Special notice: At Smoky Mountain Beads, Crystals & More, we regret to inform you that due to recent government regulations, there has been a 35% surcharge added to all of the products imported from Russia, including our Charoite and Shungite products. As a result, we have had to discontinue our discounts on these items. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and are working hard to ensure that we can still offer these products.
 
Shungite was named after being found near Shunga Village, in Karelia, Russia. It is mostly made up of carbon. It is black, lustrous, matte or anywhere in between and is somewhat rare.
 
Since the early 18th century Shungite has been used in medical treatment and it's water purifying properties. Anti-bacterial properties have been confirmed by modern testing. It has also been used as black paint pigment (carbon black or shungite natural black). In the 1970's Shungite was used in the production of an insulating material (shungisite).