Even though I’ve been on my crystal journey since the dawn of time, I did take a little break after I sold my crystal shop in the early 2000s. After that, I worked at a lovely metaphysical store in Perth, Australia for a couple of years. Then, coming back to New Zealand, my husband and I focused on starting a family. Of course, I’ve always been a bit of a deep diver when it comes to rocks, but with babies and child wrangling, my crystal hobby went on the backburner.

As the kids grew older, crystals came back into my life around 2020. But I noticed a few new “curiosities” I wasn’t familiar with—and some smarty-pants had even renamed some crystals to something entirely made up! Now, that could be a whole other story, but today I want to focus on a little black, matte stone called Shungite.

I was volunteering at the Club Gem Shop in Tauranga, an awesome co-op-style crystal shop. Some kept asking about Shungite. I knew the hype, but it wasn’t my priority—until I learned the cell phone trick to test its authenticity: gently touch your phone’s screen with the stone. Real Shungite conducts electricity because it contains carbon, so it can trigger your touchscreen just like a fingertip. Fake or resin-coated Shungite won’t work. Cool, right?

Scientifically, Shungite is a carbon-rich mineral primarily from Russia (though it can be found elsewhere). It's high carbon content includes fullerenes, which are carbon atoms arranged in hollow spheres. Metaphysically, it’s considered grounding and protective, sometimes even used to help with EMF exposure. Personally, I’m not sensitive to EMFs, but if it makes someone happy, that’s brilliant.

The Water Question

Here’s where things get tricky. Over the years, people have been asking if you can put Shungite in drinking water. My mineral mind immediately rang alarm bells. Shungite is porous and soft, so it’s not structurally ideal for water purification. I also would not recommend putting any crystals in water for drinking, actually.

For more Details, read my blog   https://blissfulthings.rocketspark.co.nz/blog/search/crystal%20elixir/

Back to the Shungite...It’s carbon-based like coal and often contains other minerals, including pyrite and trace metals like iron, nickel, copper, zinc, vanadium, chromium, cobalt, and lead.

So, can Shungite really filter water?

1. Bacteria and viruses – A small piece of Shungite in a glass cannot physically trap or kill microorganisms. There’s no chemical action that would sanitize your water.

2. Heavy metals – Shungite contains trace metals itself. It is not a sponge that pulls heavy metals from water. In fact, leaving it in water could leach metals into the drink.

Real water purification requires proper filtration systems like activated carbon filters, reverse osmosis, or distillation—not just a little stone in a glass.

Can Shungite Make You Sick if you pop it in water?

The truth is, it’s possible. Because it’s porous and contains various minerals and trace elements, there’s no way to know exactly what’s in each stone without expensive lab testing. For a small business like mine, that’s not financially feasible.

My Take

I’m not a geologist or scientist, but I have a lot of practical experience with minerals and water. While I love the metaphysical side of crystals, I won’t sell Shungite as a water purifier. There’s a lot of confusing marketing online that makes it sound scientific, but often it’s just clever wording.

What you can do:

• Enjoy Shungite as a mineral specimen or for metaphysical purposes.

• To get the metaphysical benefits of Shungite, try a crystal grid. You can read about this in the blog i mentioned above. 

• If you want to ingest carbon, there are plenty of food-safe, tested products in New Zealand, like activated charcoal probiotic type blends.

• For safe water at home, stick with tried-and-true filtration systems, especially if you’re in a rural area.

And remember: Google or ChatGPT is not research. Often, what comes up first is just what’s popular, not what’s safe. Next time someone tries to sell Shungite for drinking water, ask yourself—what’s in it for them?

Enjoy your Shungite safely, and happy crystal adventures!

To see our selection of Shungite (not for drinking) click here.