Size:
Height:  4cm (40mm)
Width:    4cm (40mm)
 
Unakite is a true rock: a composite material made up of multiple other stones. This gives unakite its familiar moss-on-brick appearance and makes it a popular lapidary material. The patterns, durability and affordability of unakite have also made it a useful stone for architecture--its most prominent use is trimming on the front steps of the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.!
 
Unakite was first discovered in the United States, in the Unakas mountains of western North Carolina/eastern Tennessee (hence its name). However, 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.
 
This metamorphic rock is formed when granite is altered by hydrothermal activity. Unakite--also referred to as epidote/epidotized granite--blends green epidote, pink orthoclase feldspar and clear quartz and can contain trace amounts of other materials such as magnetite or zircon. As a rock (not a gemstone or element), unakite is found only in masses, not in crystal forms.
 
Unakite deposits may be found in not only the United States, but also Brazil, China, Sierra Leone and South Africa.
 
Metaphysical Property:
It is believed to be a stone of balance, grounding the self while bringing emotions and spirituality together.