Very often our clients ask me a question, whether shungite extraction in Karelia can soon end completely.

When raising the question, it is important to distinguish between the elite shungite or the classic shungite. This is really a big difference, because The production of elite shungite ceased a few years ago, and the reserves of classical shungite in nature, on the contrary, are so great that even today it is rather difficult to say how many still remain.

Elite shungite has so far been found only in one place in Karelia. The cave is located on the edge of the village of Shunga and is completely devastated. It is alleged that other places of shungite were found. Already for several years I have been traveling to Karelia at least once a year and I know this cave well. In 2015, I could not find an elite shungite in this place; the walls in the cave were completely worked out. Villagers gathered some shiny stones. Even in 2017, stones of elite shungite of different quality are offered for sale in rather large volumes. Quite a lot speculate on the topic of whether all stocks will end soon or whether new places of elite shungite will be discovered. These rumors are reflected in the price of elite shungite, which is often artificially overstated.

With the classical shungite everything looks different. This stone is practically unlimited. When developing the deposit over a large area, test exploratory wells were made in this area. The analysis showed that the stone lies on a huge area in this region. The exact size of the area or the volume of the shungite deposits is quite difficult to calculate. It is assumed that less than 1 percent of the total volume is mined in the quarry today. Demand for high-quality shungite has grown significantly in recent years, and the volume of its extraction has also increased. About empty quarries it does not go. Often, such rumors are spread in order to raise the price. The statement that the deposit of the classical shungite will soon become empty is groundless.