Epidosite is the name of a rock that is composed mainly of epidote and quartz. It looks similar to unakite, but with little or no pink feldspar. Epidosite is also an attractive material used to make beads, cabochons, tumbled stones, and other items. Its pistachio-green color and crystalline texture cause many people to call it unakite,…

Unakite is not seen in fine jewelry and is seldom seen in commercial jewelry, but it is a common stone used in craft and lapidary jewelry. It is usually cut into cabochons, beads, pendants, or freeform shapes. Unweathered, fine-grained unakite with mineral crystals less than a few millimeters in size is relatively easy to work.…

Unakite is named after the Unaka mountain range of western North Carolina and eastern Tennessee, where it was first discovered and described. Similar material is found in many other locations around the world. Unakite is known as the Pompton Granite in a 1/2-square-mile outcrop in the Piedmont physiographic province of New Jersey. That small area…

Unakite is a metamorphic rock that forms when granite (an igneous rock) is altered by hydrothermal metamorphism. During metamorphism, plagioclase in the granite is replaced by epidote to produce a rock composed primarily of green epidote, pink orthoclase, and clear to milky quartz. Unakite can also contain minor amounts of magnetite, chromite, ilmenite, apatite, zircon, and other minerals. Unakite is found in…

Unakite has a surprising range of uses: it is made into crushed stone used in highway construction, and it is cut and polished for use as a gem. Few rocks have such a diversity of uses. The uses of unakite are summarized below. Gem and Jewelry Use Unakite is often cut into cabochons, beads, and other shapes that will be…

Unakite is a pink and green metamorphic rock composed of pink orthoclase, green epidote, and colorless to milky quartz. These colors have helped Unakite become a popular lapidary material. Unakite forms when granite is altered by hydrothermal fluids, and plagioclase in the granite is transformed into epidote. Unakite is used as a construction material, an architectural stone, a lapidary rough, and a gem material.