Rhodolite: what it is, varieties and properties

Incredible beauty pinkish-purple, slightly transparent, as if fortified wine, rhodolite is a stone, which is pyrope. And the mineral pyrope is a crystal included in the group of garnets.

The history of the crystal goes into deep antiquity. Translated from the Greek rhodolite - is a "pink stone."

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

It is believed that rhodolite was the beloved stone of Alexander the Great. Despite this, as a separate mineral, rhodolite was identified only in 1959. Until the middle of the last century, when Anderson, a scientist from America, classified the mineral, rhodolite was distributed, giving out garnet, garamantin, ruby, spinel.

In Russia, the "pink" mineral, like all representatives of the garnet group of stones, is semi-precious. Despite this, the world community of jewelers and gemologists often considers rhodolite to be precious stones, and the price for a mineral is very high.

The color palette of rhodolite is diverse: depending on the deposit, you can find not only pale pink, crimson, but also blood-red or even purple-purple minerals. Rhodolite has an alexandrite effect, that is, if you look at the mineral from different angles, the color of the stone will change. The color palette changes also 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 twentieth century, the price per carat of cut mineral did not reach $ 100, by the beginning of the 2000s, prices for rhodolite rose almost 3 times and still tend to increase.

As a rule, natural rhodolite crystals are found in the form of inclusions in the mountain 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 glassy sheen.

The geography of mining is vast: this is the 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 crystal can be found in Karelia. However, the northern stones are noticeably inferior to the nuggets mined in the southern regions of the globe.

Mineralogists refer stone to aluminosilicates, as the nugget contains silicon and aluminum anions. Also in these semi-precious stones the content of magnesium and iron is high.

The color palette of rhodoliths varies from pale pink to purple-crimson and purple hues. Stones with alexandrite effect under the influence of sunlight can change color up to emerald green.

Among the key physical properties are the following:

• the brilliance and transparency of the stone;
• alexandrite effect (refractivity);
• high mineral density;
• low level of dispersion (the faces of the stone do not overflow 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 effect on its owner:

1. Rhodolite has a 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 experiencing difficulty in interacting with others, the mineral can help to be more open and relaxed in communication with others;
4. putting on rhodolite jewelry for a date, the chances of success increase - the stone helps to increase the attractiveness in the eyes of the opposite sex;
5. the nugget is able to show leadership qualities of the owner and will be useful to people who occupy leadership positions or aspire to them;
6. Rhodolite's magical aura can help find restraint and foresight - to make decisions in a balanced way and not to choke off.

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

Faceted nuggets should be worn as a pendant to normalize the functioning of internal organs.

In addition, rhodolite helps 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, is able to deal with prolonged depression, helps get rid of obsessive ideas and generally normalizes the emotional state of a person.

However, it is important to know that the healing properties of the stone can manifest only through 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 allow rhodolite to make amulets and amulets. The mineral awakens the senses, therefore it is recommended for couples and families whose feelings are fading. Such mascots are suitable for both men and women.

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

When worn, the mineral behaves ambiguously. Rhodolite can influence the representatives of the zodiacal circle in different ways. The unique aura of the mineral manifests itself for all signs Zadik, but the representatives of Capricorns, Aries and Strelets 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 fight the impulsiveness and temper typical of people born under the constellation of the king of beasts.

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

Rhodolite is a versatile stone, because the deep noble red-crimson color allows its use for persons of both sexes. In the 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.Jewelers engaged in cutting rhodoliths are very popular round processing. But there are also an oval cut with stepped edges and even a marquis (it differs from the oval with oblong pointed edges).

For processing stones of poor quality, as a rule, they use a cabochon cut (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 the imperfections of the mineral can be advantageously changed by cutting - the stone will begin to play and refract in a new light in the light of the sun.

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

So that he does not lose his visual qualities, such as brilliance and deep saturated color, the stone must be refreshed with a dry, lint-free cloth, and washed once a month in soap or salt solution. In order for the stone not to hurt, the solution should be at room temperature, it is better to remove contamination without pressure, not to rub the surface too much. 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. To do this, the talisman with rhodolite should be placed in natural conditions - next to flowers or grass.

There are several ways to distinguish a fake from the present mineral.

1. Colour. If the stone is painted evenly and does not have natural overflows, the probability is high that it is a fake.
2. Cosmetic defects. Interspersions and fractures inside the stone are evidence of authenticity.
3. Shine - also an indicator of naturalness. The fake mineral does not shine like real rhodolite.
4. If met a large stone - Do not flatter yourself. Most likely it 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 rhodoliths are skillfully painted glass beads. The task of the experiment with a magnet 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. place a magnet at a distance of 1 cm to a mineral placed in a container;
3. re-weigh the stone.

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

However, scientists have learned to create artificial rhodoliths. Synthetic minerals are almost identical to natural brothers. These analogs by jewelers are called cyrolites or diamones. But artificial rhodoliths can only perform a cosmetic function - that is, decorate their owners. Synthetic stones do not have the magical and healing properties of nuggets; you should pay attention to this when buying a crystal.

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