How to know if shungite is real?
The easiest and most common way is to check the conductivity. Real karelian stone of Shungite contains a large number of unique forms of carbon, which gives it the ability to conduct electric current. This method is the easiest at home. But what if other minerals can also conduct electricity? For example, this is a famous rock – Hematite.
Please look at these pictures. Which picture contains of shungite fake?
These are two completely different types of minerals. Likewise both conduct electricity and are black in color. The picture on the left are the stones of classic shungite. On the right picture are hematite stones.
Also, some types of Hematite are very similar to the stones of elite Shungite. Above all, these stones as well as elite shungite can have a gray color and a shiny surface.
This is what these hematite samples look like.
In the picture below you can see a sample of genuine elite shungite. Learn more about this mineral you can in the section on our website – elite shungite. As you can see all these patterns are very similar to each other.
What is Hematite?
Hematite is the rock black or gray. This mineral as well as shungite has electrical conductivity, but has a completely different chemical composition. To clarify, classic black shungite 30% consists of a unique form of carbon. Hematite is 70% iron and 30% oxide. Here is its chemical formula – Fe2O3. Hematite is a common iron ore that is used for smelting iron and other industrial applications. Some of the largest and most famous deposits of Hematite are in Ukraine, as well as Brazil, Austria and other countries.
In addition, there is a huge number of shungite-Containing rocks. These are rocks that are similar to shungite, but in their chemical composition is an extremely small amount of unique carbon or it is close to zero. For example, it is a field in Kazakhstan. It is worth remembering that genuine Shungite is extracted only in one region on earth is the Republic of Karelia, Russia.
What other ways of checking shungite fake?
To accurately establish the authenticity of any mineral requires special laboratory conditions and expensive chemical tests. Most people, including intermediaries, do not think and do not suspect of fakes. In addition, not all people have the opportunity to use the services of scientific laboratories to study the authenticity of their samples of minerals.
You can view your sample visually. You can’t understand it if you focus only on the photos. Take your sample in your hand. A “classic” real shungite have a black color, it is somewhat similar to coal. On its untreated surface Pyrite and Quartz inclusions are clearly visible and distinguishable.
These minerals have a Golden and whitish color. On the polished surface, these inclusions are poorly visible. But they can still be seen if you look at the surface of shungite at a certain angle and lighting. This Untreated mineral can stain your hands, but if it is well washed in water, it leaves almost no traces.
Elite shungite stone.
Elite Shungite (or noble) stone has a light gray (but not bright silver) color and smooth surface. It has a homogeneous structure. It is nice and smooth to the touch. Reflects light and is similar to glass. Some areas are so flat that they look like a mirror. Perfectly conducts electric current. If you check the conductivity of a special device, the resistance of the electric current tends to zero. Because it’s almost pure carbon at about 98%. This is a relatively expensive and rare mineral, the probability of forgery above.
More about the surface of elite shungite mineral.
As you know, real elite shungite has a shiny surface, a diamond-metallic shine — in the photo under the number {1}. Very rare nuggets of elite shungite have two smooth and parallel surfaces with a strong shine — in the photo under the number {2}.
Also, in some places on such surfaces, there are small hills, from which thin cracks radiate out in a ray-like manner — in the photo under the number {3}.
Note that in other pieces, there are diverging arcuate and fan-shaped cracks on these surfaces. In turn, they cross other cracks perpendicularly and in parallel — in the photo under the number {4}.
In addition, you may notice that in the same pieces on the surfaces, a slightly wavy surface of the conchoidal fracture is noticeable. For example, you will notice this in the photo under the number {5}. And additionally, the surface of the stone can be covered with strokes, which makes it appear more matte. For example, this can be seen in the photo under the number {6}.
Color of streak.
In particular, the color of the streak of the mineral is black, with a metallic sheen. You can find out the color of the streak by rubbing the mineral with a harder sample until a powder appears. Or rub the mineral with a white porcelain rough surface. You can find this surface on the back of your white cup or plate.
Therefore, the color of this powder is the color of the streak. We show such a swatch with the streak color under the number {7} in the first photo. In conclusion, samples of elite shungite have numerous cracks. These cracks can contain oxides of quartz, calcite and iron.
Finally, we suggest looking at other images of elite shungite stones in our section of the site.
Shungite Fake: Iron Ore and Magnetite.
Magnetite is a black mineral widely distributed on Earth, it is a natural iron oxide. It, like hematite, looks similar to a Karelian elite shungite stone. Certainly, this is due to a similar black color and metallic sheen, as well as a conchoidal fracture.
Magnetite conducts an electric current. However, the most important difference of magnetite is that it has pronounced magnetic properties and will be highly magnetized. On the contrary, Karelian shungite is not magnetized. But he conducts electric current, since it consists of a special allotropic form of carbon.
For example in Russia, magnetite is mined in the Kursk magnetic anomaly, in the Middle Urals (the city of Magnitogorsk), as well as on the Kola Peninsula. In addition, there is magntite in other countries, for example, Azerbaijan, USA, Canada, South Africa, Norway and so on. While the only place on Earth where there is a shungite deposit is the Republic of Karelia (Russia).
Above all, samples of iron ore and brown ironstone ore may have the same appearance as in the photo above. And it happens that unscrupulous sellers sell iron ore under the guise of silver elite shungite.
Obsidian (volcanic glass).
Likewise, a mineral that looks like a elite shungite is also quite popular – this is obsidian (volcanic glass). Here the similarity is based on the high reflective surface of the minerals, as well as a typical conchoid fracture. However, obsidian has a glass luster, and the noble shungite has a strong diamond-metallic luster. In addition, obsidian does not conduct electric current.
What is Colombian elite shungite?
Colombian elite shungite – is it genuine elite shungite or fake? We were informed by our customers, that Colombian elite Colombian shungite has been sold on the Internet since about 2022. Sellers write that the country of origin of this stone is Colombia, South America.
In fact, no one has any information about shungite mines in Colombia. If they were there, it would undoubtedly be a big sensation. However, we still tried to find traces of Colombian elite shungite in this large research about this fake of shungite. In addition, we tried to find in Colombia or nearby those rocks that are so similar to elite shungite in appearance that they can be easily confused. That’s how we stumbled upon Gilsonite from Colombia and USA.
However, the very name colombian shungite or Colombian Elite Shungite is a non-existent made-up phrase. Original elite shungite can only be Karelian, this is the official geological position.
The only place on the planet Earth where a genuine elite shungite of the first type with a carbon content of up to 98% and up to 99% and with a content of fullerenes was found is the Republic of Karelia in Russia. A shungite deposit of the first type was discovered by geologists in the village of Shunga, so this mineral was called shungite. This is a documented scientific fact, as well as the official name of this mineral – shungite.
Why is the so-called shungite from Colombia not an elite shungite?
This so-called Colombian elite shungite is not elite shungite because we do not know its real chemical composition and physical properties. But most importantly, this supposedly Colombian shungite does not conduct electricity in the same way as original elite shungite does. This means the fact that the so-called Colombian shungite is not an elite shungite.
After all, authentic elite shungite has practically zero resistance to electric current and therefore it conducts current almost like a metal. Therefore, the original elite shungite has the most important diagnostic feature – it is electrical conductivity. If you measure the resistance of a sample on a multimeter, then the resistance of real elite shungite tends to zero. The resistivity index for elite shungite is 2,18 ∙ 10-4 Ohm∙m, that is, it is approximately 0,000218 Ohm∙m. Also, elite shungite has a conductivity value equal to 4762 Sim/m.
We found out with the help of a multimeter that the specific resistance to electric current for the so-called elite shungite from Colombia is 4,2∙101 to 4,73∙102 Ohm∙m (42-473 Ohm∙m). This indicator corresponds to anthracite, which has a resistivity it ranges 10-2 to 102 Ohm∙m (0,1-1000 Ohm∙m). Also anthracite can have a carbon content of up to 91-98%.
The so-called elite shungite from Colombia has hundreds of thousands of times more electric current resistivity than original elite shungite.
The main diagnostic characteristic of shungite is electrical conductivity.
Moreover, even a black variety of shungite of third type with a carbon content of about 30% also conducts electricity well, like elite shungite (or elite shungite of first type). In connection with this quality, scientists realized that shungite is able to protect against the effects of dangerous high-frequency waves.
But this sample of allegedly elite shungite from Colombia, which supposedly has up to 99% carbon (not confirmed), fails to have the same high electrical conductivity. It also has such a specific resistance to current, which is hundreds of thousands of times greater than that of shungite.
We will make all measurements on the multimeter publicly available, and we will also calculate other physical and chemical characteristics of this sample of supposedly Colombian shungite. However, a conductivity test is sufficient to verify the authenticity of the sample. We are simply driven by curiosity, so we will conduct all available experiments.
Allegedly elite shugite from Colombia has a faint luster.
For example, in this photo we photographed a sample of real elite shungite and a sample of fake shungite, which is called elite shungite from Colombia. This photo was taken in low natural light.
Here you can see for yourself that one sample reflects light so much that it even looks white, because there is a flare. This is how a smaller original sample of elite shungite shines. This specimen also has an orange pyrite coating on its surface.
But next to it on the right is a sample with a dimmer shine, which also has a brown tint. This shade is not typical for authentic elite shungite. Perhaps this brown shade tells us that we have some kind of asphalten of a young age or anthracite.
The so-called elite shungite from Colombia is more fragile and lighter than the genuine elite shungite.
In fact, a sample of the so-called elite shungite from Colombia turned out to be more fragile than elite shungite. And it crumbles easily.
And another important moment, when we held this sample of supposedly Colombian shungite in our hands, we realized that it is much lighter than samples of elite shungite of the same volume. This suggests that the specific gravity of this fake shungite is less than that of the real one.
This fact corresponds to our measurements, the specific gravity of this sample of so-called elite Colombian shungite was approximately 1.44 gr/cm3. This figure is less and does not fall within the real elite shungite, which has a specific gravity of 1.7-2 gr/cm3.
Thus, we see that a sample of the so-called shungite from Colombia does not conduct current like genuine elite shungite, it does not shine so brightly and it is more fragile and lighter than authentic elite shungite.
Therefore, even without the results of a chemical study of this sample, it is already clear to us now that these are completely different objects. And this so-called elite shungite from Colombia is not elite shungite in any way.
Elite shungite and anthracite.
We were asked a question about a strange product that has a ribbed surface in the photos. This is not elite shungite, but anthracite. The differences are very clearly visible on these photographs.
The danger is that anthracite conducts electricity, but does so rather weakly. At the same time, it conducts electricity worse than elite shungite by 750 times.
Also, this anthracite has a finely ribbed, layered, including multidirectional structure of thin layers that were once superimposed on each other and then petrified. Anthracite is a sedimentary rock, it is the most ancient coal.
This anthracite has a finely ribbed, layered, including multidirectional structure of thin layers that were once superimposed on each other and then petrified. Anthracite is a sedimentary rock, it is the most ancient coal.
And elite shungite does not have such a structure. Because the real elite shungite in the process of formation resembled something similar to a liquid gel-like structure, which filled the cracks in the shungite rocks in Karelia. Elite shungite type 1 is not a sedimentary rock, it is a special very rare mineral.
Also pay attention to the brilliance, the brilliance of elite type 1 shungite is very strong, geologists call it diamond brilliance. And anthracite has a slightly different luster, it is weaker, semi-metallic, in addition, it is these samples that even have some kind of oily luster.
Why can you trust us?
Above all, we are not intermediaries and are located directly in Karelia. You will receive from us authentic shungite directly from its field. Therefore, this eliminates the risk of getting a fake shungite from intermediaries from other countries or regions of Russia, where there are many similar rocks. They look like shungite only in appearance, they can be black or shiny like anthracite or asphaltene.
We make all our products only from 100% shungite stone from Karelia. Besides, we personally control the entire production process from the supply of raw shungite materials to the final product.
In addition, we cooperate with one of the largest companies to protect transactions on the Internet. Above all, this is PayPal company, every transaction on our website is protected.
Please remember that not all gold that glitters. Most importantly, other carbon-containing rocks or Hematites (they are often given for genuine but it is a shungite fake) are very cheap, but do not have unique abilities, are useless for health and are used only in industry. Such products can be found in different countries, USA, Ukraine, Poland, Russia, China, etc.