There is significant science about the dangers of EMF. Research is mounting about the health risks of our long-term exposure to this unnatural radiation including cardiac arrhythmias, reproductive abnormalities and increased risk of miscarriage, brain and heart tumors, hormone disruption, cognitive issues, DNA damage, insomnia, fatigue, malaise, digestive maladies, cataracts, and the list goes on. You can read more about this here.

Disturbing evidence points to EMFs being a cause of cancer. In 2016, the National Toxicology Program released the preliminary results from the largest ever cell phone study showing a link between cell phone radiation and cancer. 

Rats exposed to the frequency of radiation emitted by cell phones were shown to develop two kinds of cancerous tumors: gliomas in the brain and schwannomas in the heart. Sadly, these results are in alignment with several observational studies finding links to the same types of tumors in humans, plus acoustic neuromas and meningiomas.

Another study found that using a cellphone for just 20 minutes a day for 5 years increases your brain tumor risk by 300 percent!

It is a little-known fact that in 2011, after extensive scientific review, the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization) released a report classifying cell phone radiation as a possible human carcinogen.

Shungite is known for a variety of health benefits. It is best known for its ability to help people with electrohypersensitivity by transforming the frequency of manmade EMFs (electromagnetic radiation) into more biologically compatible frequencies, thereby neutralizing their impact. Many people who suffer from electrohypersensitivity report benefits from shungite – but its benefits don’t stop there.

In addition to helping mitigate the effects of both ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, this amazing stone can help us stay grounded, calm and connected to the world around us. Shungite is able to support us on all levels - physical, emotional and spiritual.

Shungite has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, and antifungal properties. It has been reported to provide relief from a variety of skin conditions, as well as boosting our resistance to illness and assisting our bodies with detoxification.

Energetically, shungite has been found to strengthen and expand our “vital field.” Shungite researcher Regina Martino found shungite to be the only rock or mineral able to realign the chakras and optimize this vital field. Specifically, it strengthens the vitality of the first chakra (root chakra), which is directly connected to our health and vitality.

A common misperception is that shungite blocks or traps EMF, but this is not how it works. Shungite actually “transforms” them, changing their wave forms such that their damaging biological effects are neutralized. Shungite makes those health-disrupting, DNA-twisting, manmade EMFs more like the Earth’s natural fields - which are compatible with our bodies.

Shungite is made of dozens of minerals and elements, one of which is carbon. Some of the carbon is in a highly unique molecular form called fullerenes - structures resembling soccer balls. It is believed that these fullerenes are responsible for many of shungite’s health benefits. The different subtypes of shungite are based on the amount of carbon present.

Shungite dates back two billion years to a time when our planet was populated by single-celled organisms. Just as with shale and slate, shungite started with these organisms accumulating and mixing with mud and silt on the bottom of a body of water. Geothermal heat and compression slowly transformed these organic materials into rock.

Because of its conditions of formation, shungite also contains a diverse complement of silicate minerals, iron, titanium, magnesium, potassium, calcium, sulfur, aluminum, and a wide variety of other natural elements.

This special stone is the oldest known hydrocarbon-based rock on Earth, dating back more than 2 billion years. There is only one outcrop on the planet - in Karelia, Russia. Even though shungite’s composition is similar to other carbon-based rocks such as graphite and diamond, its structure and properties are so rare and distinctive that scientists cannot agree on how it formed.

Shungite’s genesis probably began much like shale since it began in an era when the earth was populated by single-celled organisms. These organisms accumulated and mixed with mud and silt on the bottom of a body of water. After that, substantial forces of heat and pressure transformed these organic materials into rock, but it’s the source of these that remained uncertain. Some believe it was geothermal heat and compression. Others believe it was an asteroid impact. Others have postulated that shungite is extraterrestrial altogether, because it appears nowhere else on Earth.

I have spent a great deal of time identifying high quality, reliable sources both in the US and Russia, where shungite is mined. When I find a good supplier, I make every effort to nurture that relationship. Service is everything! I also test every batch of shungite I receive for authenticity. For more about this, see my YouTube video.

This is probably my most frequently asked question!

The majority of my products are made from black shungite. Black shungite (type 2) is far more suitable for jewelry and accessories because it can be shaped, tumbled, drilled, and polished into forms (beads, pendants, spheres, pyramids, and so on). Black shungite (type 2) contains about 50 to 70 percent carbon, with the remaining 30 to 50 percent being a mixture of a wide variety of different elements.

Elite (noble) shungite, aka "type 1," is a completely different form. Although it's stronger in terms of EMFs, it is very crumbly and friable. Therefore, elite is best used in its raw form for making shungite water, or as loose pebbles in a bowl or as a beautiful solid nugget. Elite shungite is 90 to 98 percent pure carbon and therefore has the highest concentration of fullerenes - the special molecules that give shungite its unique properties. Elite is much more expensive because of its rarity, representing the top 1 percent of all shungite mined.

In my store, unless a listing specifies "elite shungite," it is black shungite.

There is one more type of shungite that I don't usually carry due to its extreme rarity - Petrovsky Shungite. Petrovsky dates back to the time of Peter the Great and consists of 70 to 80 percent carbon, yet it can still withstand grinding and shaping for beads, pendants, and sculptures.

Each shungite piece has a range of effects based on its size and shape, so different pieces can be used for different rooms based on the size and type of the room. For example, pyramids are recommended in rooms where you want to be awake and alert, such as an office, den or living room. Spheres have a softer energy that is more calming, so they are more suitable for a bedroom or nursery. For more about this, as well as information about the range of effects, refer to my Shungite Recommendations post.

Ultimately, when selecting shungite - be it jewelry, a gift, or a shungite garden - go with your gut. Use your intuition. What piece calls to you? What do you feel drawn to? We are energetic beings, and thoughts and feelings are energy. We just have to listen.

There are several videos on the web that claim to show shungite blocking EMFs. When I did this experiment for myself - passing a piece of shungite between my meter and Wi-Fi router - the numbers DID drop. However, they ALSO dropped when I passed other solid objects between the meter and the router, including my own hand! I don't know exactly how the physics works, but if you consider what shungite does, it makes sense that EMF readings would not change. Why? Because EMF meters are quantitive not qualitative. 

Due to shungite's unique molecular structure, it does not block, trap, or filter out EMFs. Instead, it alters their energetic/vibrational characteristics to make them more biologically compatible. 

Meters measure the level of EMFs but not the vibrational quality, so they are not a reliable test for shungite. The only way you can be sure your shungite is working is to be sure it is authentic shungite, as explained above.

Yes, this is normal and usually temporary!

Shungite is a soft mineral, and after drilling and shaping, a fine powdery black residue can remain. After all, it's carbon! This residue can sometimes be found on the leather of a necklace or bracelet after being threaded through a bead hole (despite my attempts to wipe it off), on one's wrist from a bracelet, or on the bottom of a shungite tile (which is unpolished). This is normal and nothing to worry about - as I see it, a small price to pay for the special health benefits it offers.

Black shungite residue washes off easily with a little soap and water. You should see my hands after I unpack a shungite shipment!

As a stone, shungite can get wet. Although shungite is a soft stone, it will take many years for it to degrade in the environment. Elite shungite (aka type I shungite, silver shungite, or noble shungite) is even used to make a shungite-infused water commonly called “shungite water.”

When it comes to water exposure, shungite jewelry is another story. I don't recommend letting your shungite jewelry get wet. Water can seep into bead holes and quickly degrade other jewelry materials, such as leather cording. It can also dull the luster of polished shungite. Therefore, it is best to remove shungite jewelry before showering or swimming so that it is not exposed to water.

In addition to carbon, shungite contains a wide variety of natural elements. The most common is the mineral pyrite which is present in little specs and veins - these are the metallic spots you see. In fact, pyrite is so common that these characteristic metallic inclusions are one of the indicators that your piece is genuine shungite.

Interestingly, these little specs and veins frequently become brighter and more noticeable with time and wear. Because shungite is SO soft, as a piece is worn and handled, any thin layer of shungite over a vein slowly wears off to reveal the pyrite inclusions below. This is perfectly normal and just adds to the natural beauty of the piece!

I am often asked if shungite needs to be "cleared" like many crystals by setting it out in the sunlight or moonlight, etc. There are conflicting recommendations about this. Some - including crystal expert Judy Hall - say that you do have to clear it. 

On the other hand, Regina Martino, who write the book on shungite, writes there is no need to clear shungite because of the unique way in which it works. It doesn’t trap or filter or collect negative energies - it transforms them energetically. Because it’s not hanging onto anything, there is nothing to clear. I tend to go with Martino because she studied shungite intensively for many years.

That said, it certainly won't hurt anything to put your shungite items out in the sun, especially if it makes you feel better. I have salt lamps at home, and on occasion I have draped my gemstone jewelry over them.

It's your lucky day - I have a post about this! Shungite Water.

Please download my free report, Shungite: The Electropollution Solution. 

The book about shungite by Regina Martino is Shungite: Protection and Healing, and Detoxification.

My Gemstone Properties blog post will give you some basics.