper and Clear Quartz.

Unakite deposits may be found in not only the United States, but also Brazil, China, Sierra Leone, and South Africa. It can also be found on the beaches of Lake Superior, where it was originally dragged by glaciers, as well as washed down from the mountains into rivers in Virginia. Unakite is named after the Unaka mountain range in Tennessee where it was discovered in 1874 by Mr. Bradley. Some references claim that it's the state stone for Virginia but there is no official classification.

Unakite was used as a trimming to the front steps of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C. It is also used as floor tiles on a landing at the south entrance. Unakite has also been used as a construction aggregate.

Hardness 6.5-7

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

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