Carbon is an important and necessary component of the schungite mineral.  It is assumed that carbon or its manifestation is responsible for the positive properties of shungite.  However, whether a higher proportion of carbon in the shungite mineral provides better performance and higher quality has not yet been precisely determined.

Some shungite sellers specify a significantly higher percentage of carbon in shungite to emphasise the high quality and greater efficiency of their products. However, it often does not correspond to the actual composition of the mineral and certainly not to the promised higher performance of products.

Please note that carbon was unevenly distributed during shungite and elite shungite formation.  Thus, tests for carbon content of the larger stone may provide different results in different locations.  It is perfectly natural and does not necessarily indicate the tested stone quality.

Please remember that shungite is mostly made up of carbon, and this is no coincidence. By its very nature, shungite has a special composition that is only found in this form in Karelia.

After examination in an independent laboratory, we obtained the following values for our schungite stones:

Elite schungite consists of 87.4% carbon.

Classical (normal) schungite consists of 51.9% carbon.

Exact test results can be found here.

Elite schungite has a much higher carbon content and is generally considered as more saturated.  However, it doesn’t mean that classical shungite is inferior.  Both types of shungite have their advantages and disadvantages when used, regardless of carbon content.