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Vatican Stone

$12.50 – $16.50

Cosmic connection

See the “big picture” and expand your understanding.

Strengthen your spiritual and physical foundations.

Be relaxed and at peace, especially during transition.

Heighten your survival skills and act with fluid motion.

Let Vatican Stone inspire you to live gracefully.

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Healing Properties of Vatican Stone

Spiritual: Vatican Stone is a mystical stone, guiding us to find our truest connection to Spirit and the Divine. It deepens our prayers and gently pulls back the walls in our mind that separate us from the world. Vatican Stone reminds us that there is no “us” and “them,” there is only “us” and we are beautiful and deserve to be safe and loved. It can help us to see the “Big Picture” and make good choices. Vatican Stone enhances gifts of prophecy and telepathy and strengthens our intuition. It can also help us to discover our Animal Totems and to learn the lessons that they need to teach us. Vatican Stone is attuned to the Root Chakra and linked to the astrological signs of Virgo and Aquarius. It is connected to the elements of Water and Earth and vibrates to the Numbers 5, 6, and 8.

Emotional: Vatican Stone calms our emotions and helps us to stay steady and peaceful regardless of the situations we might find ourselves in. It helps us to feel emotionally safe and be open to new ideas and situations. It is particularly helpful whenever we need to push our own comfort zones and be welcoming to people who are different than us. Vatican Stone encourages us to look on the bright side and to not give energy to paranoia or negative thinking. It also invites us to explore our roots and to make peace with our past. It can also help us to stay calm and practical during times of transition.

Mental: Vatican Stone can helps us to stay physically safe, relying on logic and good sense, and not allowing fearful emotions to run amok. It enhances our sense of diplomacy and reminds us that there are always at least two sides to every story. Vatican Stone encourages us to focus on preventative measures, to avoid bad situations, rather than waiting until a bad situation is thrown upon us. Vatican Stone also enhances our professional skills, helping us to be successful in all our endeavors.

Physical: Vatican Stone is used by metaphysical healers to treat hearing disorders and to bring renewed vitality to aging bodies. It is believed to treat bone and spine disorders and injuries. It is also said to be good for carpal tunnel syndrome and other muscular disorders.

Always use wisdom when considering crystal therapies for healing.

Mineralogy of Vatican Stone

frosterley_marble_1_large
Natural Outcrop of Vatican Stone, Harehope Quarry, England

Rock Type: Sedimentary rock (Limestone) with Marine Fossil
Major Minerals: Calcite
Minor Minerals: Aragonite, Quartz

Color: Black with grey/white fossils
Gravity: 2.3-2.7
Hardness: Varies
Luminescence: Unknown
Texture: Clastic
Transparency: Opaque

Location: Vatican Stones are found exclusively in County Durham, Northern England. vatican-stone-mine-locations

Rock Type: Vatican Stone is not a mineral, but rather a rock and a fossil. An easy way to understand the difference is that rocks are like cookies and minerals are ingredients such as flour or sugar. Many different minerals are used to create a rock! In the case of Vatican Stone, it is Black Limestone with white/grey fossils.  Fossils are a remnant or impression of an organism which lived in the past. Fossils come in many different forms and, depending on what is being preserved, the fossilization process can also be very different. In the case of Vatican Stone, the fossils are of Stags Head Coral.

Formation: Vatican Stone was formed 365 million years ago, when Stags Head Coral was slowly buried under layers of mud in a shallow tropical sea. The mud eventually hardened into Limestone, preserving the fossils beautifully.  

Mining: Vatican Stone is commercially mined exclusively in Rogerley Mine, England. It was originally thought to be a type of Marble and was mined as a decorative stone for churches and the homes of the very wealthy. It is now correctly recognized as a Limestone, but is still used decoratively, in counters and floors in private residences.

Rogerley
The entrance to Rogerley Mine, England

Enhancements: All Vatican Stones are fully natural and have been enhanced only by cutting, tumbling, and polishing.  

Synonyms: Frosterly Marble, Stags Horn Coral in Matrix. May be inaccurately labelled Ammonite in Matrix, 

Map courtesy of TravelBlog
Photos: Rough Vatican Stone, Rogerley Mine

History of Vatican Stone

Vatican Stone is a relatively “new” stone to the metaphysical world, and so is not included in any lapidaries, texts that describe gemstones and their powers. As a result, the healing properties of Vatican Stone are still being explored. In geological circles, this stone is more likely to be referred to as “Frosterley Marble.” But the metaphysical community typically uses the name Vatican Stone instead, a name which references the fact that this stone was used to decorate Catholic churches.

cup coral
Live Cup Coral

Many people incorrectly believe that the fossils in this stone are Ammonites, an extinct species of mollusks, more closely related to coleoids like Octopus, Squid and Cuttlefish, than to modern shellfish. While Ammonites have been beautifully preserved in fossil beds around the world, they are not responsible for the fossils found in Vatican Stone. Instead, the fossils are of an ancient horn Coral species, Dibunophyllum bipartitum.  This species thrived during the Carboniferous Period (359-299 million years ago). This species of Coral looked similar to modern Cup Corals in the Balanophylia genus.

At that time, Great Britain and Ireland were tropical islands, close to the equator, nowhere near their current northerly location. Much of the land was submerged under a shallow sea and covered with a thick bed of coral. What little land was above the sea was a tropical swamp. Towards the end of the Carboniferous Period, the various continents fused into a single super-continent, Pangaea. The British Isles and Ireland were pushed Northward, as well as up out of the water. Mountain ranges were formed, and the remains of the swamps were preserved in what would eventually become coal. Vatican Stone is a remnant of this period. It shows perfect Coral fossils, preserved in a black Limestone.

columns
Columns of Vatican Stone, St. John the Baptist Cathedral

Vatican Stone has been mined in the county of Durham, in north-eastern England for centuries. The oldest written reference to the stone dates to 1183, in a document which mentions “Lambert the marble cutter of Stanhope.” Just as Vatican Stone is often incorrectly thought to be Ammonites, rather than Coral, it was formerly thought to be a type of Marble, rather than Limestone.

The stone was carved into striking pillars for Cathedrals, inlaid in floors, and carved into baptismal fonts, sculptures, and sacrament cups.

Photos: Cup Coral, Catheral Columns

Ethically Sourced Vatican Stone 

 

The Miners sell directly to the Lapidary.

The Lapidary sells directly to Moonrise Crystals.

Moonrise Crystals sells directly to you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Supply Chain

The Supply Chain is clean and short.

The Mine and the Lapidary are located in different countries, but there are no middlemen involved.

 

 

The Mine

This Vatican Stone comes from Rogerley Mine, Frosterley, Durham, UK.

The mine causes only minor environmental damage,

and is relatively low risk for miners.

Learn More: Ethical Mining

 

 

The Lapidary

This Vatican Stone was polished in Cape Town, South Africa.

The Lapidary is a family-owned business, founded by father and passed on to his sons.

Factory workers have safe conditions and are paid fairly.

The Lapidary is also the direct-importer & sells primarily at large gem shows.

Learn More: Ethical Lapidary

 

Sourcing Relationship

I have been doing business with this source since the earliest days in my business.  They are a major tumbling company and have more varieties, in more sizes, than any other known source.  The owners visit many small and industrial-size mines personally.  For artisanal-mined deposits in sub-Sahara Africa, the owners work with Gem Dealers who deal directly with the part-time miners.  The majority of these Gem Dealers are women.

Some, but not all, of their stones are labeled with country-of-origin.  For those that aren’t, I have to ask the owners personally.  They tend to get impatient with questions.  As I’ve learned more about mining practices in individual countries, I have become increasingly selective about what I will purchase from them.  However, they remain my preferred source for most of sub-Sahara Africa.

Safe Handling of Vatican Stone

Vatican Stone

What You’ll Receive: A 100% natural Vatican Stone

Selection Process: The stone I select for you will be carefully chosen for its beauty and appeal.  If combined with other stones, I always take time to choose stones that look and feel good together.

Origin: Rogerley Mine,Durham, UK

Polishing Method: Drum polished. Each stone is unique and minor variations are what makes them beautiful.

Details:

  • Color: Black with grey fossils
  • Polish: Shiny and smooth
  • Quality: AA
  • Shape: Irregular tumbled shapes
  • Size: Average size varies
    •  Small is .75 in / 19 mm
    • Large is 1.25 in / 32 mm
  • Transparency: Opaque
  • Weight: Average weight varies
    • Small is 0.3 oz / 8.5 g / 42 carats
    • Large is .9 oz / 25 g / 127 carats

Shipping: Next business day – Domestic First Class averages 3-7 days.  International First Class averages 2-3 weeks.

Reviews

  1. Maia R. (California) –

    A BIG THANK YOU FOR THE VATICAN STONE! I absolutely love it. It has little creatures in it. The designs are wonderful. The perfect choice.

  2. Mary Lou S. (Texas) –

    I just receive my pkg, They are just beautiful. Love the info cards too. Thanks you

  3. Beth S. (Kentucky) –

    The Vatican Stone’s fossil patterns are attractive and pleasing, their earthy colors contrast yet are comfortably soft. The Vatican Stone’s “feel” is about as totally grounding as any crystal I’ve ever had, a gentle kind of grounding but powerful. From the few days I’ve spent with it, my sense of it is that your description of its properties on the Moonrise Crystals site is spot-on.

  4. Patricia T. (Ohio) –

    I’m diggin these fossils. So interesting to look at! You ROCK!!! (no pun intended)

  5. Jennifer S. (Colorado) –

    Another really beautiful stone! The shells create such neat markings and stand out so well against the black background.

  6. Kim K. (California) –

    Lovely Vatican Stone! Lightning fast shipping. Thank you 🙂

  7. Kimberley L. (Texas) –

    Ohhhhhh Julie! It’s BEAUTIFUL! I have goosebumps! I could cry! I LOVE IT! Blessings to you! I am so HAPPY! VERY PLEASED! THANK-YOU!

  8. Kimberly L. (Texas) –

    VERY PLEASED! THANK-YOU! .

  9. Wendy K. (New Hampshire) –

    Always good value at this shop: good specimens, exactly as advertised or better, well-packed and quickly shipped. Thank you, Julie!

  10. Denise M. (Minnesota) –

    Mine stone has a lovely pair of angel wings!

  11. Judith-Marie M. (New Jersey) –

    Thank You!! Great Seller To Deal With!!

Only logged in customers who have purchased this product may leave a review.

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